Varroa Treatments:
- Whatever method you choose, the important thing to remember is to regularly check your hives.
- Keeping an accurate varroa count means you can hit them when the numbers rise.
- Use the sugar-shake method to check the numbers.
- Keeping a corflute board underneath your ventilated hive base enables you to keep an eye on the varroa drop.
Hive World's recommended treatments:
- Six-monthly alternate treatment of Bayvarol and Apivar strips.
- Sublimation of Oxalic acid using a Sublimox or Vapmite - 5 x treatments, 5 days apart to catch the brood cycle. This method can be used on a regular basis as varroa does not build resistance.
- Oxalic/Glycerine strips placed in the hive. These can be used all year round when varroa is a problem. Our package bundles come with the correct ratio to mix and make your own strips. For more information on the use of oxalic acid see our blog https://www.hiveworld.co.nz/everything-you-need-to-know-about-oxalic-acid/
APIVAR Varroa treatment
$32.70 – $66.87
APIVAR Varroa treatment (like Apitraz) is the reciprocal treatment for Bayvarol varroa treatment. These two products are designed to be used alternatively each six months to prevent resistance building up in the varroa mite.
Hive World sells this in either multiples of 1 x 12 strip pack or 1 x 4strip packs for your convenience.
It is now recognised practice to use multiple treatment types over the whole season to ensure you keep your varroa level under control.
Bayvarol packet of 4 strips
$13.91 – $60.44
Bayvarol for varroa treatment .
Each foil packet contains 4 strips – this is enough to treat 1 brood box.
Easy and safe to use – simply inset between frames in brood box.
Leave in hive for 6 – 8 weeks to provide maximum effectiveness.
Best used in summer after honey harvest but can be used any time if there are severe infestations of mites.
Active ingredient is Flumetherin 3.6mg per strip.
Dry Wall Shim for oxalic treatment x 300
$30.44
Dry Wall Shim for use with oxalic/glycerine mixture for treatment of varroa mites.
See link below to a study done in Argentina on the use of oxalic/glycerine treatments –https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13592-015-0405-7
Formic Pro
$35.83
Formic Pro is an approved organic treatment for using against varroa mite. Formic Pro is made from all natural RAW materials. Used for over 30 years without any known resistance. High efficacy rate (83-97%) targets mites where they reproduce – under the brood cap.
Available in a 2xdose pack that works in only seven days.
Stainless steel varroa mesh
$10.00
Hive World supplies stainless steel varroa mesh cut to size to fit your hive base.
Measurement: 330mm x 370mm.
8 (2.5mm) mesh size
Varroa mesh assists your varroa elimination by allowing varroa removed by bees self-grooming to fall through but preventing them from climbing back into the hive. Allows you to check the varroa fall regularly and ensure your current treatment is having the optimal effect.
Sublimox APF-Plus
$760.87
The Sublimox APF-Plus is an oxalic acid sublimator, otherwise known as an oxalic acid vaporiser. This is the professional way to treat varroa with oxalic acid as it is so fast and easy to use. In the past, oxalic treatment methods have been too tedious and time-consuming which has limited its viability for commercial operators.
The Sublimox APF-Plus overcomes this problem with a treatment time of 25 seconds per hive and easy replacement of caps with reliable temperature control to ensure constant readiness. This means you can go through your apiary, treating the hives without interruption.
As varroa becomes more resistant to common treatments in current usage, more beekeepers are turning to proven organic treatments such as oxalic acid that don’t lose their effectiveness over time.
This device is built to CE standards and has a 12 month warranty. It has been tested and used by hundreds of beekeepers worldwide.
As the unit only draws 300 watts, it can be run off a small inverter (available from Repco or Supercheap) otherwise a small inverter generator can be used. Comes with complete instructions for use.
Testimonial: “Probably the best sublimator in the world … in terms of speed, convenience and ease of use I’d argue that the Sublimox is hard to beat.” The Apiarist, U.K.
Testimonial: “Used the Sublimox this weekend, so easy to use we should of got these years ago”. B.I. NZ Beekeeper
See the video https://youtu.be/gRhL5T6yr24
For more information see our blog https://www.hiveworld.co.nz/sublimox-apf-plus/
Vapmite Oxalic acid vaporiser
$64.80
The Vapmite is an Oxalic acid vaporiser (sublimator) for treatment of varroa mites.
Very easy to use and an excellent product for the smaller operator. Oxalic acid is a natural product that has no ill effect on the bees if used as directed. The good thing is that varroa do not build up resistance to it therefore you can use it whenever necessary to get to grips with varroa.
The recommended treatment is over a 20 day course – four times, five days apart. This will catch all the hatching brood in the cycle. For more information on the reason for this see link –https://www.honeybeesuite.com/using-oxalic-acid-vaporization-when-brood-is-present/
When treating in winter or if the queen is caged (when no brood is present) one treatment will ensure a 95% kill rate.