Using Fluvalinate for Varroa Mite Treatment

Quick Overview

Fluvalinate is a synthetic pyrethroid pesticide used for Varroa mite control in beekeeping. Sold under various brand names, it’s one of the first pesticides registered with the EPA for this purpose in the U.S. The treatment comes in the form of strips, typically applied at a rate of two per brood chamber, making it a cost-effective solution for both small and large operations.

While other methods like vaporization, fogging, and oil treatments are available, Fluvalinate strips offer ease of use and up to 100% mite control when used correctly. They are placed between frames for six weeks, allowing bees to distribute the pesticide throughout the colony. However, it’s crucial to handle the strips with care due to their toxicity and to avoid using them during honey flow to prevent contamination.

The strips have a two-year shelf life, but beekeepers should be cautious of potential mite resistance due to overuse or improper application. The article recommends using Fluvalinate as part of an integrated pest management strategy, rotating with other treatments to maintain effectiveness and reduce resistance.

About Fluvalinate 

Fluvalinate is a synthetic pyrethroid that is commonly used in the control of Varroa mites in bees. Fluvalinate is sold under varying brand names and is one of the first pesticides to be registered with the EPA for the control of Varroa mites in the United States. It may be applied in the form of strips or other preparations. The Fluvalinate Mite Killing Pest Control Varroa Strip® comes in packages of 20 yellow-colored plastic strips. No license is required to purchase and use these strips as the pesticide (Fluvalinate) is already licensed. This article looks at using Fluvalinate for Varroa mite treatment and the benefits it gives you in your beekeeping operation.

Fluvalinate Application Rates for Varroa Mite Treatment

The recommendation is to use two strips per brood chamber in the apiary. With each package containing 20 strips, the Fluvalinate Mite Killing Pest Control Varroa Strips are a cheap and effective Varroa mite control solution that is effective in the control of the Varroa mite. A single pack of this Varroa mite control solution is enough for small beekeeping operations. Larger operations can also use the strips just as effectively. It gives you 20 strips to use in the affected beehives. The recommended rate of application is 2 strips per beehive brood box.

• Other methods you can use to control Varroa mites include the vaporization of compounds in the beehive, fogging, and oil treatments. These methods can be coupled with beehive management and equipment used to give you great control over the Varroa mite situation in your apiary.
• The screened bottom board is one beehive component you can integrate into the beehive setup to help you control Varroa mites. It allows dying mites to drop from the beehive. They cannot get back into the beehive even if they recover from the effects of treatments you applied in the beehive.
• Some Varroa mite control treatments are not able to kill mites in capped cells and therefore need to be used often or for long periods in the beehive.

Using Fluvalinate Strips for Application

Each plastic strip contains the active ingredient in the pesticide (pyrethroid). Fluvalinate Mite Killing Pest Control Varroa Strip strips have a shelf life of 2 years. You can use a few strips if you just have a few hives and store the rest for up to two years without the strips losing their efficacy. However, just like any other pesticides, care must be taken to ensure the safety of those handling them. The strips should be handled with protective gloves and must be out of reach of children if stored at home. In commercial apiaries, they should be placed in the store and clearly labeled with clear dates of first use. The handler must wash their hands carefully and avoid handling food of any kind. Remember that honey produced during the period of treatment must not be used for human consumption.

Fluvalinate Mite Killing Pest Control Varroa Strips, as a pesticide can be used to control a Varroa mite attack that has already happened to an apiary. However, the strips can also be used to ward off attacks and to prevent infestation.

How Fluvalinate Treatment Kills Beehive Varroa Mites

Fluvalinate is a contact pesticide that kills the Varroa mites when they come into contact with it, providing up to 100% control of Varroa mites when properly used. The ease of applying the Varroa mite control strips makes them suitable for the seasoned beekeeper, the one who is just starting, commercial apiaries as well as small outfits. A single pack of this Varroa mite control solution is enough for small beekeeping operations. It gives you 20 strips to use in the affected beehives. You can also use the strips as a preventive measure to arrest infestations in their early stages or prevent them from happening at all.

Fluvalinate Mite Killing Pest Control Varroa Strips are hung between the frames of a hive just outside of the brood nest. Insert two strips in the brood box for a period of six weeks (two brood cycles). Note that the strips should be inserted, spaced apart, and hanging on different frames fairly centrally in the brood nest where bees will walk over them. Fluvalinate should not be used during a honey flow.

As the bees come into contact with the Fluvalinate strips, they pick up a minute amount of the active pesticide (Fluvalinate). Immediately one minute piece is picked up another similar minute quantity emerges from within the strip to take its place on the surface to become available for the next bee that comes into contact with the strip at the same spot. As the bees interact within the hive, the active ingredient is spread throughout the colony.

Using the Fluvalinate Mite Killing Pest Control Varroa Strips

A single pack of this Varroa mite control solution is enough for small beekeeping operations. It gives you 20 strips to use in the affected beehives. You can also use the strips as a preventive measure to arrest infestations in their early stages or prevent them from happening at all. The recommended rate of application is 2 strips per beehive box.

• Beekeepers using the Fluvalinate Mite Killing Pest Control Varroa Strips should allow the strips to remain in the beehive under treatment for at least 35 days. This is equivalent to 5 weeks, and the treatment period should not extend for longer than 6 weeks or 42 days at most.
• After this period, the Varroa control will be complete, and the strips will have released most of the active ingredients they contain. You should remove them and dispose of them to prevent further exposure which could be seen as over-exposure of bees to the Fluvalinate compound in the beehive.
• Even then, it is important to note that Fluvalinate releases in the beehive in small doses and does not persist in the beehive for long.

Fluvalinate Mite Killing Pest Control Varroa Strip has a shelf life of 2 years. This allows you to store it for later use if you do not use up all the strips in the pack at once. If storing them after opening the pack, keep the strips in their original packaging and then put the pack in a sealable bag. The strips should be out of reach of children. Your safety is also important; wash your hands after handling the strips or their packaging.

Varroa Mite Resistance to Fluvalinate Treatment

Fluvalinate should not be re-used too frequently in the same beehive as its efficacy will be diminished and will not be effective. The preparation such as strips must be disposed of after a maximum of six weeks (42 days).

Fluvalinate strips have been proven to be highly effective over a six-week treatment period. It leaves very little residue and is released in small doses making it an environmentally friendly pesticide. Using Fluvalinate for Varroa mite treatment in strip preparations leaves no detectable residue in honey though it must never be used during a honey flow.

• Releasing exactly the right amount of active ingredient, there is little danger of overdose though the chemical is not toxic to bees and leaves a colony intact. The beekeeper can easily apply it because it is safe to handle and does not require opening the brood box many times.
• It is a one-application control measure requiring the beekeeper to open the hive twice only – once when inserting the strips and once more when removing them. Thus the colony is not disturbed unnecessarily.
• The pesticide provides long-term Varroa mite control and can be used again just as effectively after a period of no use even in cases where resistance had been observed.

 

Conclusion

Fluvalinate Mite Killing Pest Control Varroa Strips, if properly used as per the manufacturer’s directions, are highly effective. As a contact pesticide, it provides up to 100% control of Varroa mites. However, recently, perhaps due to improper application and overuse, there have been increasing reports of Varroa mites developing resistance to the pesticide, prompting beekeepers to be wary of using it alone in the control of the Varroa mites in their apiaries. The recommendation now for using Fluvalinate for Varroa mite Treatment is to use strips as part of an integrated Varroa mite control measure. The Fluvalinate mite-killing pest control Varroa strips are rotated with other treatments in a bid to increase their effectiveness and reduce the development of resistance.

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References

• https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/13/3/273/pdf
• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3255632/
• https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0227264
• https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-78561-2
• https://www.epa.gov/pollinator-protection/epa-registered-pesticide-products-approved-use-against-varroa-mites-bee-hives
• https://agris.fao.org/agris-search/search.do?recordID=US9002857
• https://scientificbeekeeping.com/the-arsenal-our-choice-of-chemical-weapons/