Autumn, treatment for varroa.

Autumn has arrived and during this month of October it is time to apply the treatments for the control of varroa.
These treatments are carried out by following the national beekeeping plan or the national help programme for beekeeping.

But what is Varroa?

It is a small parasite, “mite”, which feeds off the blood of the bees. It originally came from Asia and was spread by the beekeepers to every continent. It can be compared to dogs and cats having fleas and ticks, it is almost like a plague that has extended all over the world. It is able to kill off an apiary if the right methods are not used to control it.
It can kill off our Apiaries because:

• It has very high rates of reproduction and infestation.
• Our bees are not accustomed to this new enemy and do not have any self-defences although they are adapting to the situation.
• When the parasites feed on the blood of the bees they infect them with viruses and diseases.
• Their presence creates a combination of illnesses and diseases that weaken the bees in such a form that on occasions it is almost impossible to help them.

 This year I have had to struggle a great deal against these parasites but the worst enemy of the beekeeper, (apiarist), is not the Varroa, it is the lack of professionalism and training of other beekeepers. In my own case an abandoned apiary nearby is a source of infection of this parasite and the diseases that go with it. If you abandon an apiary it is left without control and treatment of Varroa by which the bees will die but  also contagion spreads the illnesses of the parasite to other apiaries in the area.

This is a video by a colleague who is an apiarist, Carmelo Ivan Santana Quintana and he has given us permission to use it. In it you can see the varroa in cells where are some medicines available for its control but I’m only going to speak to you on this blog about those medicines which are permitted in Ecological Apiculture and specifically the ones that have given me the best results.
These products have as their principal components essential oils or natural components that are found in plants or included in their own honey.
It is necessary to make clear that these treatments are supervised by the vet of each Apicultural Association and that permitted by the Spanish Medicines  Agency or in Europe. The use of these often the honey has been taken out of the beehives must be registered in the Apicultural book.

In another post I will show you how we apply them and which products you can use in Ecological Apiculture.