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Residual mite eradication

Eradicating residual mites for best results

A single treatment of approx. 8 to 10 ml of BienenWohl® applied in winter, when there is no brood in the colony, will ensure the best possible start for the coming beekeeping season.
Efficacy: eradicates 95 to 98% of mite population.

Repeated or excessive dosing with BienenWohl® (e.g. 50 ml or more) at this time of year can result in bee losses.

The problem period of July, August and September

Unfortunately, July is a difficult time to assess varroa infestation. This is because mite numbers are not increasing at a uniform rate. There are various factors that affect the numbers of mites present in the brood and on the bees.

To prevent a critical situation, therefore, it is recommended to carry out monitoring treatments over extended periods of time. The hive debris can then be examined to determine the level of mite infestation.

If drone comb is found to be completely infested with varroa mites, the infestation level is critical. The situation is especially dangerous if more than one mother mite (dark-coloured mite) is found in a cell.

For this colony, action must be taken immediately. Two or three capped brood frames must be removed from colony and replaced with new comb. A block treatment must be carried out, and the colony fed with a 1:1 sugar syrup.

It is known that diseases in insects are hard to cure. The desired outcomes can be achieved through preventive actions that activate the biological mechanisms. The result is healthy over-wintering bees. Continuous use of biotechnical methods means that mite numbers can be reduced during the nectar flow period. This can be seen in the picture above. At the end of the summer, these brood areas will hatch out healthy, long-lived bees with sufficient vigour for over-wintering.

Every colony will exhibit a different varroa drop. If the bees are just left to the parasites, the first negative indications will be evident even during the summer.
Brood comb in this condition must be removed, as it is full of mites and pathogens.
So, the bees must be put on to new comb, treated and fed with a 1:1 sugar syrup.
This is the only way to save the colony and prevent further heavy brood losses.

In spring

The start of brood-laying in the bee colony means that the season has begun for the beekeeper too. It is the reason why timely, regular inspections of the bee colonies are absolutely essential in combating varoosis.

Applying Dany's BienenWohl® in good time during the spring and early summer period is an effective precautionary measure for ensuring a strong, healthy colony. In an untreated colony, one single mite in February will have become 300 mites by the autumn.

"To ignore is to lose."

With an efficacy of 96%, treatment with BienenWohl® provides the optimum conditions for a good start in the new beekeeping year. But the beekeeper still has to keep on top of the situation, a topic discussed in the article by veterinary practitioner Dr. Hans Albrecht. Once pollen starts coming into the hive it is time to carry out a monitoring treatment for diagnostic purposes.

For non-systematic control of varroa, a block treatment is the most effective and the simplest method of achieving large reductions in mite numbers. One treatment period lasting three weeks is effective against both the mites on the adult bees and the mites in the brood cells.

It is worth remembering that controlling the varroa mite calls for constant care and monitoring of the bee colonies. The BienenWohl® approach means checking the colonies more often, and treating them with a small quantity of BienenWohl® when necessary. Less really does mean more!