Medicating your bees in north Alabama

AMERICAN FOULBROOD EUROPEAN FOUL BROOD VARROA NOSEMA TRACHEAL MITE SMALL HIVE BEETLE

DISCLAMER: I AM NOT AN EXPERT ON HONEY BEE DISEASES. FORTUNATELY I HAVE HAD VERY FEW SERIOUS BEE DISEASE PRONBNLEMS, THEREFORE THE INFORMATION ON PAGE IS BASED MORE ON RESEARCH THAN EXPERIENCE. SO, PLEASE USE THIS PAGE AS A GUIDE AND DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH. REFER TO AND USE THE MANUFACTURER’S RECOMMENDATIONS FOR PROPER USE AND APPLICATION FOR ALL CHEMICALS USED INSIDE THE BEE HIVE.

This listing includes those medications that I am familiar with and not meant to include all possible diseases and medications.

This is not a recommendation to use chemicals in your hives but a guideline on how to treat and what chemical to use if you opt to do so.

If you prefer not to use chemicals in your hive you can goggle Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and find the schedule that suits your operation.

Click here for a disease symptom chart that will assist you in identifying suspected diseases.

Under normal circumstances treat for the following diseases in Fall and or spring as shown however if infection levels indicate the need, treat as required for the disease or pest you have in spring as well. The Alabama State Department of Agriculture and Industries has a very strong Apiary section. If any member of their staff advises different from this page, treat per their instructions. It is imperative that you follow all manufacturer's recommendations when applying medication including handling and protective devices. It is the intent of this Webpage to do just that.

In the event of conflict in any manor between the manufacturer's recommendations and this webpage regarding application of medication always use the manufacturer's recommendations.

SPRING FALL TREAT FOR THE FOLLOWING DISEASE/PEST
X* X* American Foul Brood and European Foul Brood
X Nosema Apis and Nosema Ceranae
X Tracheal Mites
X*** Varroa Mites
X** X** Small Hive Beetle

* Effective Jan 1, 2017, I have no idea how I will treat to prevent AFB. See treating options below.

**Treat for Small Hive Beetles anytime they are present making sure not to include any chemicals inside the hive that are not approved for "in hive use".

***It is likely that Oxalic Acid may be approved soon for use in the hive during a honey flow.  See here for the latest information.

Personally, I use 2 Apistan or Apivar strips for Varroa mites in the fall and For Small Hive Beetles I use Beetle Barns between the inner and outer cover with a suitable chemical to kill SHB.. I leave the Beetle Barns in place all year CAUTION the bees will porpoise the beetle opening in the Beetle Barns so the beekeeper will have to remove the propolys often to I keep thh Beetle Barns effective. It is a good practice to also use 3 treatments in both fall and spring for American Foul Brood however the chemical used (Terramycin) is no longer available.

It is good practice to use a different chemical occasionally so as to kill any pest or disease that may be becoming resistant to your normal chemicals. To that end, For Varroa, I alternate between Apivar strips (Amitraz) and Apistan (fluvalinate). I prefer Apivar.    

Treating options:

  1. American Foul Brood (AFB)
    1. Effective Jan 1, 2017 a beekeeper can not purchase or use Terramycin (or Tylosin) to prevent AFB in their colonies without a VFD (Veterinary Food Directive) issued by a licensed Veterinarian. The beekeeper will also have to have a VCPR (Veterinary Client Patient Relationship). I have no idea how this will work as I have been unable to find a Veterinarian in my area (Huntsville, AL) that will even talk to me about either a VFD or VCPR relative to honey bees.  Veterinarian, in general work with animals and are not at all interested in getting involved with honey bees. It appears that they are no happier about the new law than the beekeepers are. If you are a Veterinarian or anyone else that can shed some light on how this VFD program works (relative to honey bees), please contact me.

      2. To view an excellent 2 part video on EFB and AFB click here for Part 1 and here for Part 2.

    2. AFB is a very bad disease that affects the brood in the colony and one should give serious thought to Prophylactic treating for this disease in the fall and again in the spring.
    3. The chemical used for treating AFB is Terramycin (Oxytetracycline HCL) manufactured by Pfizer® as TM-25. Pfizer® has discontinued the production of TM-25. A product you can now use Tetroxy HCA 280 from Bimeda, which is still the same chemical as TM-25 (Oxytetracycline HCl), except that it is approximately 10 times stronger than TM-25.  
    4. One 6.4 ounce bag of TM-25 should have been mixed with 2 ½ lbs. of powdered sugar.   2 level tablespoons (approx. 200 mgs) of this mix should be evenly distributed around the edges and ends of the top bars in the brood chamber.
    5. Two tablespoons of Tetroxy HCA 280 (manufactured by Bimeda, Inc.) should be mixed with the 2 ½ lbs. of powdered sugar and applied the same as item 2.
      1. Be careful using old (leftover) Oxytetracycline HCL.
      2. Due to the strength of HCA 280 small users will likely have “left over” medication.
      3. Most if not all Oxytetracycline HCl packages are marked with a date code for efficacy.
      4.  Moisture also adversely affects the ability of Oxytetracycline HCL to control FB
      5.  Before using “saved” Oxytetracycline HCl, make sure that it is still within the valid date coded stamped on the original package and has been kept dry.
      6. If using “repackaged” Oxytetracycline HCl look at the original package and be sure it does not have an expired date code.     If from a third party ask to see the date code on the original manufacturer’s package.
    6. HOWEVER, because of the difficulty in getting a uniform mixture of powdered sugar and HCA-280 with such large difference in volumes, if you have a small number of colonies, you might consider purchasing a “pre-mixed” product such as Terra Pro® mix sold by Mann Lake and apply per their instructions.  
    7. Terramycin treats for both AFB and EFB at the same time. Each treatment covers both AFB and EFB.
                                                    

  2. European Foul Brood (EFB)
    1. EFB is not a serious disease and can be controlled with Oxytetracycline HCl applied the same as for AFB. When you treat with Terramycin for AFB you have automatically treated for EFB.

  3. Nosema Apis and Ceranae
    1. Treat with Fumigillin mix with sugar water and feed per manufacturers instructions or click here for a good video on Nosema Apis..
                         

  4. Tracheal Mites (normally not much of a problem in this area) (Pick any one but do not use all listed options)
    1. Vegetable oil patty (also called Crisco® Patty) 
      1. Mix 5 lbs. of granulated (or powdered) sugar with 2 lbs. Crisco® shortening.
      2. Form into patties (approx. 1 oz.) and place on top bars of brood chamber.
      3. Vegetable Oil patties can be used at any time provided only sugar and vegetable oil are included i.e... no Terramycin.
    2. Terramycin Patties (Terrymicin can not be purchased or used after 1 Jan 2017 without a VFD)
      1. Terramycin can be added to the above Crisco® Patty at a rate of 6.4 oz. of TM-25 to a the Crisco® patty described above.
      2. Or premixed patties "Terra-Patties" can be purchased from Mann Lake Ltd and applied the same as for Crisco® patties
      3.  However I find it works best to cut the Terramycin patties in 3/8 in strips and place the strips on top of the spaces between the top bars in the brood chamber being careful not to block all spaces needed for bees to move up and down. Use 1 full patty pre hive.
      4. Apigard Is a Thymol product normally used to treat for Varroa mites however Thymol is also an effective treatment for Tracheal mites. (See 5b, below)
    3. Menthol
      1. Place one 50 gram packets (1.8 oz.) of Menthol crystals on the top bars of the top most box if temp is below 80° F - on bottom board if above 80° F.
      2. If on top bars, for better circulation of fumes, first place the menthol then a wood bound queen excluder, then the inner cover (deep side down).
      3. Normally place menthol bag in the hive in the fall and remove it in the spring.

  5. Varroa Mites (The worst problem for honey bees other than American Foul Brood.) (Pick any one but do not use all listed options)
    1. Miteaway Quick Strips (MAQS)(Formic Acid)(Can be used during a honey flow if necessary.) can also be used to treat for chalk brood.
      1. Do not breaths Formic Acid fumes. Do not allow Formic Acid to come in contact with eyes or skin. Handle with Nitrile gloves or equal and wear a respirator when handling Miteaway.
      2. Miteaway treats for both Tracheal and Varroa mites at the same time.
      3. Place 2 strips across the tops of the brood frames
      4. The Quick Strips have a treatment period of 7 days.
      5. Daytime temperatures must be between 50° F - 84° F (10° C- 29° C).
      6. See manufacturers data sheet for proper handling, application and disposal.
      7. Click here for a video from the manufacture of MAQS.

      MAQS properly installed in a hive

      Copied from www.dadant.com showing proper

      and improper placement on MAQS in a hive.

    2. Formic Pro (Formic Acid)
      1. Formic Pro is the next generation product to the Mite Away Quick Strips formulation. The major differences include the shelf life, 24-months (FP) vs. 12-months (MAQS), treatment period, 14 or 20 days (FP) vs. 7 or 21 days (MAQS) and storage requirements, out of direct sunlight (FP) vs. under 25°C/77°F (MAQS).
      2. Do not breaths Formic Acid fumes. Do not allow Formic Acid to come in contact with eyes or skin. Handle with Nitrile gloves or equal and wear a respirator when handling Formic Pro (same as for MAQS).
      3. There are two options for using Formic Pro:
        1. Option One: 2 strips for 14 days.
        2. Option Two: 1st strip for 10 days remove and replace with 2nd strip for an additional 10 days.
        3. Daytime temperatures must be between 50°F - 84°F (10°C - 29°C).
        4. Click Here  for a manufacturers video on the proper use and recommended temperature range of Formic Pro. Use only as recommended by the manufacturer.

    3. Apistan (Fluvalinate)
      1. Place 2 Apistan strips in the brood box, one between frames 3 & 4 and one between frames 6 & 7 (assuming a 10 frame brood chamber).
                           

    4. Checkmite (Coumaphos) (CAUTION avoid using Coumaphos if possible)
      1. Place 2 Checkmite strips in the brood box, one between frames 3 & 4 and one between frames 6 & 7 (assuming a 10 frame brood chamber).
                           

    5. Api-Life VAR (active ingredients Thymol, eucalyptol, menthol, and camphor)(Nitrile gloves are recommended when handling Api Var Life.)
      1. One package of Api Life Var contains 2 wafers. Cut each wafer in half and place the 4 pieces (half wafer) in each corner on the top bars in the brood chamber, repeat 3 times at 7 to 10 day intervals.
      2. Treatment is most effective at average daytime temperatures of 64° to 85°F.
      3. Click here for an application video from the distributor (Veto Pharma).
                           

    6. Apiguard (Thymol)(Nitrile gloves are recommended when handling Apiguard.)( a spacer rim should be used)
      1. Peel off the tray lid and place it on the top bars of the brood chamber
      2. After 1 week replace the (now empty) tub with a second tub.
      3. After 2 weeks the treatment is complete
      4. Click here for an application video from the distributor (Vita Europe).
                             

    7. Apivar (Amatraz)
      1. Apply the same as for Apistan 5b above.
      2. Place 2 Apivar strips in the brood box, one between frames 3 & 4 and one between frames 6 & 7 (assuming a 10 frame brood chamber
      3. Click here for a video on application
      4. Apivar is a new formulation of an old chemical previously used in the USA.

        5.                      

    1. Oxalic Acid. I have not used oxalic acid at all to treat honey bees for Varroa but it appears very promising.  The best information I have found on its use is on Randy Oliver's page "Scientific Beekeeping" which also includes a shop towel method not covered here.
      1. Can be used as a dribble/trickle, vapor, or spray.
      2. Treatment is most effective at average daytime temperatures of 64° to 85°F.
      3. Most effective on broodless colonies
      4. Can be used on newly hived bees (package or swarms) within 9 days of hiving.
      5. Once diluted in solution, oxalic will degrade quickly. Can be refrigerated  few days only.
      6. Use protective gear.
      7. Cannot be used when honey supers are on hive at the present time.
      8. Click here for the "dribble method" application video from the distributor (Veto Pharma).

                              

  6. Small Hive Beetle (SHB)
    1. There are chemical as well as mechanical controls available but like Wax Moths the secret is to keep hives strong. My bees appear to have adopted and are dealing with SHB and have required no treatment at all for the past few years.
    2. Click here for detail description and recommendations for SHB.

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    Last Updated 11/01/2018/ Revised 8/7/2022 BRF