As you will all be aware, the last few months in Pembrokeshire have been unseasonably mild, which has resulted in queens continuing to lay significant amounts of brood in many hives. This not only impacts on the amount of stores they have available (which needs to be checked regularly), but given the cold spell we are now moving into, some of you may be thinking of treating your hives with Oxalic Acid against the Varroa mite.

Note however, that using Oxalic Acid will destroy brood and we therefore recommend that you refrain from using Oxalic Acid treatment unless you are absolutely certain there is no brood present. Instead, we suggest that you undertake Varroa monitoring in the early spring and if necessary use an alternative Varroa control.