1. What is Apiguard?
Apiguard is thymol in a slow-release gel used to control varroa mites in honeybee colonies.
2. How do I apply Apiguard?
See Vita’s leaflet. If you are using Apiguard in trays: peel back the lid of the tray and place, gel side up on top of the brood frames. Make sure to leave enough space for the bees to get into the tray (use a spacer [an eke] or, more preferably an empty super on top of the brood chamber). Close the hive. After 2 weeks repeat with a second tray and leave in place for 2 – 4 weeks. The ideal treatment period is 6 weeks in total.
3. What is the best time of day to apply Apiguard?
Apiguard can be applied at any time of day but for best results treat colonies in the late afternoon or evening when the temperature is lower and the bees are in, or returning to the hive. If the Apiguard can be applied when it is cooler, the rate of sublimation of the gel and the activity of the bee colony is lower and the bees will become accustomed to the odour more readily than if the product is applied at the hottest part of the day, when the bees are most active.
4. Can I use Apiguard with a brood and a half or a double brood?
Yes, but bear in mind that the level of mite control may be slightly lower than with a single brood chamber, as the number of bees that need to receive treatment is higher. Most bees, brood and varroa will usually be in the lower brood chamber; place the Apiguard on top of the brood frames of the lower chamber and put the second brood chamber on top (ie the Apiguard is between the brood boxes). Repeat after 2 weeks, following Point 2 above.
5. At what time of the year should I use Apiguard?
Apiguard is best applied in summer or autumn, outside the period of honeyflow. The external temperature should be above 15°C (60°F), which means that the colony is active. Distribution of the Apiguard gel depends on the bees transporting it around the hive during the process of hive cleaning, and this activity increases as the external temperature rises. Application during honeyflows should be avoided in case of tainting the honey.
6. Why can’t Apiguard be used in springtime?
Apiguard can be used in springtime, if necessary, provided the daily temperature is high enough. However, it is not the best time to apply the product. Thymol, which is the active ingredient in Apiguard, can sometimes make the queen stop egg laying for a short period and that is not what is needed in early spring – the colony needs to be growing. If the mite infestation is high in spring then it is safer to use Apiguard rather than let the mites reproduce further but treatment is otherwise best left until the summer.
7. Can I feed my colonies whilst using Apiguard?
Yes and No. The recommendation is not to apply Apiguard whilst feeding simultaneously in case the bees spend all their time taking the feed and not bothering to clean out the Apiguard gel. This is not a high risk and will vary between different colonies so if you have to feed and treat at the same time, try it in a few colonies first and see how the bees react.
8. The first dose is supposed to be left on for 2 weeks but I’ve noticed that the gel disappears after only a few days; do I need to put on another dose straight away?
No, the speed at which the gel disappears depends on the temperature and on the behaviour of the individual colony. It can take from 2 to 10 days to be removed from the tray/dosing tray. The
gel will reduce as vapour is given off and as the bees detect the “foreign material” they try to remove it. At high temperatures the vapours are stronger. The bees will find the gel and try to clean it up quickly. Strong colonies generally work faster than smaller or weaker ones. At lower temperatures, the gel sublimes more slowly. It is not detected as readily by the workers and they do not remove it as quickly. Even if the gel seems to have disappeared after only a few days there is no need to apply a second treatment until 2 weeks have passed. The thymol, although not in the tray, is active throughout the colony during this time, having been carried around by the housecleaning bees.
9. It takes longer for the gel in the second dose to disappear; why is this?
The second dose usually lasts longer in the trays because the bees have become more accustomed to the odour of thymol in the hive by this time. The cleaning behaviour is not as pronounced as for the initial introduction.
10. After 2 weeks there is still some Apiguard left in the tray/on the dosing card. What is happening and what should I do?
Sometimes as the gel dries, the bees lose interest in it. Empty and spread the remainder onto a flat surface (wax foundation, cardboard no larger than about 10 cm x 10 cm). If there is only a small amount of gel remaining, smear it over a small area on the top of the brood frames. This is active Apiguard and will be removed by the bees, which will further help in the control of mites. Do not sprinkle or spread dry thymol crystals thinly over a wide area; this will make the thymol sublime very quickly and may disturb the bees.
