Laurence Edwards says beekeepers who treat varroa mites in late September or early October lose more colonies over winter. Treat earlier in the season instead. Any honey you sacrifice now comes back in spring.
I see it all over the place, people saying, well, my bees died over winter. And you say, well, when did you treat for varroa? And they say, back end of September, early October, because I get my honey crop, I get the bramble, I get a little bit of ivy, and I've taken all my honey off, and then I do my varroa treatments. Far, far too late. If you consistently do that, you'll end up with more colonies dying over winter. And the best thing about this bit of advice as well is what you lose in the late season honey crop, you gain it back the following spring.
