Dylan's Bee Blog

Spring is just around the corner and more importantly The BBKA Spring Convention is here! We had a wonderful time at Beetradex in March, meeting lots of our customers old and new and speaking to many members of the bee keeping community. To say that we are excited about the Spring Convention in an understatement as this is sure to be an excellent event, book your tickets for it below! https://www.bbka.org.uk/Pages/Category/about-spring-convention At Andermatt bee health our objective is to give bee keepers of the UK tools to assist them in the practice of bee keeping. We are passionate about the craft of bee keeping and nothing makes us happier than seeing a healthy colony thrive which is why we have so many solutions to keep your colony in optimal condition. Varroa is the biggest pest problem that bee keepers currently deal with and our product range is tailored to help you tackle this problem. At the Spring Convention, we will be showcasing our newest vapouriser Apisolis. Apisolis is the newest tool in our product range that gives the bee keeper an alternative way of calming the hive without using smoke. Apisolis delivers a cool soothing vapour made up of a blend of essential oils and plant extracts. This ‘smoker’ is battery powered, fast charging and does not need to be turned off or on, simply puff the bellows and this activates the vapouriser. Apisolis, a new way to inspect your colonies, making bee keeping safer and less invasive to your bees. https://andermattgarden.co.uk/products/apisolis-vapouriser We also have a new formic acid treatment from our friends NOD apiaries in Canada, Formicpro. Formicpro is the latest way to get to the varroa mites where they reproduce, underneath the brood cap. Formicpro is highly effective and can be used throughout the active season with a zero-day honey withdrawal. Formicpro is a ready to use, quick treatment that has an extended shelf life of 24 months and easy storage instructions. What’s not to like about that? We have a 15% discount on Formicpro for you at the Spring Convention so come and say hello and get a bargain on this new solution for varroa! https://andermattgarden.co.uk/products/formic-pro?variant=39894018293897  As well as our new products that we are bringing to the bee keepers of the UK, we have our very own varroa treatments Thymovar and Oxuvar. Thymovar is our long-term summer varroa treatment which is a long-lasting highly effective varroa treatment that is applied to the hive directly after the honey harvest. Oxuvar is our versatile pre-mixed oxalic acid solution that can be mixed with water in the active season and sugar in the winter to tackle the varroa mites that exist on the bees. We are proud that we manufacture our own varroa treatments and Thymovar and Oxuvar are the embodiment of what we do at Andermatt bee health. https://andermattgarden.co.uk/products/thymovar https://andermattgarden.co.uk/products/oxuvar-spraying We will be at stand number 19 in exhibition hall A (the students union) at the convention, come over and say hello and talk to us about varroa. See you all there soon! Dylan, Bee Health.

Oxalic acid is used to treat Varroa mites and can be applied to the colony in many ways. 

Thriving Hive is a new citizen science study from the centre for Agroecology, Water and Resilience at Coventry University. It's focused on air pollution and the impact that this has on honey bee health and productivity.

Varroa mite (Varroa destructor) is increasingly becoming an ever-present pest of honeybee colonies across the UK. A short life-cycle gives the mite the potential to reproduce at a rapid rate and there is constant risk of introduction of new mites to a population from bees entering a hive from a different colony. It is therefore essential for the health and productivity of a hive to monitor and manage varroa mite throughout a year.  

Varroa mite (Varroa destructor) infestations within a hive above a certain level will harm a bee colony. Smaller and weaker bees unable to work as hard with shorter lifespans, more susceptible to disease and higher levels of viruses result in lower production and higher potential for colony collapse. Varroa mite is the number one management challenge for UK beekeepers. 

Varroa infestation results in smaller and weaker bees unable to work as hard with shorter lifespans, which puts stress on a bee colony and is considered as a contributing factor towards the risk of colony collapse. 

Whether we have two colonies or two thousand colonies, we all want to be responsible beekeepers in the UK. To achieve this, one of the most important areas we must consider is how to tackle the biggest pest that the Western Honey Bee faces, the Varroa mite (Varroa destructor).

Today beekeepers use formic acid to control the population of the parasitic mite, varroa, in their hives.

This easy three step method prepares your hive to apply MAQS the correct way.