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.

Sold in Pack of 20 strips .

1 Pack contains 5 sachets of 4 strips.

1 Carton contains 200 sachets of 4 strips

Cartons of 200 Packs (800 Strips) available for $1890+GST - Contact us direct to purchase.

1 sachet treats 1 x 10 frame brood box.

- Highly effective for controlling Varroa mites.

- easy to use strips

- safe for the beekeeper

- Large contact area

- very little effect on beeswax, propolis and comb honey and bees

How to use:
Just bend back the two tabs and hook the strips over the top edge of the wooden frame. A single treatment of the bee colonies is sufficient. Strips should not be re-used.

Due to the specially designed tabs, the strips are suspended in such a way that the bees can easily crawl on both sides. Bayvarol Strips are suspended into the spaces between the combs in the central brood rearing area (i.e. not in the honey supers). Normally developed colonies receive four strips per brood chamber.

Useful Information:
Bayvarol Strips are generally used in Summer, immediately after the honey season. At that time the mite population has not yet reached critical proportions and the bee colony hasn't yet suffered any obvious damage. Ideally the strips should not be used during peak honey flow periods. However, Bayvarol can be used at any time of the year for diagnosis or in severe infestations where there is a threat to the survival of the colony.
If emergency treatment for an infestation is necessary while honey supers are present, comb honey should not be sold.
The specific mite activity on Bayvarol Strips ensures that the honey bees are reliably cleared of Varroa infection with an extremely low close: One strip contains only 3.6mg active substance.

Not recommended for use when honey supers are fitted to the beehive.

PLEASE NOTE: Carton lots may take 2-3 working days to dispatch - call us if you want to know exactly when. We will endeavour to get them out you as soon as possible.

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.

Oxalic Acid Dihydrate Crystals. 99.5% 

Oxalic Acid is used by many different industries for many different applications.

• Beekeepers.
• Exterior timber deep cleaning and preparation.
• Commercial laundries. Rust and mineral deposit remover on fabric.
• Building and construction cleaning. Mineral staining, grout, mortar, bricks, tiles, pavers.
• Professional carpet cleaning. Rust and mineral stain removal.
• Rust, scale and watermark removal from baths, basins and other washroom surfaces.
• Hardwood stain removal on concrete and carpet
• Waterlines and deposits on boat hulls and marine applications

Many beekeepers use Oxalic Acid with our Vaporizers

We also sell Glycerine and cardboard or paper strips

500g pottles, 2kg pottles or 25kg Bags

Ensure to reading safety instructions before opening container.

Click here to view our mixing guide for oxalic acid and glycerine

Check out our packages here, with everything you need to get started including Oxalic Acid

Top quality glycerine. 

Derived from plants, this product is RSPO certified with the objective being to promote the growth and use of sustainable products.

Conforms to USP43, which means it is suitable for food and pharmaceutical applications.

Check out our packages here, with everything you need to get started using Oxalic acid and Glycerine in your hives.

Food grade high density cardboard. 11g.
Can be soaked in Oxalic Acid  and Glycerine  Solution.
30mm x 388mm with 2 creases for easy folding
Soaks up 23 grams of product.

Minimum order of 20 strips
80 per bundle, 1280 per carton

Check out our packages here, with everything you need to get started, including these....

Soaker crates - available for easy soaking of the strips.

Bags to store soaked strips available here.

The strips are packed in bundles of 80 because that is the ideal number for each slot in the soaker crate. The soaker crates have 6 slots and can soak 480 strips at a time. Check out the video below for a comprehensive overview of our strips:

Beekeepers have been using Oxalic Acid mixed with Glycerine all over the world for many years. They have found it extremely beneficial to the health of the colony. It can be used at any time of the year and the secret to its effectiveness is to maintain regular treatments.

Beequip run their own beehives for research and development and all the staff at Beequip have beekeeping experience. Oxalic acid solutions have been extensively researched and tested to maximise the results. The current economic challenges require most beekeepers to look at reducing costs wherever possible. The cardboard strips are extremely environmentally friendly when it comes time for disposal, as compared to the millions of plastic strips that are used in the industry, and end up in land fill. 

Click here to view our mixing guide for oxalic acid and glycerine

Formic Pro is a formic acid treatment used to control varroa.

Sold in Dose amounts - 1 dose treats 1 hive

Formic pro has several benefits including:

Another great solution for killing Varroa Mites!

Apistan. 10 strips per packet. Price is for a packet of 10 strips.

120 packets of 10 strips per outer carton. (1200 Strips)

Cartons of 120 Packs (1200 Strips) available for $5400.00+GST - Contact us direct to purchase.

Use 2 strips per brood box.

Key Facts:

• High proven efficacy in a six-week treatment period
• Long-term control
• Easy to use
• No detectable residue in honey
• Safe for bees and beekeepers
• The strips release exactly the right amount of active ingredient
• Effective again after a few seasons of non-use even where resistance was once present.

How Apistan works:
As the bees come into contact with the Apistan strip, they pick up a minute amount of tau-fluvalinate – whilst another similar minute quantity emerges from within the strip to take its place on the surface becoming available for other passing bees. As the bees interact within the hive, the active ingredient is spread throughout the colony.

PLEASE NOTE: Larger orders may take 2-3 working days to dispatch - call us if you want to know exactly when. We will endeavour to get them out you as soon as possible.

12 volt Oxalic Acid Vaporizer

150w element

Internal cord for easy of use.

Repeat every 4 days for 2 brood cycles to kill any mites that come from capped cells. Alternatively use our Queen Cage Frame to create a period when there is no capped brood. If there is no capped brood, one good application early in morning or late in evening when all the field bees are there will kill virtually all the mites.

Click Here for a battery to use

Click Here for Instructions

Apiguard Thymol Gel.

The Thymol scent is very powerful at killing any Varroa mites that are in the hive but not in capped brood.

50g tray - Use one tray per hive per application.

3kg Tub - Comes with measuring scoop - 50g per application

Full instructions are included with each dispatch.

Recommended application:- Put 50g (there is a measuring scoop that comes with the tub) on a supplied card on top of the upper most brood box with a spacer rim or empty super. 

The bees take the gel out of the hive. That activity spread the vapours through the brood box. 

Repeat the procedure 2 weeks later with another 50g dose. 

Registered for use in Australia in NSW and ACT as at 13-10-2023.
Product name:- Apiguard® Prod65570 

PLEASE NOTE: Larger orders may take 2-3 working days to dispatch - call us if you want to know exactly when. We will endeavour to get them out you as soon as possible.

Beequip NZ is now the approved distributor of Feedbee in NZ!

Used in New Zealand for over 15 years, and trusted by thousands of beekeepers worldwide, Feedbee is one of the best feed supplements available on the market. Known to double brood population, double colony population & also double honey production!

Checkout the videos in the gallery!

Sold in 3kg pails or 20kg bags, Feedbee powder can be fed directly to the hives, mix into a patty or as a liquid feed. Used by over 60 countries world wide, Feedbee is one you can trust to give your hive the best boost!

Make your own Pollen Patties and save!
Use a dough mixer to make your own patties and pack into paper pie bags ready to use.
The ingredients for 20kg of patties will cost between $59.00 and $68.50 +GST depending on the quantity buy rates*
The ingredients for 5kg of patties will cost around $24.00 +GST*.
Mixing instructions are supplied with your order.
All ingredients required will be available on the website in the near future.
Very cost effective and productive.

Highly Nutritious Diet for Honeybees, Feedbee has numerous features:

• It was developed at the University of Guelph Canada in 2004. After 12 years of research in the field of Micro-Livestock & Honeybee nutrition the product design came about.
• It was developed by advanced knowledge of Honeybee Nutritional Requirements, Nutrient Composition of Various Natural Pollen, Honeybees Adaptability to Various Feed Materials and Nutritional & Biological Values of Feed Materials
• It is made from 100% natural & non-agricultural plant parts e.g. roots, seeds, grains, leaves, etc. and does not contain bee pollen, hive products, chemicals, synthetic materials, animal products, artificial colours, flavours, extracts or preservatives.
• Provides Highly Digestible Natural Protein with essential Amino-Acids to Honeybees.
• Provides High Quality Vitamins & Minerals.
• Enhances Colony's Health & Immunity to Resist Against Common Diseases & Mites.

*Prices valid June 2022

Introducing FeedBee Patties - the ultimate solution to boost your hive like never before! These patties have been trusted and used by beekeepers in NZ for over 15 years, and are specially formulated to allow maximum digestion of all the rich nutrients.

One of the key features of FeedBee Patties is that they contain no processed oils. Processed oils can potentially act as a laxative and cause bees to defecate lots of undigested food, which can be detrimental to their health. With FeedBee Patties, your bees will be able to consume all the nutrients and benefit from their full potential.

FeedBee Patties come packed in a cellophane bag that is 100% biodegradable. The patties are available in 300g packs that are packed in 3kg pails or 12kg cartons. What's more, these patties stay moist in the hive! The cellophane bag keeps them moist, and the bees chew them back as they go.

In summary, FeedBee Patties are the perfect solution for beekeepers who want to ensure their hives are healthy and thriving. These patties are specially formulated to provide maximum digestion of all the rich nutrients, and their unique packaging ensures they stay moist in the hive. Try FeedBee Patties today and see the difference they make to your hives!

To find out more about Feebee Supplement, click here. You can also purchase it power if you want to mix up your own patties.

Click Here to see videos on what other Beekeepers say about Feedbee

NOTE: Large orders will have a 1-2 week lead time.

For efficient Varroa Mite control in beehives when using Oxalic Acid for treatment.

Check out our Blog Post on Brood Breaks in Hives

For full depth brood boxes. 

Oxalic acid treatments do not usually kill the mites that are inside capped brood cells. There is now a very efficient and effective solution!

Lock the queen in this cage to create a brood break period. Treat the hive with Oxalic Acid while there is no capped brood and achieve a very high Varroa kill rate.

See Data Sheet of testing done on this

Oxalic acid can be applied by vaporization, fogging or by the dribble method.

Check this link for more info:-

http://scientificbeekeeping.com/oxalic-acid-questions-answers-and-more-questions-part-1-of-2-parts/

Due to its large size the bees don't feel queenless and are less likely to build queen cells. It has queen excluder sides so that nurse bees can still enter the cage and care for the queen.

There is a large opening under the top cap to release the bees when required. Only 25mm wide at the top and will fit in a standard brood box along with 10 frames with 33mm end bars. The main body of the frame is only 16mm wide so as not to interfere with brood emerging alongside.

The bottom edge is curved on the full depth cage to match the typical shape of the winter cluster.

There are many other applications.

In warmer locations, the queen can be locked up over winter to stop her laying eggs to conserve stores and to stop the Varroa mites from breeding.

Can also be used to bank an extra queen over winter when running 2 queen colonies and the bees are already familiar with 2 queens in the hive.

We recommend that clients add a small piece of wood as shown, if using the cage over winter. The wood is naturally the warmest material for the queen to rest on, while being surrounded by nurse bees.

The suggested wood dimensions as shown, are 20mm x 10mm x 110mm long.
(Tip: - The bottom bar on a beehive frame is often 20mm x 10mm section.)
Wood at 10mm thick is a firm fit, but we still recommend that one or 2 screws are fitted to keep it secure and in the best place. The top cap unclips to allow easy access for the strip of wood.

The top bar is 480mm long. Cage height is 228mm for full depth brood boxes and 175mm high for 3/4 depth.

Top quality product made in Europe from food grade polypropylene.

Stock supplied may be a different colour to what is shown in the photos.

Food grade Mineral Oil for the mini fogger

Available in 1, 4 or 20L lots

Sealed Battery - Either 7Ah or 18Ah Available

Not for Commercial Vaporizing - Commercial Vaporizer available here

The 7ah Will do approximately 10 vapour sessions successfully (2min each) before it should be recharged. The 18ah will do 20-30 2min sessions before needing a recharge.

Click Here to buy the Vaporizer

Click Here to buy a Battery Charger for these batteries.

For brood breaks and healthy hive management.

As varroa mites become resistant to miticides, and varroa re-invasion issues become more severe, beekeepers all over the world are desperately searching for alternative treatments.

Brood breaks in conjunction with Oxalic Acid (OA) vaporization is extremely effective and low cost and is becoming a very popular option.

The purpose-built cages are made from food-grade Polypropylene.
They have a sliding door on both sides.
The side openings in the grill are 4.2mm, same as a queen excluder.
Nurse bees can go in and out to care for the queen.
To release the queen, slide open a door on the cage and she will come out as soon as the hive is closed back up.
The cage is large enough to allow plenty of pheromone distribution, so the bees don’t try to supersede her.

Outside dimensions:- 240mm x 29mm x 34mm high.

Packed 100 per carton.

It is recommended to cut a window out of a brood frame and fit the cage into the window. See photos.
The bees will secure it in place.
The frame can live permanently in the hive. Position it as an outer frame in the brood box when it has no queen enclosed.
When the queen is inside, keep it near the middle of the brood box so she keeps warm and fed.

It is recommended to use a ¾ depth frame in a full depth brood box.
The bees will build drone comb underneath it.
If there are any mites in the hive, they will tend to go to these drone cells.
When they are all capped, they can be easily scraped from the bottom of the frame and disposed of, mites and all. (Chooks go crazy on them!)

Some beekeepers fit the cage between 2 frames in horizontal position instead of vertical.
See photo with plastic frames. The comb is scraped back to the foundation.
There is a question whether this way allows enough pheromone to be released but it seems to be okay.

There are many applications for this cage.

1. Varroa control by creating a brood break then vaporizing with Oxalic Acid. (OA)
2. Swarm Control
3. To maximise a honey crop.
4. When requeening with cells.
5. For overwintering.

 1. Varroa Control.
From mid-Spring to mid-Summer, 75% of the varroa mites in a hive can be breeding inside the capped brood cells and are protected from most varroa treatments.

By creating a brood break, all the varroa mites are exposed and can be killed with 1 – 3 cents worth of Oxalic Acid by Vaporization.

The InstantVap Vaporizer is very quick and efficient for this application.

Procedure: -

• Cage the queen for 18 days.
• Release her and wait 6 days.
• Then you will have 2 days where there will be no capped brood.
• Vaporize the beehive with OA and kill almost every varroa mite inside.

Most commercial queen breeders will mark queens for no extra charge. That makes them very easy to find to allow for quick caging and very low cost varroa control.

 2. Swarm Control.
Cage the queen in Spring to control swarming and varroa mite populations.
There are 3 stages that usually precede swarming.

1. Build excess amounts of drone brood.
2. Build queen cell cups.
3. Add eggs to cell cups to produce new queens.

The procedure is best performed during the first or second stage.

• Cage the queen for 18 days.
• Release her and wait 6 days.
• Then you will have 2 days where there will be no capped brood. Vaporize the beehive with OA and kill almost every varroa mite inside.
• 18 days with no eggs makes the bees forget about swarming for a while.

It is important to time this procedure to maximise field bee numbers at the start of the honey flow.

 3. To maximise a honey crop.
Some honey flows can be very valuable but occur for an intense & brief period of only 2 or 3 weeks.

To maximise the crop, cage the queen 2 or 3 days before the start of the expected honey flow. This allows for the following: -

• The queen excluder can be removed.
• 8 days after caging, there will be no brood to feed.
• More bees get involved in field duties to maximise the crop.
• Less food and pollen required in the brood nest.
• Very few foragers collect pollen. They focus on the honey crop.
• No chance of getting brood in the honey supers.

The honey crop can then be removed, queen released, and the hive can be vaporized with OA to kill virtually all the varroa mites in the hive.

 4. Requeening with cells.
Put old queen into the cage when adding a queen cell. Check hive 24 days later to see if there is a new laying queen. If not, the old queen can be let out to continue laying. If there is a good new queen, the old queen can be removed. There is likely to be no capped brood so the hive can be vaporized with Oxalic Acid to kill virtually every varroa mite in the hive.

 5. Over Winter.
Beehives in good condition in Autumn will greatly benefit with a brood break in the winter.

If you have hives in a location where this doesn’t happen, you can do it with an isolation cage.

The bees that hatch out after you cage the queen will live happily till the next batch of brood arrives several months later, after the brood break period.

This is all conditional to the bees being healthy and having enough of them at the time of caging.

The queen can be caged for 3 to 4 months without any detrimental effects to her health or performance.

24 days after caging, there will be no capped brood and the hive can be vaporized with OA.

If done with the correct technique, it will kill virtually every varroa mite in the beehive. (There is no capped brood for them to shelter in.)

Another treatment one week later is recommended to wipe out any possible varroa mite remnants.

Varroa mites can potentially turn up from stray bees from other colonies, but they cannot breed when there is no brood.

The temperature in the cluster will drop from 34°C to around 22°C to 28°C. With the lower temperature and no brood, there are significant advantages such as: -

1. A lot less honey required in the winter.
2. A lot less pollen is required.
3. The worker bees and the queen live a lot longer because they have very little work to do.
4. There is less condensation in the beehive.
5. The timber stays dryer and lasts longer.
6. Only one box of bees is required over winter.
7. Easier to keep secure in case of storms or floods.

No varroa strips will be required in the beehive unless you have massive varroa mite re-invasion issues from nearby colonies.
Caging the queens in first week of April and releasing in last week of July worked very well on some trial beehives in the Nelson region in 2023. (NZ)
The queens went crazy and laid a lot of eggs very fast. A month later, there were lots of beautiful big frames of very healthy brood!
When the queens are released, the hive can be vaporized with OA so that if there are any varroa mites present, they are virtually all killed.

Another Queen Isolation Cage option is the Technoset Queen Cage Frame.
It takes the place of a frame and works on all the same principles that are listed above.

Scientifically formulated and non-toxic. Attractive to wasps, not bees.

A specially formulated, non-toxic liquid lure which is attractive to Common and German wasps, but NOT to bees or Paper wasps. For use in the refillable NoPests® Wasp Dome Traps. Available in 1L & 5L packs.

Tip: Use in high summer months to control active wasp populations and also in winter months to control queen wasps, preventing population growth.

Directions for Use with the Wasp Dome Trap - purchase that here.

1. Unlock the Wasp Dome Trap, pour in 250ml of NoPests® Wasp Lure.
2. Lock Wasp Dome Trap lid to closed position.
3. Locate trap in direct sunlight in areas where wasps frequent, using hanging cord provided.
4. Inspect the dome trap regularly and remove dead insects.
5. Replace lure monthly, or when levels drop due to evaporation.
6. If the dome trap is full and there is no free liquid, remove contents and rinse with clean water before refilling with NoPests® Wasp Lure.

Note:

Avoid spiling the lure or leaving shallow puddles of it anywhere as this can end up crystallizing and losing the efficacy of the bee deterrent.

If using this with the Technoset wasp trap – put the lure in a small container rather than the tray provided so it doesn’t crystallize.

Full depth plastic frame for Drone comb. Green.

Commonly used for monitoring Varroa numbers and also to help control the Varroa Mites.

Available as Coated in Beeswax or Unwaxed.

1 amp 12 volt battery charger.

For charging the battery that you can use with the Vaporizer.

BULK SYRUP AVAILABLE HERE

Bees get hungry during winter and Spring
Our sugar syrup is the perfect option to give them that much need boost.

Invert sugar syrup is often considered better for feeding bees compared to regular sugar syrup due to its composition and digestibility. Here are a few reasons why invert sugar syrup is preferred:

Easier digestion: Invert sugar syrup is a mixture of glucose and fructose, which are monosaccharides that bees can readily absorb and utilize for energy. In contrast, regular sugar syrup is primarily composed of sucrose, a disaccharide that bees need to break down into glucose and fructose before they can digest it. Invert sugar syrup eliminates this extra step, making it easier for the bees to digest and use the energy immediately.

Nutritional benefits: In addition to glucose and fructose, invert sugar syrup contains trace amounts of other nutrients and minerals that are beneficial for the bees' health. These additional components can provide some nutritional support, especially during periods when natural nectar sources are limited.

Reduced crystallization: Invert sugar syrup has a higher ratio of fructose to glucose compared to regular sugar syrup, which helps prevent crystallization. Crystallization can occur when bees store the sugar syrup in their hive and the water content evaporates, leaving behind crystallized sugar. Invert sugar syrup's lower tendency to crystallize makes it more convenient for the bees to store and consume over time.

Enhanced stimulation: Bees are naturally attracted to the taste of nectar, which contains a mixture of glucose and fructose. Invert sugar syrup closely mimics the composition of nectar, making it more appealing to the bees and stimulating their foraging behavior. This can be particularly useful in situations where beekeepers need to encourage hive activity or provide supplementary food sources.

Invert Sugar Syrup, 67 Brix, 2:1 Heavy Mix 

Available in 4 & 20 Litre options

Keen to set yourself up with everything to make oxalic acid and glycerine strips?
Our basic package include all the tools and ingredients to make it work.

These packages are set up to suit with the applicator being the Beequip strip. You can learn more about these strips here.

Check out our Refill Pack for this package

This package includes the following: -
1280 x Beequip strips
25kg x Glycerine
25kg x Oxalic acid
1 x Soak tub
1 x 27 litre Bare tub
1 x Mixing guide

Bags to store soaked strips are available here.

This Package is specially suited to top up your supplies when getting low after using our Basic Setup Kit.

Effective Cost per strip is 30 cents +GST total.

This package includes the following: -
1280 x Beequip strips
25kg x Glycerine
25kg x Oxalic acid

Bags to store soaked strips are available here.

Anti-wasp plate for Technoset floors.

This black plastic sheet slots perfectly on to a Technoset floor. It reduces the entrance to a small square hole right close to the cluster during winter. This stops wasps as they don't like the dark tunnel from the front entrance to the inside entrance. It also makes it easier for the bees to defend themselves.

Soak Tub for Oxalic Acid & Glycerine with clip on lid.
27 litre capacity with rack for efficient soaking.
The stainless steel rack has capacity to soak 516 strips.

NZ Made.

Check out our packages here, with everything you need to get started including these....

After the strips have been soaked, it is easy to lift out the rack full of strips and place in another 27 litre tub with drainer grate (751-0006)

After draining for 3 to 4 days, the rack can be added to a dry 27 litre tub, lid clicked on and taken away for inserting into beehives.

Very quick and efficient to use.

Click here to view our mixing guide for oxalic acid and glycerine

Crafted from premium 304 grade stainless steel, our queen isolation cage sets the new standard for durability and corrosion resistance in beekeeping equipment. 

Fits one full depth frame with either 33mm or 35mm end bars.

Applications:

1. Queen Breeding: Perfect for queen breeders to ensure optimal larvae age for grafting, facilitating superior queen production.
2. Winter use in warmer climates: Ideal for limiting brood production during winter months, effectively reducing varroa mite reproduction. Reduces the colonies food requirements due to less brood.
3. Swarm control in Spring: The speed of colony growth can be controlled with the use of the cage at specific times to enable the colony to reach peak hive numbers at the start of the honey flow without swarming first.
4. Varroa Control: See the procedure below:-

A. Introduce a clean empty brood frame to the cage.
B. Find the queen and enclose in the cage.
C. Position the cage into the middle of the brood nest.
D. A good queen will lay in virtually every cell within 2 days.
E. After 26-28 days, there will be virtually no capped brood and all mites will be exposed to treatment. Can be 23 – 25 days if there is no drone brood.
F. Vaporize with Oxalic Acid for virtually complete mite elimination.
G. Whenever desired, the frame of brood with queen can be removed from cage and added back to brood nest.
H. The cage can be removed from the hive or left at the side of the brood box with a food frame enclosed until needed.

Specifications.

• 40mm inside width, 48mm outside width.
• 459mm long x 242mm high.
• The top cap is 484mm long.
• The air gap in the mesh is 4.3mm. Bees can take pollen through successfully.
• Has a clip-on cap which is held firmly down when the next box or hive mat is added above it.

Internal hive dimensions must be the Langstroth standard to ensure the cage fits properly and there are no gaps for the queen to escape.

Many beekeepers ensure their queens are marked so they are easy to find for caging when required. The labour cost for this procedure is negligible when compared to the cost of resurrecting colonies killed by varroa mites!

Three-frame cage available here.

As we see more and more varroa resistance to the synthetic miticide strips, beekeepers are turning to organic acids for successful varroa control. There is no evidence worldwide of the mites getting resistant to them. The stainless steel cages are very resilient in an acid environment and will not oxidise and deteriorate like galvanised steel products.

It pays to get quality!