Bee Health Tools

For control and treatment of Varroa mites.

Recommended treatment of 2 strips per 10 frame brood box. 

Available in the following packets:
4 PACK contains 4 Apivar Strips - NEW!
12 PACK contains 12 Apivar Strips 
60 PACK contains 60 Apivar Strips 

Cartons of 60 Packs (1080 Strips) available for $4,500+GST - Contact us direct to purchase.

Protect your bee colony against attack from mites with the Apivar Varroa treatment. The active substance in this treatment is proven safe for your brood and hive products. 
 
These strips are manufactured to consistently release the right amount of substance to effectively control mite infestation. The slow release technology ensures effective coverage throughout your hive for a long period. 
 
Apivar Bee Varroa Mite Strips work by releasing Amitraz, an ingredient that is highly toxic for mites yet totally safe for your honey, beeswax, brood, and queen. It won’t leave any residue in your hive products and will keep your hive healthy and happy. 

Registered for use in Australia in NSW and ACT as at 13-10-2023.
Product name:- Apivar Prod88615

PLEASE NOTE: Carton lots may take 2-3 working days to dispatch 

Contact the Beequip team regarding Apivar urgent enquiries or further information on your order.   

Frequently Asked Questions: 

Why do I need to treat my bees for mites?

We already know that bees play a vital role in both the eco system and economy. This is why looking after them and ensuring their health as a species is crucial. 

Mites like the Varroa mite feed off bees in their larva stage. This introduces a number of harmful bacteria and diseases to bees in your hive. This weakens your entire colony putting them at risk and perpetuating the spread of mites into other colonies.   

What affect do the mites have on bees?

Larva that has been attacked by Varroa mites can suffer from: 

• Shorter life spans

• Deformed wings

• Poor immune systems

• Feeding issues

• Mating complications

• Lower pesticide resistance

All of the above make it significantly harder for bees to perform their duty in a hive and thus make it harder for the hive to survive. 

What are Varroa mites?

Varroa mites are parasites that externally attack the Honeybee. Through exportation over decades these mites have come in contact with colonies of both Asian and European Honeybee’s. 

The mites cause disease in hives known as Varroatosis and are understood to be a leading cause of colony collapse disorder. 

How do I know if I need to treat my hive?

As these mites are incredibly small they are often hard to detect. If your colony is heavily infested they will show obvious symptoms however, if infestation levels are low or just starting out the symptoms can be much harder to spot.  

It is advised to routinely check your hives around the change in seasons ( once in spring and once in autumn per year). 

How Do I Check for Mites?

You can check for Varroa mites in a number of ways including: 

• Mite catchment strips

• Sugar dusting

• Alcohol wash

• Uncapping

Make sure you do your research and find out which method of testing will work best for your hive. 

How Do I Treat My Hive With Apivar Strips?

Apivar strips are one of the most easy and effective forms of treatment against varroa mites.  

How to use Apivar strips:

Simply remove the strips from their packaging and separate them. Each strip has hanging hooks cut into them. Hang each strip between comb frames in the bee cluster. It is best to allow a minimum of two frames between each strip.  

Leave strips to hang for at least 8 weeks and up to 10 weeks. Make sure to dispose of after use. While your strips are in, be sure to keep an eye on the brood nest cluster. if the cluster moves, reposition the strips accordingly for best results.

The RobberGards™ is an ingenious device to fool wasps and robber bees and stop them from getting into the colony.

These unwanted visitors are guided to potential food in the hive largely by sense of smell.

They go straight to the vent holes at bottom of the RobberGards™and try to get in, without realizing the entrance is at the top.

These intruders very soon give up and go looking for food elsewhere.

The bees learn within 24 hours how to access their own hive and it doesn’t stop them carrying out all their normal duties.

Eye Screws to secure the RobberGards to brood box can be PURCHASED HERE

Click Here to see how to fit them to 4 different types of floors

See what “A Kiwi Beeman” thinks about RobberGards Here

Varroa mite re-invasion

This is a huge issue in Autumn and it is believed to be the largest contributor to colony losses.

The varroa mite re-invasion is a result of visits from robber bees and/or from social bee visits.

This was highlighted at the 2021 NZ Bee Conference by an excellent study done by Dr Dennis vanEngelsdorp and shown in this video:-

https://youtu.be/PvWZjwUbLfA?t=1671 

Watch content from 27 min to 33 min. (Remember the study was done in Autumn in USA.)

The RobberGard is especially designed to deter these robber bees and social bees.

Some of the features and benefits of the RobberGards:-

1. The registered design is made from high quality stainless steel to withstand the corrosive elements outside and last for a very long time, virtually indefinitely.
2. Deters robber bees that want to steal the food supplies inside.
3. Deters social bees from other colonies that want to come and have a look and will mostly spread varroa mites.
4. Deters wasps from robbing food from the colony.
5. Stops mice getting in and damaging the honey combs.
6. Helps to control spread of AFB disease. If a colony gets AFB and has this robber guard, it is far less likely to get robbed out and spread the disease, before the beekeeper finds it and burns it.
7. Allows a lot more ventilation over winter (in hives with solid bases) to reduce condensation in the hives which is detrimental to the health of the colony.
8. Easy to block up with foam rubber if the beehive has to be shifted. The bees can still get lots of ventilation through the robber guard vent holes.
9. Very easy to mount, switch entries or remove with the use of the stainless steel eye screws supplied by Beequip NZ.
10. Has a summer position or rotate 180 degrees for the robbing season and winter. The entrance is just 25mm wide in this setting.
11. One of the 3 sizes will fit virtually every type of beehive base (floor) that is commonly used in NZ.

These can also be used as:

• Mouse guards
• Wasp Guards
• Anti-wasp screens
• Anti-robbing screens
• Robber Guards

Units packed in a carton:

RobberGard 153 - 200 / Carton
RobberGard 225 - 150 / Carton
RobberGard 360 - 100 / Carton

Pricing is per individual unit.