Chinquapin Honey LLC

Chinquapin Honey LLC Small apiary. Locally produced seasonal honey. Master Beekeeper. Alexandria, Virginia Apiary

11/20/2025

Today was the third OAV treatment after a two week pause because we were out if town. The mite drop forty-eight hours after treatment in this four hive apiary was 12, 7, 4 and 4.

The same 3rd treatment in previous years would yield a mite drop in the hundreds. what is different?

VARROASAN was used in the summer treatment and that has made all the difference. SOLD!

All wrapped for the winter!
11/18/2025

All wrapped for the winter!

11/15/2025

If this isn’t AI, it is remarkable.

11/03/2025

I have the lowest 48 hour POST OAV mite drop in at least 10 years for a November. Yesterday I read the IPM board after the second treatment and I counted less than 50 for the highest and 10 for the lowest count. This is astonishing!

I used VARROASAN during prime time right after harvest in mid-late July. This combination is a welcomed relief. I can use this treatment regimen while the price of NORROA can come down to an affordable price in seasons to come.

NORROA uses msRNA to inhibit reproduction of varroa in capped cells for 18weeks reducing/preventing the mite population . You can treat in early spring and be good through august.

Now there is hope against Tropilaelaps.

In 2025 the OAV dose per fumigation has been increased from 2 grams to 4 grams.I have used the Provap 110 since , and ...
10/30/2025

In 2025 the OAV dose per fumigation has been increased from 2 grams to 4 grams.

I have used the Provap 110 since , and at the time the literature said more OA, was not necessarily better.

This week I used 4 grams of OA per hive and had THREE caps blow off the vaporizer, spewing molted OA in all directions. This has never happened.

The added OA load is cooling off the crucible enough to condense the molten OA and over loading this apparatus. I think it is just too much OA to be practical.

In the 14-15 years caring for these insects, 2 grams has been adequate to reach the desired effect in my apiary.

YMMV

10/27/2025

VARROASAN: Very Effective. I pulled the varroasan product out of my apiary on October 7 after 56 days on medium 8-frames boxes, 2-strips per brood box.

Four hive's mite drop after 48 hours post OAV in this order: 1 #-15, #2-27, #3-45, #4-11 ( Hap's NUC started a few months ago.)

This has been about one-ish cycles, I will know Saturday with another mite drop count.

Preliminary: I have had first fall mite drops 48 hours after OAV that were too numerous to count (TNTC). This is fantastic and this is late October.

10/17/2025

Move along, nothing to see here.

09/25/2025

SWIPER, NO SWIPING!

08/28/2025

Went in today to check in in the newly Installed NUC…I added 9 frames of bees, 7 frames of drawn and about 5 frames of honey from the hive that starved while we were skiing in The month of January-yesterday. They were just fine, bees everywhere! I gave them a litre of 2:1 and 4 strips of VARROASAN. I will check back in a few days.

The other hives had the top box so heavy with honey that i lugged the feeders and 2:1 up there for nothing…this was the first time this year I went into the hives, and only to add VARROASAN TO THE BOXES (5,5,6 strips) or some fondant discs to top boxes early on…I never did one inspection, now that’s my kind of bee keeping…, Take them strips out October 2 and do my OAV MID November! DONE!

One hive swarmed, it went bye bye….but I never went in except to steal honey. I think I WRANGLED 25L , i fergit!

08/28/2025

It is that time of the year again when I start feed 2:1 in prep for the big freeze. Here is the recipe I use:

One pound of sugar to I cup of boiling water.
or
5 pounds sugar to 5 cups of water, and so on.

08/27/2025

Big thanks to Anne and Hap for helping me in my apiary. I don’t think my wife took pictures of me installing some bees on crutches… I rehearsed this in my mind just before falling asleep for the last few nights…. Anne and Hap are real beekeepers. They did not even wear a veil. My wife and I were decked out in full combat regalia for beekeeping, as I always do. Anyway, all is ready for a new penultimate fall treatment with the OA strips, next week.

Ok, The word is out. I suspected amitraz resistance from the data that I collected from fall OAV treatments over the las...
08/06/2025

Ok, The word is out. I suspected amitraz resistance from the data that I collected from fall OAV treatments over the last nine+ years. As the miticide effectiveness diminishes, the emergence of the viruses transmitted leaves a wake of dessimated colonies. This summer’s treatment involved Apiguard, a thymol product. The following is an article I found that you may find published elsewhere. It’s a good read.

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Alexandria, VA
22302

Website

https://www.dadant.com/catalog/m00010-hive-and-the-honeybee-new-edition

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