Post-OA Treatment mite drop count- what is acceptable?

[Yorkbees84]

Hi All,

I treated with OA dribble method (I only have 1 hive) a week ago and my total mite drop over the last 7 days totals 226. My hive was extremely strong and large going in to winter and there was a large cluster when I treated. Does this mite drop tell a different story or is this number about what one should expect? This is my first year beekeeping so have no comparison data yet.
Any advice much appreciated,
Thanks
Lindsey

[Alfred]

It would of course depend on the colony size...
I find counting the drop difficult because of multiple reasons so I don't bother.
Trickle has its advantages but being able to hit the mites with repeat doses is a good reason to sublimate instead.
But Im sure NBU beebase has (or had)an online ready reckoner.

[AdamD]

For several years I used to count the drop from a number of colonies over several days after my December oxalic dribbling treatment, the mite drop had always pretty well stopped after a week. A quantity of 226 is around the middle of the range so I would not be too unhappy - you can see that the treatment has worked but the numbers are not frighteningly high.

[Yorkbees84]

Thanks Both. Beebase does indeed have a calculator but it applies to natural mite drop only. So hard to find any info on post-treatment mite drop. I'll likely go to sublimation eventually, just wasn't financially worth it for my first year with just one hive. This year I'll likely get another and if my bees survive the winter then an investment in a vaporiser and gas mask etc will make more sense.

[AdamD]

It's an investment to get a vaporiser, battery and (correct) mask for one or two treatments per year so dribbling an oxalic based treatment is an effective alternative. I have not seen any issues with using that technique. Although you need to take to crown board off, it's quick and allows a rapid view of what's going on (check on cluster size/position/amount of sealed stores) at the same time.

[Alfred]

I agree with that Adam but only for startup.
The cost of equipment for me to move to vaporising was nearly 100quid which I would certainly not have considered in year one.
And that's far from top of the range kit.
I've taken the journey from syringes,through cheap vapurisers to something that suits me and now just keep the trickling apparatus (a cattle drench!)as a backup.
The investment means I can hit the mites hiding in the brood the following weeks
Winter broodlessness is either Shanghri la or I'm just continually unlucky