BallaratBees · Victoria, AU · Pests & Disease · Aug 8, 2026
Mid-winter down here in Victoria — cluster checks and timing a broodless oxalic, first varroa winter
G'day from the other hemisphere — while you lot argue about dearth feeding, I'm staring at four clustered hives in a Victorian winter. Fifth year, but this is my first proper winter managing varroa since it finally reached our district, so I'd love a sanity check from those who've done this for decades.
Plan: hefting weekly for stores, no inspections beyond quick lid-cracks on the odd mild arvo. The real question is oxalic timing. Everyone says 'treat when broodless', but how do I know when that actually is without ripping the cluster apart in the cold? Our winters are mild enough that some colonies apparently keep a patch of brood going right through.
Dribble vs vape opinions welcome too. Would rather learn this from your mistakes than mine.
Wellington winters are similarly mild and yes — assume some brood unless proven otherwise. Two options: pick the coldest stretch (longest odds of broodless, typically 3-4 weeks after the first real cold snap shuts the queen down), or accept brood is present and do a series of 3 vapes 5-6 days apart to cover emerging bees. Single oxalic with brood present catches maybe the phoretic third, not worth much on its own.
NalediBees · Aug 8, 2026
Mpumalanga winters here — also clustered, also mild. On the how-do-I-know question: on a mild day a quick look at ONE central frame tells you, 30 seconds, cluster barely disturbed. Or watch the entrance — no pollen coming in for a couple of weeks is a decent broodless hint. Don't guess when you can peek briefly.
ImkerinLena · Aug 8, 2026
European winter-oxalic habits transfer well here. Dribble if genuinely broodless: 3.2% oxalic in 1:1 syrup, 5 ml per occupied seam, 50 ml max per colony, ONCE — repeated dribbles harm winter bees. Vaporisation is gentler on the bees and repeatable, which is why KiwiBeek's 3x series works if brood persists. Efficacy in a truly broodless colony is 95%+ either way. That one treatment sets up your whole spring.
BallaratBees · Aug 9, 2026
Brilliant, exactly what I needed. Plan is now: watch entrances for pollen, quick single-frame peek on the next mild day, and if there's brood I'll run the vape series rather than wait for a broodless moment that may never come. Cheers all — enjoy your robbing season, sounds delightful.