You may be wondering “Varroa treatment rules? Wasn’t it enough to study the compounds?”. Well… yes and no. This is the second step we’re talking about this time. The characteristics of the treatments are the foundation for the treatment you chose for your operation. But then you have to use them in a way that…
Something I notice quite often: beekeepers, vets and authorities don’t really know about varroa treatments and their characteristics. This leads to bad decisions and wrong assumptions. Which, in the end, leads to problems with the treatments. The issues are different for beekeepers or authorities, but wrong assumptions are always the foundation of it. So, let’s…
Let’s get something out of the way from the very beginning: Yes, varroa is the largest threat to honey bee health. But that doesn’t mean that you’re helpless. It can be managed efficiently, but that needs knowledge and good practices. Thus, some effort. A strategy for varroa treatments, a plan. “But that doesn’t work under…
One of my most requested talks currently is about the challenges for bee health that result from the climate change and the loss of biodiversity. There’s a beginning awareness, with quite a bit of insecurity what to do. Or if we’re doomed. Though on some days I would tend to the second, I’m definitely opting…
A threshold for varroa infestation would be a good thing to have. It would define the moment for varroa treatments without any doubts, wouldn’t that be nice? You may already notice that I have some issues with this concept. But let’s start from the beginning. There’s no doubt at all that treatments against varroa mites…
When it comes to a definition of bee health, there are a lot of different opinions. Some are very reductive: It’s only varroa you have to look at! Pesticides alone are ruining our colonies’ health! Well, both of these things are important stressors to honey bee health. I’ve written quite a bit about both of…
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