📖 Chapter 15: Battling Varroa — The Final Task Before Winter 🐝🕷️ 

🍂 The Season Winds Down
As autumn settles in and the last of the flowers fade, the hive begins to slow. The workers turn their focus inward, preparing for the colder months ahead. For us beekeepers, it’s also time for one last — and very important — job: treating for Varroa destructor.

🕷️ The Unseen Threat
Varroa mites are tiny external parasites that attach to bees and feed on their fat bodies. Left unchecked, they can weaken the colony, spread viruses, and make it much harder for bees to survive the winter. Every beekeeper, no matter how healthy their hive seems, has to deal with this persistent pest.

✨ Our Chosen Treatment
This year, we used Apivar, a treatment containing amitraz, which targets Varroa mites while being gentle on the bees themselves.

The treatment comes as plastic strips that hang between the brood frames. As the bees move through the hive, brushing past the strips, the active ingredient spreads through the colony and begins to eliminate the mites.

We’ll leave the strips in for the full recommended period, giving the colony the best possible chance to head into winter strong, healthy, and ready for the cold months ahead.

💡 Did you know?
A single Varroa mite can reproduce inside a brood cell, feeding on developing bee pupae. If left untreated, the population can double every month during the active season! Regular monitoring and alternating treatments each year (to avoid resistance) are key to long-term colony health.

🌼 Looking Ahead
With the Apivar strips in place and the bees settling down for winter, our work for the season is nearly complete. The hive has good stores, a strong queen, and now — hopefully — fewer hitchhikers!

As temperatures drop, we’ll start thinking about winter feeding and insulation, but for now, it’s over to the bees to do what they do best: cluster, conserve heat, and wait for spring.