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  • Left Mite Strips in over winter

  • General Q&A, Bee chat and only Bee chat please
General Q&A, Bee chat and only Bee chat please
 #10505  by gwt_uk
 09 Apr 2021, 19:29
Hello all,

I inadvertently left a couple of apivar strips in a hive over winter (I put them in the hive in September). It got me thinking - will all the traces of amitraz contained on the strips have degraded/disappeared by now? Will the strips still pose an issue for honey after this length of time?

I will obviously remove them on my next visit but it is still cold in Scotland and I don’t want to open them up unnecessarily!
 #10506  by Patrick
 09 Apr 2021, 20:15
Don’t think it will pose a problem now tbh.

However as any surviving mites will have had an extended low level of exposure to the active ingredient, I would use another control mechanism this year based on formic acid or thymol instead maybe?
 #10508  by Steve 1972
 10 Apr 2021, 09:53
I have done the same myself with apitraz strips in two colonies..I will be treating these two with Oxalic Acid mix with my vapouriser this season.
 #10511  by NigelP
 10 Apr 2021, 10:14
After this length of time a day or week longer won't make any difference.
Although if you have to it won't do them any harm. Take a apir of pliers as the strips will be "welded" to the frames by now.
We are currently frosty and 4C and I have a very light colony which is not taking down syrup, so will be going in at midday....predicted 6C to add fondant on top of them.
I won't be messing about!