Apiguard
Behandlungsmittel
Apiguard is a thymol product in gel form.
Apiguard is a thymol product in gel form. One tray contains 50 grams of gel with 12.5 grams of thymol, corresponding to a thymol content of 25 percent. The opened tray is placed gel-side up, centrally on the top bars of the frames above the brood chamber. A gap of at least half a centimeter must remain between the top of the tray and the hive cover, so the bees can reach the gel and distribute it inside the hive.
The effect arises from the thymol concentration in the hive air and from the bees' direct contact with the gel. Mites in the capped brood are not reached. An effect on these mites arises only indirectly over the long treatment period, during which the mites freed by hatching bees are gradually killed. This is why the package leaflet points out that, if mite drop remains significant, an additional winter or spring treatment is necessary.
Two applications two weeks apart are envisaged, each with 50 grams of gel per colony, with a maximum of two treatments per year. The empty or nearly empty tray is exchanged for a new one after about two weeks; the product stays in the colony until the tray is empty. In total, treatment extends over about four to six weeks. Apiguard must not be used if the expected daily maximum temperature is below 15 °C or above 40 °C, or if activity in the colony is very low. The best effect is achieved in late summer after the honey harvest, when brood levels are decreasing.
Common mistakes are starting treatment too late, deviating from the dosing schedule, and treating individual colonies rather than all colonies at an apiary, which encourages robbing. Weak colonies should be united before treatment. Rare side effects described are mild unrest, a temporary decline in young brood at high temperatures, and targeted removal of brood near the tray. If this is observed, the product should be removed. Overdosing can lead to unrest, absconding, or increased mortality.
Apiguard is an approved veterinary medicinal product for honey bees and is not subject to prescription. The withdrawal period for honey is zero days; treatment must not be carried out during the nectar flow, as it would impair the honey's taste. The product must be removed before honey supers are added. Because thymol is fat-soluble and passes into the wax, no honey should be harvested from combs that were in the colony during treatment. When handling it, impermeable gloves should be worn, direct skin and eye contact avoided, and the product must not be inhaled.
Quellen (4)
- Packungsbeilage Apiguard Gel 12,5 g, deutschsprachige Fassung (Föderalagentur für Arzneimittel und Gesundheitsprodukte)
- Apiguard 12,5 g Gel, EU Union Product Database (Zulassungsdatenbank für Tierarzneimittel)
- Emmerich, I.: Zugelassene Arzneimittel für Honigbienen in Deutschland, Berliner und Münchener Tierärztliche Wochenschrift 2018
- Landesanstalt für Bienenkunde Hohenheim: Hinweise zur Anwendung von Thymolpräparaten