Apiguard

Apiguard^® is a natural product to control varroa in honeybee colonies. Tests show that it also helps to control tracheal mites and chalkbrood.

Download the latest FAQ on using Apiguard (August 2010)

Seven reasons to use Apiguard

• Very easy to apply
• High efficiency against three types of hive pest
• Natural product
• No withdrawal time
• No risk to users
• Use against OP & pyrethroid resistant mites
• Ideal in Integrated Pest Management (IPM) programmes.

You can buy Apiguard from your local supplier. If in doubt, check out your country’s distributor here.

What is Apiguard
How to use Apiguard
How Apiguard works
Apiguard – a proven worldwide success

Safety Data Sheets for Apiguard and Apiguard CS

What is Apiguard

Apiguard is a sophisticated, patented slow release gel that ensures correct dosage of its active ingredient, thymol. Thymol is a naturally occurring substance derived from the plant thyme.

Apiguard gel comes in 50g ready-to-use aluminium trays (two will treat one standard colony) and 3kg tubs.

A handy new 25g sachet (pictured right) for nucleii and very small colonies will soon be available – it has just been approved in the USA and European approvals are expected soon.

Dosage tools come with each tub to ensure correct and easy dosing.

Apiguard has no harmful effect on the honeybee colony, neither on brood nor on adults. In regulatory terms, the EC maximum residue limit of Apiguard has been classified as “No MRL necessary” because of its low toxicity and hive residue profile.

How to use Apiguard

For the latest detailed update on using Apiguard, see Vita’s latest Apiguard FAQ.

Apiguard is extremely easy to use:

• Place the opened tray face upwards in the top of brood frames, preferably centred over the colony.
• After 10 days examine the tray and if it is almost empty, replace with a second tray. If there is product left in the tray after 10 days leave until day 14 and then replace.
• Leave the second tray in position for a further 2-4 weeks and treatment has been completed (duration of treatment therefore lasts 4-6 weeks).

Apiguard works best in temperatures above 15°C. But it is also effective at lower temperatures even though the gel takes longer to evaporate and the gel needs to be left I place for longer.

How Apiguard works

Once in place, vapour from the Apiguard gel is given off. Unlike some other formulations and raw crystals, the release from the gel works steadily and does not disturb the bees unduly.

Worker bees climb into the Apiguard tray, remove the gel as a hive-cleaning behaviour and distribute it throughout the colony. The gel sticks to the bees’ body hairs and, as the bees move through the hive, particles are left throughout the hive. The worker eventually throws out the gel it is carrying, but the traces remain until they too are removed later.

Apiguard – a proven worldwide success

Apiguard trials in more than 600 honeybee colonies in 10 countries across Europe, the Middle East and North America have shown it to be a very effective, easy-to-use treatment (even easier than Apistan!). Under normal conditions it gives an average efficacy of 93%. Often the control levels are higher and sometimes a little lower.