Vita’s new online videos show that treating honeybees for varroa is easy
Vita videos now online
A new series of online video clips just launched by Vita (Europe) Ltd, the honeybee health specialist, shows that treating honeybees for varroa and other ailments can be very straight-forward.
The eight product videos, each between 1 and 3 minutes long, show beekeepers how easy it can be to treat bees to control the varroa mite (Apiguard and Apistan), to control wax moth (B401), to test for European and American foul brood (EFB and AFB diagnostic tests), to boost honeybee health (Vita Feed Green and Gold) and how to catch those elusive swarms (Swarm Attractant Wipe).
The videos showing treatments being applied in an apiary are available on the Vita website under each product and altogether here: www.vita-europe.com/beehealth/gallery/videos as well as on the Vita channel on You Tube .
Dr Max Watkins, Technical Director of Vita (Europe) Ltd, who appears in the video clips, said: « The videos show just how easy it is to use Vita products — alongside effectiveness, safety and reliability, ease-of use is a top priority when we develop new products. We have new products in the pipeline and we will plan to make videos of these as they become available.
Max Watkins added: « Despite the very wet British summer, we eventually found a good filming day and we are very pleased with the result. We welcome beekeepers’ feedback. »
Phil Fothergill of TVUK who made the videos said: « I was a little apprehensive when I received this commission as it was to be my first close-up encounter with honeybee colonies. But, contrary to the WC Fields axiom « Never work with children or animals », everything went fine. Well, reasonably well, until a clipped queen that had exited the day before from one hive decided to climb up my jeans with her entourage! They were very peaceable though and we parted amicably. »
Notes to editors
Vita (Europe) Limited is a mite control and honeybee health specialist. It is the world’s largest dedicated supplier of honeybee health products to the honey and pollination industries.
With headquarters in the UK, offices in Italy, France and Russia, and partners across the globe, Vita researches, develops, and manufactures a range of honeybee health products. These products are marketed internationally through a network of 60 distributors in 50 countries.
Vita’s product range to improve honeybee health includes anti-varroa acaricides – Apistan® (outside the USA/Canada) and Apiguard® – chalkbrood and wax moth controls, foulbrood diagnostic kits and health-promoting feeds. Vita products have been registered by more than 60 veterinary authorities.
Vita promotes sustainable beekeeping through Integrated Pest Management (IPM). Its treatments are designed to inhibit the build-up of resistance and wherever possible contain natural compounds and biological controls that are benign to all but the target pests.
Vita invests a very high proportion of its turnover in research and development. Research partners include universities such as Cardiff, Milan, Udine and Naples and institutes such as the Tierhygienisches Institut (Institute of Animal Health) in Freiburg, Germany, the UK Central Science Laboratory and the USDA in America. Vita’s innovative research and development work has been recognised by and has received support from the UK Government.
As a result of its primary research of natural control agents, Vita is currently engaged in new projects exploring mite control in the agriculture, veterinary, and horticulture industries as well as public health and human allergen control.
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Stephen Fleming at Palam Communications
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