Erik, Jay and all beekeepers.
First, go to the home page of this website and review the document titled Honey Bee Health Coalition Tools for Varroa Management. You should also start using the Varroa Management Decision Tool located below the document on the home page. These resources are crucial for effective management.
The reports and findings on Spring Colony Losses indicate that Amitraz has become problematic due to its exclusive use by commercial beekeepers, who were using it “off label” at much higher doses than recommended and administering the chemical via vapor, as opposed to the Apivar strips method. Apivar is not recommended during this time of year when mite counts are high and the colony is large anyway.
Update and question. Jay and I forgot to put our Apivar strips into our hive on June 1st and we have not treated for mites yet. According to the recent report Amitraz is not effective as a treatment for mites which is the main ingredient in Apivar strips. So our question is, as we are new to bee keeping this year what products are out there for mite control that do not have Amitraz as the main ingredient. Jay and I really need to know.
Thanks
Erik Gerst
SDA-ARS has released critical findings from the pathogen analysis of samples collected during this spring’s colony losses—and the results are sounding alarms.
Viruses vectored by Varroa mites were a major factor, and every mite tested carried genes associated with resistance to Amitraz, one of the most commonly used Varroa treatments. This underscores a growing concern within the beekeeping and research communities: the declining efficacy of one of the most widely used Varroa treatments. Thanks to the hard work and urgency of the researchers involved, these results were collected, analyzed, and written up for publication quickly—despite other USDA delays, providing critical information that will help shape how we respond to this ongoing challenge.
Here’s everything you need to stay informed:
Honey Bee Health Coalition Press Release: https://lavender-violet-7s4a.squarespace.com/s/06_03_2025-Colony-Loss-Research-Results-Final.pdf
Scientific Paper (Preprint): https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.05.28.656706v1
PAm Roundup & Resources Page: https://www.projectapism.org/colony-loss-information