Apivar™ Misuse
Notes on Apivar misuse, from the horses mouth
We noticed that on threads relating to Apivar™ use, that some people come up with some very strange advice when folks have used Apivar™ against the label. So, to set the record straight we went and spoke to Veto Pharma directly to get their take on the topic. Below is a list of questions that we asked Veto Pharma, and the answers that we got. The answers have been paraphrased slightly, but the salient points are still the same. We have also passed this page onto Veto Pharma to ensure that they are happy with it’s contents - We are yet to hear back.
TODO: Amend the above when we hear back from Veto that the paraphrasing is acceptable for them. If not, we should just publish the raw email thread (with PII redacted) in another page so that people can see what the Veto Pharma liason actually said.
We would like to thank Veto Pharma for taking the time to thoroughly answer our questions. They took their time finding all the correct information, and ensuring that the advice they gave was correct and meaningful, and having read through these answers I think we can say one thing for certain: Apivar™ taints honey, and there is no untainting it.
We strongly recommend that people reading this, who use or want to use Apivar™, refer to the manual that came with their packets or to the manual that can be found on the Veto Pharma website. We’re including a link to the instructions here, but please please make sure that you are referring to the right manual when you come to use the product. Sometimes the manuals change, and you need to be using the right one.
The questions below are as asked, and the answers are slightly paraphrased but from Veto Pharma directly. Any notes from the author are in italics and annotated.
Per the Apivar™ label all honey supers must be removed prior to inserting Apivar™ into the hive. Any honey in the hive prior to inserting the strips may be processed & consumed, so long as it is removed prior to the insertion of the Apivar™ strips.
Per the Apivar™ label honey supers must be removed before inserting Apivar™, so any wax made while Apivar™ is in the hive would be in the brood box(es). And I would not recommend consuming honey stored in the brood box for human consumption and ANY honey collected while Apivar™ is present cannot be consumed.
Per the Apivar™ label honey supers must be removed before inserting Apivar™, hence it is not possible for wax to be drawn in honey supers while Apivar™ is present. So, the answer is no.
Author Note: We received more clarity on this question, which is cleared up further down this wiki
Since the label does not address the re-use of comb after Apivar™ has been in the hive, there is no prohibition by the label for re-use of such comb. However, you will need to make certain that ALL honey has been removed before re-using such comb as honey super comb. Extraction does not remove all the honey, and will leave them “wet”.
Whilst the label does not state that this comb cannot be re-used, I would advise setting the supers […] outside when there are no supers on the hive for the bees to clean up any remaining honey. If you feed honey back while there are supers on the hive, the bees will most likely put some of this honey back in the honey supers on the hive. So you must feed it back when there are NO no supers on the hives.
Per the Apivar™ label, honey supers must be removed before inserting Apivar™, so any wax made while Apivar™ is in the hive would be in the brood box(es). And I would not recommend consuming wax from the brood boxes for human consumption.
If you feed honey back while there are supers on the hive, the bees will most likely put some of this honey back in the honey supers on the hive. So you must feed it back when there are NO no supers on the hives. The bees will then use this honey for energy, feeding brood, or store it in the brood boxes.
Per the Apivar™ label, honey supers can be placed back on the hive 14 days after Apivar™ is removed from the hive. Any subsequent honey placed in the honey supers may be consumed by humans.
Note from the author: This was answered in an attached document. We’ve attached them below.
PDF: Apivar™ residues in honey after removal of Apivar™
PDF: Apivar™ motabolites in honey
Note from the author: The Veto Pharma liason did not comment on this question. When we pointed out that they hadn’t answered this question, they ignored it. We took that as “no comment”
Note from the author: The Veto Pharma liason did not comment on this question. When, again, we pointed out that they hadn’t answered this question, they ignored it. We took that as “no comment”
Note from the author: The Veto Pharma liason did not comment on this question. When, yet again, we pointed out that they hadn’t answered this question, they ignored it. We took that as “no comment”