Caution! New Miticide Products.

New miticide product approvals this season brought some relief for beekeepers with additional options to help with integrated pest management strategies for the control of Varroa mites.  This availability of new tools against Varroa have been of benefit but, at the same time, some cautionary tales have emerged.

Caution! New Miticide Products.

Not in recent memory, have there been this number of Varroa management products registered for use in Canada in a single season. It has been some time since new chemical acaricides have been registered. For context, Apivar® was registered nearly 20 years ago (2008).  So, it has been a while since beekeepers have tried new chemical treatments.  There is a learning curve to ensure familiarization with new products but also some points to consider, generally, when using new treatments.

Online comments and discussions amongst beekeepers, sharing their experience and questions about new products, can be a positive and supportive process for the beekeeping community.  At the same time, not all information in these types of discussion is of equal validity. Recently in the United States, there has been online suggestion that colony losses or abscondment is linked to the application of Apivar 2.0.  There has been some discussion in Canada, as we become familiar with this new product, but less so than south of the border.   The manufacturer has very responsibly addressed concerns expressed by beekeepers in the United States and Canada.  The statement released from Veto-pharma can be read in full online (5 October) https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1551039830161323&set=pcb.1551039903494649

There are a couple of things to know.  Beekeepers should report to the manufacturer, as stated on the label, any suspected toxic effects on honey bees of any product.  This reporting to the manufacturer must be in turn, by law, shared with Health Canada.  There are good resources about the reporting requirements available online.  Just have a search in the usual ways for, “Report a Pesticide Incident” or follow the link listed below.  The Health Canada definition of a pesticide incident is, “… a negative effect (adverse reaction) to humans, animals (pets or livestock) or the environment (plants or wildlife) that can result from being exposed to a pesticide.”  Additionally, support with a pesticide incident can be provided by your provincial apiculturist or reach out to ATTTA.

During the process of familiarization with new miticide products this season, there are some commonsense practices that are worth remembering. Any new product should be used with caution.  In the case of Apivar 2.0, it could be easily assumed that it will work just as the original Apivar as it has the same active ingredient (amitraz).  This is not the case.  For example, Apivar 2.0  has a quicker release with a larger initial mite drop.  This indicates a higher level of exposure to the active ingredient early in the treatment period.

Read and understand the label instructions.  Miticide products are designed to work most effectively when applied according to the manufacturer’s direction.  Not only will the products be less effective, but poor application can also lead to resistance of the target pest to the active ingredient.

Apivar 2.0 (Image: Veto-pharma 2026)

Any new management practice should be trialled on a limited number of colonies initially.  This ensures that any unforeseen adverse effects of the change can be identified.  This practice applies to new pest management products.  The registration of products does provide some assurance that they are generally safe for use.  This registration process does not consider unique aspects of your colonies.  As the beekeeper you need to take into account hive configurations especially ventilation, apiary locations and local weather conditions.  It has been stated by Veto-pharma that reported challenges in the use of Apivar 2.0 in the US could be attributed to unique circumstances of climate and conditions.

Monitor hives after application to check that the colony is tolerant of any new treatment.  Monitoring for any signs of toxicity or unusual behavioural changes in honey bees receiving a new treatment is recommended.  Monitor mite populations to confirm efficacy especially with new products.

Challenges with familiarity of new products was exemplified by ATTTA’s own experience.  When initially using the Apivar 2.0, the strip division was not obvious.  It took some detailed exploration to identify where and how the strips needed to be separated.  This oversight could easily result in inadvertently double dosing colonies.  From listening to other beekeepers and reading the manufacturers statement, this was not a unique situation.  The strips are paired and need separation out of the package with one strip applied per five frames of bees.  The product label has all the details.

Any concerns of the use of Apivar 2.0 or other new products will be, alleviated in part, through ongoing familiarity.  We should not forget that the original Apivar is still registered for use in Canada.  Beekeepers should discuss with their supplier if they want to ensure that this product is still available in preparation for spring treatments.  Veto-pharma has committed to work with suppliers and beekeepers to ensure availability.

In conclusion, beekeepers are reminded not to assume that because a product is approved for use it will be compatible with your colonies, location and application practices.  Proceed with caution and ensure that all decisions are based on available and credible information.

 

Pesticide Incident Reporting

https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/consumer-product-safety/pesticides-pest-management/public/protecting-your-health-environment/report-pesticide-incident.html

 Connecting with ATTTA Specialists

If you’d like to connect with ATTTA specialists or learn more about our program, you can:

visit our website at: https://www.perennia.ca/portfolio-items/honey-bees/

Email: attta@perennia.ca

Don’t Believe Everything on the Internet. Finding the facts!

With so much information at our fingertips, it is sometimes difficult to know which sources are credible.  As a beekeeper how do you avoid the fake news and for real information about the beekeeping industry, where do you turn?  In order to help beekeepers get to the bottom of what is what, the current blog talks statistics and information and where you should go to find out the truth about our industry.

Don’t Believe Everything on the Internet.  Finding the facts!

Beekeepers know that best management practice dictates that records should be kept meticulously and maintained indefinitely.  This valuable information reveals trends and patterns over time.  This then will become a great resource in your own beekeeping and a reference point for comparison.  You will record your own winter losses, for example, and then compare that data to industry stats.  This leads to the question of where to get industry data on winter losses amongst other information.

National groups, like the Canadian Association of Professional Apiculturists (CAPA), are great sources of information.  Every year CAPA produces a document entitled, “Report on Honey Bee Winter Losses in Canada.” This is a coordinated honey bee winter losses and disease management report, as stated by the group.  These reports have been produced in a standardized format since 2007 and have become heavily relied on by both beekeepers and industry decision makers.  The data is collected from beekeepers by provincial apiculturists annually and then collated by a CAPA committee.  ATTTA has participated in the committee which produces the report.  The trustworthiness of the information, as it is data from beekeepers, collected by provincial apiculturist and organized by professionals like tech transfer specialists, is high.  If you are not using this data, familiarize yourself with these most useful reports: https://capabees.com/capa-statement-on-honey-bees/ .

Federal government is another credible source of information on the honey bee industry.  There are three important groups that deal with the beekeeping industry and have information and data available to beekeepers.  The Canadian Food Inspection Agency protects the Canadian consumer and beekeepers from honey fraud and adulteration, especially on imports.  Additionally, this agency enforces the rules under the Animal Health Act to protect our honey bees from pests and diseases entering from outside of Canada.  So, if you have a question about packages of bees imported from the USA, as one example, a look on the CFIA online resources will provide direct information.  There you will find stated, “Currently, the importation of honey bee packages from the U.S. is not permitted.” 

A second national source of information is the former Pest Management Regulatory Agency, currently rebranded as Health Canada’s Pesticide Management Directorate (PMD). Amongst other things, PMD approves miticides for use by Canadian Beekeepers.  If information about label instructions is required, then the PMD online directory will have all label information for all registered products. A good use of this directory could be if you are unfamiliar with the use of slow-release glycerine pads for Varroa control, you can find credible information here: https://pr-rp.hc-sc.gc.ca/ls-re/index-eng.php . 

At the provincial government level, there is also good availability of information and data.  Provincial apiculturists collect data as part of the registration process and through interactions with beekeepers.  The best example of providing data for beekeepers in our region is the Nova Scotia Open Data Portal.  This service is established to make government data easier to access for individuals, businesses and researchers.  There are useful data on honey bee imports into the province which can be view through this link: https://data.novascotia.ca/ . Industry data and information is available from other provincial departments, such as PEI industry statistics shown in the figure.

When looking for data, ensure that it is from a credible source.  Also understand that summative data will, by its nature, be historic.  That means, generally, that we will have annual 2026 data in 2027 or later. The winter loss survey is an example of this as we still do not have the final report for the winter of 2025 – 2026. 

Many claims and information sources found online are questionable.  Beekeepers have to make hundreds of decisions for their operations.  All of these decisions need information to ensure they are solid and will support the success of your business.  Filtering online slop to distill out only the verified facts, checking against multiple independent and trustworthy professional sources is essential.

 Connecting with ATTTA Specialists

If you’d like to connect with ATTTA specialists or learn more about our program, you can:

visit our website at https://www.perennia.ca/portfolio-items/honey-bees/

Email attta@perennia.ca