My way of doing things with OAV is suited for my location but...

I use an OAV treatment to get mite drop and that tells me the status of my
hive. I do not like to do alcohol washes because they require me to do a
lot of heavy lifting and disruption of the colony, including the sacrifice
of 300 plus bees. Add the fact that when you move stuff around in a colony,
things happen, not always good.

The OAV treatment is quicker than the time to do the alcohol wash and gives
the same or better results than the alcohol wash. I use a portable tray for
the mite drops, so i can sample different hives.

So I kill zero bees compared to 300 per hive, have minimal disruption, get
a nice mite kill as an added benefit and with less work. From what I have
read so far it appears that some think I am incorrect in my approach. My
experience is that I get as good or better numbers with OAV than the
alcohol washes, and the alcohol washes were done by the State Inspector. I
did that on purpose just to make sure my OAV results were accurate.As far
as unnecessary treatments, who cares since I am actually using them as a
quick, reliable, minimally disruptive method of getting accurate mite
levels and the "unnecessary treatment" is a benefit or better yet, a
feature.

One problem with some of the differences some have with OAV is the
treatment method. As I pointed out before, the use of the fogger type
applications vary in efficacy. Some point to the inability to get
consistent amounts of OAV into the hive.I would add that the wand (Varrox)
has a longer application time so could have a wider spread of vapor.

Another problem is late treatment revealing increased numbers of mites. It
might be the OAV but my bet is on the well established mite increases in
the fall from both robbing and invasions. That is my experience. This year
I had robbing screens on two susceptible hives and entrance reducers on all
hives for the whole year (my normal configuration but I opened them up the
two preceding years). I did not get the "normal" increase in mites at the
end of the year when they were open.

Because of my dual hip replacements I could not physically monitor my
mentees hives but they had interesting and very different results than I
did. Mite counts were higher, but not critical, and I am not sure why. Have
to wait till next year and see just what they do.I have found a big
difference in what I suggest/tell them to do and what is done.

I am mobile now, but all is shut down for the season.

Going t be a fun year.

Bill Truesdell
Bath, Maine

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