Varroa is the worst. Up here in the north we need formic acid in summer and oxalic acid in the fall.
Discussion
Yes. We used to use oxalic but formic shows better results, twice a year. Why do you switch to oxalic in the fall?
And we are cutting out Dronebreed now in May and June. It's very effective against Varroa.
We always cut that done too
Do you also do it in May and June, dieGoldschmiedin? LethalLee are you in the north, or Canada perhaps? Where are you dieGoldschmiedin, if you don’t mind saying? Are you in Germany? Your winter will start earlier and your spring begins later if that is the case, which affects the months you will cut the dronebrood out. So that is why I am inquire the geographical info. We might need to do it later, peehaps August, in south Alabama.
In the North, south of Canada. If using packages we are starting in mid/late march. Or NUCs in late April/early May. Typically wrapping the hives in tar paper in November. We winter with 3 deeps as opposed to 2.
Very interesting! We have never cut out drone brood, but this gives me an idea! Poor drones just weigh on the hive in the fall anyway, until the workers are obliged to push them out in order to conserve honey.
We are keeping our bees in Zander frames. We just take a frame without middlewall and without wires and they make only drones in this. We cut that out and freeze it to kill the drones in the most gentle way. If you open the cells you can see the varroa sitting on the drones, they prefer drone cells because they are bigger.
Those varroa will be born on the bees, you are correct. We have seen larvae with a varroa already in place, just waiting for that bee to be born. The varroa is such a parasitic vampire. I detest them!