Pests, Diseases and Testing

Pest and Diseases Controls and Treatments

  • Bayvarol Strips
    • A sugar shake or alcohol wash needs to be done every 16 weeks, this will give you a mite count, treatment may be nesesary
    • Easy and safe to use – simply inset between frames in brood box.  For healthy strong colonies use 4 strips per brood chamber;  in weaker or new colonies 2 strips per brood chamber is sufficient.
    • Carefully follow instructions for Bayvarol Strips - Varroa treatment, on the packet to ensure you do not under-treat your hives.  This is an important precaution to help avoid resistance building up in the varroa mite.
    • Bayvarol Strips - Easy diagnosis and effective control of Varroa mites.
    • The active ingredient is highly effective against mites but harmless to bees (one strip contains only 3.6mg of the active ingredient).
    • The bees themselves rapidly distribute the active ingredient by physical contact.
    • Convenient handling; single treatment is sufficient.
    • Long-lasting effect ensures that even the mites hatching from the sealed brood after the start of the treatment are destroyed.
    • Reinfesting mites are killed for the treatment duration of 8 weeks.
  • Apiguard® is a natural treatment to control varroa mite populations in honeybee colonies, Apiguard gel comes in 50g ready-to-use aluminium trays (two trays will treat one standard hive).
    Apiguard is also available in 3kg tubs to treat 30 hives.
    Tests show that Apiguard also helps to control chalkbrood

    How Apiguard works

    Once in place, vapour from the Apiguard gel is given off. Unlike some other formulations and raw crystals, the release from the gel works steadily and does not disturb the bees unduly. Worker bees climb into the Apiguard tray, remove the gel as a hive-cleaning behaviour and distribute it throughout the colony. The gel sticks to the bees’ body hairs and, as the bees move through the hive, particles are left throughout the hive. The worker eventually throws out the gel it is carrying, but the traces remain until they too are removed later.  
  • Sugar Shake varroa mite test kit A simple and easy way of detecting varroa mite Kit includes jar with mesh top, icing sugar and spoon
  • Bottom board - Killmore Used for small hive beetle
  • Apis Beetle Trap Trap comes standard with sticky board Just peel off plastic film and close housing Beetles will be stuck to board on contact Can be reused, sticky boards sold separately
  • DYB - Small hive beetle trap Place on the bottom board, has cable tie to allow placement and removal without opening hive. Fill with Diatomaceous Earth
  • Silver Bullet - Small Hive Beetle Trap Made from Aluminium 1/2 fill with cooking oil or diatomaceous earth Place between top of frames  
  • Beetle trap - Better Beetle Blaster Used to trap small hive beetle. Place between frames in each super and brood box, 1 per box You can use either Cooking Oil or Diatomaceous Earth in the trap (1/2 fill)
  • Ajs Beetle Eaters To control small hive beetle  Place under lid between centre frames Half fill with cooking oil A small mat to cover the trap also helps
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