It really has been a summer this season. Heatwaves, thunderstorms and heavy rain interspersed with dry periods. Hopefully everyone is getting through this weather relatively unscathed. With the continued spread of varroa throughout the region it is importantly for everyone to be vigilant for small hive beetle in their hive. It isn’t something that we normally need to worry about but varroa seem to amplify their effect.
Treatment resistance has been found amongst varroa in NSW. I haven’t found any specific information on the area, but I suspect it would be somewhere in or around the Hunter region. This is where varroa and therefore treatments have been the longest. This highlights the importance of following an integrated pest control program. By not using products with a similar mode of action for treatments one after the other and cycling though different modes of action we can hopefully avoid resistance here for a while longer.
It is about time for the later flowering species of eucalypts to start flowering. Keep an eye out for honey flow coming into your hive and be ready for a late extraction if this is appropriate for your hive. Lastly it is also time to start planning for winter. If hives are low on resources, then now can be a good chance to give them a little boost.