The Apiarist

• Just read the instructions

  Licensed miticides, used correctly, are very effective at controlling mite infestations which would otherwise kill the colony. However, the manufacturer’s instructions for miticide use are often poorly worded, confusing or contradictory. Could they be improved?

• Apiguard (Apilife Var & Thymovar) advice

  Thymol-containing miticides offer many advantages (no mite resistance or wax-soluble residues) but must be used properly to be effective. Temperatures are critical, and high brood levels may negatively influence treatment efficacy. If you're going to use them, understand their limitations.

• Are slow-release oxalic acid strips the solution?

  Slow-release oxalic acid (OA) strips are for use on colonies rearing brood, in contrast to one-shot trickled or vaporised OA. Are they an effective solution for winter treatment when predicting broodlessness can be tricky, and when climate change is making it increasingly rare?

• Super tips and tricks

  Everything you wanted to know about honey supers but were afraid to ask. Adding, managing, removing, lifting, extracting, nadiring, storing … along with anything else I can think of.

• Taking stock

  Why tolerate poor quality bees? Simple positive and negative selection strategies can produce significant improvements in colony behaviour. However, increased productivity and pathogen resistance (e.g. to mites and viruses) appear harder to reproducibly achieve.