Beekeeping

Apiguard recommendation – The Apiarist

9월 2, 2023

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Synopsis : Apiguard exercise is temperature-dependent however the directions are obscure on the minimal temperatures wanted for top efficacy. Is Apiguard applicable for the bees in your space? How may you establish this?

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Introduction

A couple of months in the past I mentioned the directions equipped with some formic or oxalic acid-containing miticides beekeepers use to regulate Varroa. The publish was titled ’Infernal contradictions’ reflecting the state of the documentation offered, both with the bought merchandise or through the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) database of accredited therapies.

Are the directions clear, unambiguous, significant, correct and useful?

Generally … however not at all times 🙁 .

Apiguard

This time I’m turning my consideration to Apiguard, a thymol containing miticide that – used correctly – may be very efficient at decreasing Varroa ranges. It’s an natural remedy and there’s no proof that mites can turn out to be proof against the lively ingredient.

Efficient and no resistance … what’s to not like?

Be affected person … I’ll come to that in the end.

I not use Apiguard (for causes that may turn out to be clear) however did use it, fairly efficiently, for years after I lived within the Midlands. In surveys of miticide utilization, Apiguard is certainly one of (or usually the) most generally used within the UK, so this publish must be related for a lot of readers.

It is a lengthy publish. Apiguard, like different miticides, is just not ‘match and overlook’. I you need it to work effectively it is advisable to use it correctly. This implies you most likely want to grasp the way it works and do greater than learn the directions .

Good and dangerous apply

If you’ll cut back mite ranges utilizing chemical compounds you need to achieve this in a approach that:

maximises the impression on the mite inhabitants utilizing the minimal efficient dose and/or period of remedy to keep away from harm to the colony
doesn’t breach the rules when it comes to accredited technique, dose, period or state of the colony when they’re handled

For instance, a single remedy with Api-Bioxal throughout a broodless interval within the winter slaughters ~90-95% of mites and is effectively tolerated by the bees. The remedy is accredited and is utilized when it’s more likely to have most impact on Varroa however minimal impression on the colony.

That is an instance of fine apply.

Out, rattling’d mite …

In distinction, interleaving each body within the brood field with unbranded fluvalinate strips bought through eBay from China in a hive with two rapidly-filling supers is unquestionably not good apply . The chemical strips may have contained tau-fluvalinate (the lively ingredient in Apistan) however weren’t accredited by the VMD, the dosage was far too excessive and any honey could be tainted and unfit for human consumption.

Any directions supplied with authorised therapies, or extra documentation and recommendation from the producer/provider, ought to make the secure and efficient administration of the chemical easy i.e. enabling good apply.

How does Apiguard do on this regard?

Apiguard

The lively ingredient in Apiguard is thymol, a pure compound current in thyme and a variety of different crops. Apiguard is equipped in foil trays containing 50 g of a white gel-like compound. 25% (12.5 g) of that is thymol, the rest is a slow-release provider that ensures thymol manufacturing happens over a protracted interval of days or perhaps weeks.

Thymol

The bees want entry to the tray of Apiguard for it to work so it’s usually positioned on the highest bars of the brood frames, with ‘headspace’ offered by an eke. The pure housekeeping exercise of employees removes the gel, distributing it across the hive.

Thymol seems to be lively towards Varroa as a vapour and probably additionally by direct contact. Distribution of the gel across the hive presumably will increase this contact, however – on account of the gradual launch method – additionally ensures that the thymol vapour is maintained at therapeutic (i.e. efficient) concentrations for an extended interval, thereby killing phoretic mites and people launched when new employees emerge.

Thymol doesn’t penetrate brood cappings, or kill mites in cells, so the efficient vapour focus have to be maintained for at the least one full brood cycle.

In apply remedy takes a minimal of 1 month.

Notice Please keep in mind that I’m UK based mostly after I talk about allowed utilization strategies and proposals … it is likely to be totally different in your nation. The mechanism of motion will in fact be the identical wherever you might be, so my feedback about temperatures, volumes, durations and so on ought to all be legitimate.

Thymol vapour focus

The vapour focus of thymol wanted to be efficient towards Varroa is apparently 5-15 micrograms per litre (µg/l) of hive air. These figures are from a Bee Tradition article by Claudio Garrido and I’ve been unable to search out any revealed info on this straight from the producer, Vita Europe Ltd.

Thymol vapour manufacturing is temperature dependent.

At low temperatures vapour manufacturing is low and it will increase with growing ambient temperature. On a very heat day – say above 30°C – hives being handled with Apiguard odor very strongly of thymol. The vapour focus will be so excessive that the bees might ‘beard’ on the hive entrance.

Used appropriately, and as reported in a number of checks of the product, Apiguard can kill 90-95% of the mites in a colony. Vita report testing it in 10 international locations in Europe, the Center East and North America with a mean efficacy of 93%.

That’s greater than acceptable and will considerably enhance the well being and therefore overwintering colony survival of our bees.

Nonetheless, testing in northern Italy or two areas of Germany – all areas with decrease temperatures – was reported to provide 67%, 43% and 72% efficacy, all of that are too low to successfully management Varroa ranges within the colony.

So, in abstract Apiguard is:

a miticide based mostly upon a pure plant product i.e. natural
straightforward to manage
distributed across the hive by employees throughout hive cleansing exercise
dependent upon the ambient temperature to realize a sufficiently excessive vapour focus to kill mites
extensively examined (although predominantly in heat international locations)

Directions to be used

These are lifted from the paperwork offered on the VMD database, particularly the present QRD ‘labelling and bundle leaflet’ documentation (revised March 2020). I’ll solely point out the important thing factors which are related to the remainder of the publish.

don’t use throughout a honey movement
two functions of fifty g of gel per colony at a 2 week interval
after the primary fortnight take away the primary tray and substitute with a recent tray, go away till the tray is empty
most of two therapies per yr
use in late summer season after the honey harvest (when brood current is diminishing)
could also be utilized in springtime when temperatures are above 15°C
don’t use the product when the utmost day by day temperature anticipated in the course of the remedy is decrease than 15°C or when the colony exercise may be very low or when temperature is above 40°C

A search of the Vita Europe Ltd. web site turns up some extra info on Apiguard together with a variety of scientific-looking research on utility and efficacy, all equipped as PDFs . ’Scientific-looking’ as a result of it’s not clear whether or not all of the research have been peer reviewed and revealed. In fact, this doesn’t imply they’re improper or not price studying. If they’re revealed it might have been helpful to supply applicable hyperlinks.

Importantly, since these paperwork are distributed by Vita Europe Ltd. I take into account their contents are right and accredited by Vita … which turns into related once we take into account temperature.

Which we’ll do now 😉 .

Temperature

Temperature is vital as a result of it determines whether or not the thymol reaches a therapeutic vapour focus. If the temperature is simply too low the vapour focus will likely be too low to kill the mites.

By way of minimal environmental temperature the directions merely state:

could also be utilized in springtime when temperatures are above 15°C
don’t use the product when the utmost day by day temperature anticipated in the course of the remedy is decrease than 15°C

Which, to be sincere, isn’t vastly useful.

The day by day temperatures final weak peaked at simply over 15°C however the common temperature was appreciably decrease.

Are these applicable situations?

With massive day/evening variations the day by day most may attain 15°C however the colony could also be semi-comatose more often than not, so decreasing Apiguard distribution.

The Bee Tradition article I discussed earlier said that, in checks performed in Switzerland, a vapour focus of solely 4 µg/l was achieved and this was under the therapeutic focus, that means that fewer mites have been killed. Sadly, there was no quotation I may discover for the supply of this info.

Why does this matter?

As a result of I hold bees in a temperate northern hemisphere nation and late summer season/early autumn day by day most temperatures are sometimes across the 15°C talked about within the Apiguard directions.

If the miticide doesn’t attain the therapeutic focus it won’t be efficient … it doesn’t matter for those who go away the remedy on for longer, many mites will survive.

It’s successfully the identical as utilizing antibiotics at too low a dose …

Learn the FAQ …

Helpfully, Vita Europe additionally produce an Apiguard FAQ (PDF).

It’s price noting that the FAQ has clearly been written as a generic doc, relevant wherever Apiguard is offered. It incorporates references to formulations not out there within the UK and makes a variety of statements that doubtlessly or truly battle with the Apiguard directions supplied with the product within the UK.

For instance, it states that the dose is ’50 g per ten brood frames’.

Most UK brood packing containers have 11 frames … however does it matter whether or not the frames are Nationwide, 14×12 or Langstroths? These packing containers all have considerably totally different volumes which is able to impression the lively focus of thymol achieved .

It additionally consists of reference to supers …

It’s preferable to take away supers earlier than treating with Apiguard. Apiguard might taint honey in supers, however it’s unlikely, particularly if the honey shops are sealed

To me, this means that capped honey shops could be usable. They even add ‘Honey collected throughout Apiguard remedy will be fed again to the bees’.

There’s no point out of human consumption.

Does this contradict the UK rules? These state that Apiguard shouldn’t be used throughout a honey movement. Does that imply that capped honey already current when treating throughout a dearth could possibly be offered?

All a bit complicated, however I’m digressing … what about temperature?

There are two related feedback within the FAQ:

The exterior temperature must be above roughly 15°C (60°F), which implies that the colony is lively.

… and …

Apiguard can work at low temperatures however is best when temperatures have a day by day minimal of 15°C

Hmmm … I would like it to be efficient … ‘can work’ sounds a bit underwhelming.

… and the paperwork equipped by the producer

I then learn all of the extra paperwork referenced as ‘additional info’ on the Vita web site. A couple of make indirect references to temperature, however solely a pair have specific recommendation:

The primary, while not referencing a particular temperature, is attention-grabbing:

The temperatures recorded contained in the colony recommend that the common day by day temperature must be thought of a limiting issue on the usage of evaporating merchandise. Certainly, on the level of utility of the thymol, the temperatures rely not solely on these outdoors the colony, but additionally on the thermoregulating actions of the bees on the brood combs, photo voltaic irradiation and the supplies used to assemble the hive (from this PDF).

However the second reference to temperature couldn’t be clearer:

The producer recommends use of the product when the imply day by day temperature varies between a minimal of 15°C and a most of 40°C (from this PDF).

Now we’re getting someplace!

It was the latter doc (from Apimondia 2007), along with evaluation of native temperatures, that persuaded me that Apiguard was not an applicable miticide to be used in my a part of Scotland.

Is it applicable the place you reside?

Temperature, colony exercise, thymol vapour and quantity

The place Apiguard is worried the temperature influences two issues; the era of the thymol vapour and the exercise of the colony which distributes the thymol-containing gel across the hive.

If the temperature is simply too low the colony will likely be clustered and/or inactive and the vapour focus won’t ever get excessive sufficient to be efficient towards mites.

Not good.

Conversely, in heat climate when the nighttime temperature stays sufficiently excessive, the colony will likely be lively within the hive on a regular basis and the thymol vapour focus will likely be excessive.

Be gone, pesky mites!

Presumably, if the temperature fluctuates – from chilly nights to heat days – the colony will solely be correctly lively in the course of the hotter day however the vapour focus will not be excessive sufficient in the course of the cooler nights to be efficient.

If I sound unclear on the latter level it’s as a result of I’m.

Inside the clustered bees at evening the temperature ought to stay excessive sufficient to assist the thymol turn out to be a vapour however the warmed a part of the hive can have a smaller quantity. As a result of the hive air quantity – which is what’s circulating when the bees (and mites) respire – is the entire quantity of the brood field the total vapour focus will likely be decrease.

Will or not it’s too low to be efficient?

I don’t know.

Quantity crunching

In my deliberations about utilizing Apiguard in Scotland I used 15°C as a threshold temperature to assist in my determination making. Within the absence of any agency temperature information and thymol vapour focus it was all I may work with.

Getting ready Apiguard when 3 kg tubs have been out there …

All of the graphs are for my Fife apiaries, however the identical info may be generated for anyplace within the nation if in case you have entry to native climate info (and I mentioned final week easy methods to entry that).

Highs, lows and averages

Sometimes, the temperature throughout a 24 hour interval fluctuates. Nights are normally colder than days. The temperature on successive days or nights additionally varies.

Day by day excessive, low and imply temperatures – click on for legend on this and different graphs

In the event you plot the utmost (pink traces) and minimal (blue traces) temperature you get reasonably ‘noisy’ graphs (the skinny traces) which will be smoothed by averaging the temperature over an extended interval, for instance 7 days (the thick traces).

In Fife, a 7 day sliding (i.e. days 1-7, 2-8, 3-9 and so on.) common most day by day temperature exceeds 15°C for many of the interval Could to mid-October. Nonetheless the 7 day sliding minimal temperature nearly by no means exceeds 15°C … at the least for 2019 which is the yr plotted within the graph above.

In the event you wanted a minimal temperature of 15°C for Apiguard to work you’ve obtained an issue … at the least in Fife .

Maybe extra helpful is the imply day by day temperature. That is plotted in inexperienced above. If Apiguard wants a imply temperature of 15°C to work successfully then that is exceeded – in 2019 – from mid-June till late August.

The imply temperature is just not calculated by including the utmost and minimal temperature collectively and dividing by two. As an alternative it’s decided from the common (each 1-5 minutes usually) temperature readings over all the 24 hour interval.

Nonetheless, some private climate stations solely report day by day highs and lows.

Averaging the excessive plus low day by day temperature overestimates the day by day imply by as much as 1°C

You may calculate an approximate imply day by day temperature from these (Hello+Lo/2; pink line above) however it will likely be an overestimate of the particular imply (blue line above), by ~0.5-0.9°C (in my expertise).

Autumn remedy with Apiguard

Apiguard remedy is added as quickly because the summer season honey is taken off the hive. Sometimes for me that is both the second or third week of August.

The remedy interval is a minimal of 4 weeks and – in accordance with the FAQ – optimally 6 weeks. All through this era the temperature must be excessive sufficient (no matter that’s) to realize a thymol vapour focus that’s efficient in killing mites.

When doing this kind of evaluation you can not simply take a look at information from one yr because it might need been unseasonably chilly or heat.

Smoothed day by day imply temperatures in Fife, 2018-2020 and 2022

Listed below are the 7 day sliding imply day by day temperatures for 2018-2020 and 2022 .

Late August and late September have been appreciably hotter in 2019 (the blue line). Nonetheless, all these traces are nonetheless a little bit of a multitude, however for those who take a mean throughout a number of years you get a graph (under) that’s a lot simpler to interpret.

Fife day by day imply temperatures and Apiguard remedy

In my a part of Scotland the imply day by day temperature is normally under 15°C from the final week in August i.e. the complete time I might expect to make use of Apiguard if that was my chosen miticide remedy 🙁 .

I’ve shaded the realm under 15°C to point that mite killing turns into more and more ineffective the additional the imply day by day temperature is under this temperature.

Sadly, I don’t know the precise (imply day by day temperature) threshold and Vita Europe Ltd. don’t present this info of their directions, FAQ or related documentation 🙁 .

Selections, choices

If you wish to use Apiguard you most likely have to do the same kind of evaluation. In the event you don’t suppose my interpretation of the Vita Europe documentation is right then learn the paperwork and apply your individual threshold.

I ended utilizing Apiguard after I moved from the Midlands to Scotland.

My overwintering colony losses within the Midlands have been a bit increased than they’ve ever been in Scotland. I’ve at all times assumed that this was as a result of Scotland ‘advantages’ from colder winters. Which means there may be nearly at all times a broodless interval between late October and mid/late December (normally earlier reasonably than later). This makes a ‘midwinter’ (however it isn’t) oxalic acid remedy very efficient in killing off any mites that escaped the autumn remedy, or which have reproduced since then.

Midlands day by day imply temperatures 2018-2022 and Apiguard remedy window

Nonetheless, out of curiosity I retrospectively graphed (above) the imply day by day autumn temperatures (August to October) for my Midlands apiary for 5 years (2018-2022; skinny traces on the graph above) and the common of those years (thick inexperienced line).

The person years plotted make for a loud graph, however it’s fairly clear {that a} typical 4-6 week Apiguard remedy window spanning from the final week in August till early October is more likely to embrace a major interval (maybe 50% of the time) when the imply day by day temperature is under 15°C.

What would the results of this be?

Mites from capped cells which are launched later in the course of the remedy window might effectively not expertise deadly thymol vapour concentrations. They’ll subsequently escape remedy and can have the ability to go on to breed.

Maybe my increased winter losses have been resulting from ineffective Apiguard management of mite numbers … ?

Different issues

I’ve targeting the affect of temperature as a result of it’s vital for efficient thymol management of mites and since it’s poorly defined within the Apiguard directions.

Nonetheless, it’s not the one factor to consider …

Queens

Excessive thymol concentrations can cease queens from laying.

About 50% of my colonies would expertise an enforced brood break throughout Apiguard remedy . Since colonies must be rearing winter bees and colony power is a major determinant of overwintering survival, something that stops the queen from laying is just not perfect.

On the plus aspect I don’t ever bear in mind shedding a queen throughout Apiguard remedy.

’Headspace’

There’s a doc on the Vita web site that demonstrates that extra area across the Apiguard trays on the highest bars will increase the efficacy of remedy. Three totally different depth ekes have been used – 6.5, 28.5 and 66.5 mm – and resulted in 78%, 87% and 92% of mites within the colonies to be killed.

So … extra is healthier?

They conclude that the improved air circulation aids distribution of the thymol vapour, so making remedy more practical. The deepest eke would have elevated the quantity of the hive by ~12 litres (i.e. ~25% within the case of a Nationwide brood field).

While these outcomes are attention-grabbing it’s vital to notice that these experiments have been performed in Italy when the imply day by day temperatures have been 20-25°C.

In cooler climates I’m not sure that the identical (or any?) enchancment of remedy could be seen.

Feeding fondant and treating with Apiguard concurrently

At decrease temperatures the vapour focus of thymol achieved will likely be decrease anyway. If the quantity of the hive is then elevated by utilizing a deep eke it could cut back the vapour focus but additional, under a therapeutically efficient stage.

The FAQ recommends utilizing an empty tremendous … is that this nonetheless really helpful if the temperatures are low?