Pulling Honey Supers and Treating Mites

In this video I pull the last remaining honey supers off the hives and begin my 2023 mite treatments. I use ApiGuard (thymol based treatment) to knock down the varroa mites as I prepare the hives for the fall and winter.
Get your ApiGuard here (Amazon affiliate link)
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Fume Board similar to what I use in this video (Amazon affiliate link)
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[@QuigleysBees]

I can feel the heat as I watch. It's in the 90s today here in PA so I can relate. Love watching your videos and I enjoy the fact that you're following your own instincts and logic in keeping your bees. This is one of those hobbies that has many ways to reach the same results. Live bees, good nutrition, and dead mites...carry on!

[@beesintheweeds]

Amen!!!

[@lester3836]

Hey Josh I have a similar busy life. I have tried double deeps and they seem to be too much in a lot of ways, so I also went to single deep. It was hard to keep swarming at bay and stores for winter. I now use a medium under my deep. It has solved many of my troubles. Less swarming, more organized brood chamber, usually don't need a queen excluder, I usually only inspect the deep which is at a nicer working height, also less feeding in the fall. I like your videos and management style keep it up.

[@beesintheweeds]

Thanks for the feedback! That is an interesting management style. Very cool and I’m glad it is working well for you!! Cheers!

[@BrianCooper901]

You covered this really well. We just finished our treatments and had good results.

[@beesintheweeds]

Thank you for the kind words!

[@KajunHomestead]

Great video , love all the colors you use for your hives.

[@beverlysteen]

Never seen that treatment, thanks for sharing.

[@johniac7078]

Same active ingredient as Listerine. Pretty cool. Nice vid.

[@beesintheweeds]

Correct!

[@johnb.strubledds1681]

Once you take the honey super off, how do you get the bees out of there? How and where do you store the honey super while the ApiGuard is in the hive? And are there strips you can use as well as the syringe option? Obviously I'm new to this and appreciate your help.

[@beesintheweeds]

Hello! You can go back and watch one of my honey harvesting videos. That would probably help answer a lot of questions. I use a fume board and a small blower. I store the supers in my pole barn after I let the bees clean them up. The strips you are referring to is ApiVar, that is a different product than ApiGuard. If you go back and watch several of my videos I address most of your questions. Thanks for watching!!

[@joeelam1]

Just wondering, how many colonies do you plan to overwinter?

[@beesintheweeds]

Hi Joe. Well I’m not sure, lol. I’ve made a few more splits so I’m up to 16 currently. 😬

[@joeelam1]

Nice, my son lives in Taylorsville, maybe my next visit we’ll talk

[@billyboy952]

OA can be used with honey supers on, it has been proven in Purdue labs to not penetrate the honey in any way. This test was done years ago.

[@beesintheweeds]

Yes, I meant to state as much. Technically it can be used with supers on, however, I choose not to. Thanks for watching!

[@angelalott9370]

Hot in Arkansas here too this is our first year started in May can we harvest in late fall or spring

[@beesintheweeds]

Hello! I don't see why not. I would consult someone in your local area though that is familiar with your region. Thanks for watching!

[@heavymechanic2]

People will be beating your door down in April for your overwintered NUCs and then not want any grafted queens in the spring after the honey flow starts, its been my experience. The same people will reject your NUC and want to buy a replacement queen from a failed package with a poorly mated queen. Just pointing this out if you plan to sell any bees.

[@beesintheweeds]

Good insight. I’ve not sold any bees yet but I have many people asking for them. Just need to make sure I have all my ducks in a row from a planning perspective. I’m still mildly growing my apiary. Once I do decide to sell some nucs, I am going to make sure they have a newer queen with several frames of brood with an excellent laying pattern. My focus is on helping new beeks get into this wonderful hobby while also proliferating good, local genetics. It will not be money/bottom line motivated like I’ve seen from some I will not name. Thanks for watching!

[@heavymechanic2]

@@beesintheweeds Last year I went from six hives to twenty one double-deep by grafting cells and have grown to twenty seven plus 16-20 nuc boxes. My only reason for charging is to cover expenses of the equipment. I use OAV for mites as its not expensive. Right now, I'm getting the hives ready for winter and should have some nucs to overwinter on a dbl screen-board. I follow Bob Binne and his approach is practical.