Identifying the best timing for Varroa treatments according to national climate zones
Anti-varroa treatments are necessary to ensure the survival of colonies, their health, and productivity.
For the selection of the best time period for anti-varroa treatments the following aspects must be considered:
- the purpose of beekeeping activity (honey production, pollination, etc.),
- farm strategies (nomadic beekeeping, nuclei formation, etc.),
- the phyto-climatic area where bees are kept,
- the density of bees in the area.
In general, two periods that are favourable for anti-varroa treatments can be suggested for temperate and sub-tropical zones:
- summer, when the nectar flow is low;
- winter, when the amount of brood is minimal or completely absent.
If there are hives in the apiary with a high level of Varroa infestation, it is possible to suspend production and carry out Varroa treatment also at other times of the year.
It is advisable to treat natural swarms as soon as they are collected (after the swarm has settled and still has no brood), as they are not in production and completely devoid of brood, thus guaranteeing an immediate reduction of the level of Varroa infestation.
In the different countries, depending on the phyto-climatic zones in which bees are kept, the precise moments to check for the absence of brood and to apply different treatments (always bearing in mind the importance of alternating them to avoid resistance to the active ingredients) can be identified.
In general:
- In mountain areas: check absence of brood in winter due to the harsher climate (consider that evaporating treatments with thymol-based drugs - if they are authorized in the given country - may be ineffective at low temperatures).
- In hilly areas: check for absence of brood in winter.
- In coastal areas: check for absence of brood in winter and summer (note that evaporating treatments with thymol-based medicines - if they are authorized in the given country - may be dangerous for bees at high temperatures).
Warnings: May depend on the regulations in force in the given country.
Please check out the B-THENET Platform for the Best Beekeeping Practices tailored to each country in the national language, co-developed with practicing beekeepers in the National B-THENET Centres of those countries (Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden).
BEST PRACTICES AND INNOVATIONS FOR A SUSTAINABLE BEEKEEPING
Ongoing | 2022-2026
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