Notes on treatment regimes
Be sure to determine if the mites in your colonies are resistant to Apistan® or CheckMite+® before applying either of those products. Always use the appropriate product. There is no known resistance to formic acid (Mite-Away II) at this time.
Sucrocide™ and Api-Life VAR® are not included in the treatment regimes at this time because there is insufficient data available on which to base such recommendations. Preliminary tests have found Sucrocide™ to be ineffective in the northeast. It is also very labor intensive. Previous work with Api-Life VAR® was based on a single application and yielded highly variable results. Current label instructions call for three applications at seven- to 10-day intervals. This may prove more effective, but confirming studies have not been published. Treatment regimes will be updated as information becomes available.
The drone comb exchange method must be used as indicated above in the ‘Implementation’ section. NEVER leave drone combs in colonies unless you are going to exchange them at least every 28 days.
Ether roll counts given above are 300-bee counts.
Other treatment regimes for V. destructor are constantly being evaluated by a number of researchers, and the number of available options is increasing rapidly. Check with your local extension apiculturist for the most recent updates before implementing any IPM program.