Honey Bees

Tracheal Mites | Varroa Mites | American Foulbrood | European Foulbrood | Chalkbrood | Nosema | Small Hive Beetle | Wax Moths | Larger Pests

Jump to: Formic Pro | MAQS | Hopguard 3 | Apiguard | Apivar | Oxalic Acid | Organic Interventions

Choosing Varroa Treatments

There are many treatments available that vary in formulation, application, timing, and efficacy. Varying your treatments helps prevent varroa from becoming resistant to any one particular treatment. You don’t have to do ALL of these things, but you should choose some combination of them.

Formic Pro

Contains formic acid. Kills varroa under capped brood.
Best for spring application before temperatures get too hot.
Place when temperatures are between 50-85°F.
Temperatures over ≥93°F in the first 3 days are harmful to your hive.
Place between brood boxes.
Option 1 (14 day treatment): Add 2 strips and leave in place for 14 days. Option 2 (20 day treatment): Add 1 strip and leave in place for 10 days. Remove and replace with a second strip, leaving in place for 10 additional days.
Safe for use with honey supers.
Avoid skin contact, can cause severe burns.
Click here to see information from Formic Pro's manufacturer.

Mite Away Quick Strips (MAQS)

Contains formic acid. Kills varroa under capped brood.
Best for spring application before temperatures get too hot.
Place when temperatures are between 50-85°F.
Temperatures over ≥93°F in the first 3 days are harmful to your hive.
Place between brood boxes.
Option 1 (7 day treatment): Add 2 strips and leave in place for 7 days. Option 2 (21 day treatment): Add 1 strip and leave in place for 14 days. Add a second strip and leave in place for 7 additional days.
Safe for use with honey supers.
Avoid skin contact, can cause severe burns.
Click here to see information from MAQS's manufacturer.

Hopguard 3

Derived from hops.
Mixed reviews, but mostly positive.
Good for spring and fall.
Daytime temperatures should be ≥50°F.
Hang between brood frames.
1 strip for every 5 frames (2 strips per brood box)
Individual strips are active for 15 days.
May repeat every 2 weeks up to 4 times a year
Safe for honey supers, but may want to avoid due to odor.
Click here to see FAQs from Hopguard's manufacturer.

Apiguard

Contains thymol (a derivative from thyme) in a slow-release gel which the bees distribute through the hive as they work to remove it.
Best for late summer application after honey harvest.
Requires warm weather (≥60°F), ineffective in cold temperatures.
Place on topmost brood frames with enough clearance for bees to access the gel.
Leave for 2 weeks, then add a second treatment. Leave second treatment in place 2-4 weeks, then remove both treatments.
Not for use when honey supers are in place.
Click here to see FAQs from Apiguard's manufacturer.

Apivar

Contain amitraz (the same insecticide in some tick collars for dogs)
There are some concerns that varroa are becoming increasingly resistant to amitraz.
Spring before placing honey supers or fall after super removal.
Not temperature sensitive.
Suspend between brood frames in the heart of the brood nest.
1 strip for every 5 frames (2 strips per brood box).
Leave in place 42-56 days (6-8 weeks).
Not for use when honey supers are in place. Wait 14 days after removing strips before placing honey supers on the hive.
Click here to see information from Apivar's manufacturer.

Oxalic Acid

Oxalic acid is highly effective overall, but doesn't work on capped brood.
Fall or early winter, after honey harvest and when there isn't a lot of brood present.
Not temperature dependent.
Spray onto package bees, drizzle onto bees in hive, or use a vaporizer.
Best to do one treatment as a "fall cleanup" after completion of other mite treatments and before winterizing your hive.
Not for use when honey supers are in place.
EXTREMELY TOXIC. USE EXTREME CARE. Use all recommended personal protective equipment, keep away from pets and children.
Can be fatal if ingested. Can cause serious injury to lungs if inhaled. Can cause serious damage when coming into contact with eyes and skin.
Click here to see information from the EPA about oxalic acid.

CheckMite+ and Apistan are ineffective and not recommended.

Organic Interventions

Screened Bottom Boards

Some varroa mites will lose their footing on a bee and fall to the bottom of the hive. If the bottom is solid, the mite can reattach itself to a passing bee. If the bottom is screened, the mite will fall all the way to the ground.
It’s also thought that screened bottom boards help with ventilation and humidity control, thus increasing the overall health of the hive.

Drone Brood Removal

You can purchase a deep frame with large-cell foundation. Since drones require larger cells, this encourages the queen to lay unfertilized eggs. Varroa have a predilection for drone brood, so varroa enter those cells as the eggs hatch into drone larvae. Once the drone cells are capped, you can remove the frame and freeze it for 24 hours, killing the varroa mites and drone brood. Reintroduce the frame to the hive and the workers will clean out the cells for reuse.

Powdered Sugar (Dowda Method)

Applying a dusting of powdered sugar to the bees in your hive makes it difficult for varroa mites to grip onto the bees. The bees also begin to groom themselves, causing more mites to dislodge. This must be done with a screened bottom board.

Shake 4oz of powdered (confectioners’) sugar over the top bars of the hive and distribute with a brush or hive tool. Ideally you would take the hive bodies apart and treat the boxes individually with 2oz each.

Repeat every 7-10 days so that you are treating newly emerging brood and foragers that may have previously been away from the hive. Avoid treating when temperatures are cool and bees will be confined. Powdered sugar contains trace amounts of cornstarch to prevent caking, which can cause dysentery symptoms. Alternatively, you can grind your own granulated sugar into a finer powder using a coffee mill.

Don’t use this method when bees are making surplus honey for human consumption. It’s unethical to feed sugar to honey bees when it could be stored in honey supers which are harvested and labeled as honey.

Grease Patties (for Tracheal Mites and Varroa)

Grease patties negatively affect the mobility of tracheal mites, and possibly varroa mites as well. It’s thought that the grease from the patties is distributed throughout the hive and lightly coats the bees.

Mix 1 part vegetable shortening and 2 parts granulated sugar.
Flatten into uniform patties (about 4oz each) between sheets of wax paper.
Place directly on the frames of the brood box during the winter.

Don’t use this method when bees are making surplus honey for human consumption.