Topical Tips
For July 2004
Now is the time to think out your strategy for varroa treatment in August. The arguments for and against the various treatments have been well rehearsed, so I will not repeat them here, but it would be a brave - or foolhardy - beekeeper that took no action in early August. If you need specific advice please contact me by telephone or email.
Wasps are already a problem in some areas, so it may be wise to get traps out early. A wine bottle with 2-3" of sugar syrup and 1 drop of washing-up liquid in it is both simple and very effective - wasps and flies go in, bees do not.
Swarming was very heavy this year and some colonies have failed to raise a satisfactory new queen. Unite these to good colonies before the wax moths move in.
Peter Edwards 30/06/2004
