Apivar
Behandlungsmittel
Apivar is an impregnated plastic strip containing 500 milligrams of amitraz per strip.
Apivar is an impregnated plastic strip containing 500 milligrams of amitraz per strip. The usual dose is two strips per colony, i.e. 1 gram of amitraz. The strips are hung in the upper area between two frames in the brood area, with a distance of at least two frames between the two strips. The bees walk over the strips, absorb the active substance through their body surface, and distribute it through the colony.
Amitraz acts as a nerve poison on the mite. It attacks the octopamine receptors, triggering overexcitation and paralysis; the mite detaches from the bee and dies. Only the mites sitting freely on the bees are reached in the process. The active substance does not penetrate into the capped brood cell. The effect on brood mites comes about solely because the treatment spans several brood cycles, and the mites freed with hatching bees are gradually caught.
From this follows the treatment duration: six weeks in a broodless colony, ten weeks with brood present. Application is intended after the last honey harvest in late summer or autumn, or alternatively in spring before honey production begins. Anyone choosing the spring variant must consider that a ten-week treatment would need to start correspondingly early in the year to be completed before honey supers are added. After half the treatment duration, propolis and wax build-up should be carefully scraped from the strips, because even reduced contact impairs efficacy.
Two points deserve particular attention. First, resistance: if resistance to amitraz is known, the product must not be applied, and improper use increases the risk of resistance. Reports of declining efficacy are available from several countries. Second, residues: amitraz is fat-soluble and accumulates mainly in the wax, especially with repeated application in consecutive years. Amitraz is the only one of the available varroacides for which a maximum residue level in honey has been set.
Apivar is approved as a veterinary medicinal product in Germany and is prescription-only, meaning it must be obtained through a veterinarian. The withdrawal period for honey is zero days, but it must not be applied during the nectar flow, and no honey may be taken from the brood chamber. Common mistakes are leaving the strips in beyond the approved duration, reusing used strips, and treating only individual colonies at an apiary. When handling it, impermeable gloves and the usual beekeeping protective clothing are required; used strips belong in hazardous waste. The bee institutes recommend synthetic varroacides only as an emergency option; they are excluded for organically certified operations.
Quellen (4)
- Apivar 500 mg, EU Union Product Database, Zulassung Deutschland (Nr. 402438.00.00)
- Gebrauchsinformation Apivar 500 mg, imprägnierter Streifen für den Bienenstock
- Emmerich, I.: Zugelassene Arzneimittel für Honigbienen in Deutschland, Berliner und Münchener Tierärztliche Wochenschrift 2018
- LLH Bieneninstitut Kirchhain: Infoblatt Varroazide