To help with the ongoing battle against Varroa mites, new weapons have been added to the beekeeper’s arsenal. This season has seen four new miticide products approved for use in Canada. After these new products have been in the hands of beekeepers for nearly a full season now, ATTTA has received a great deal of feedback from beekeepers on their practical use. We have also tried them in order to familiarize and inform ourselves on behalf of beekeepers. This week’s blog shares a summary of comments from beekeepers and our own experiences with new amitraz-based formulations.
Review of new Varroa Management tools: Part 1 of 2
The 2026 beekeeping season saw an unprecedented number of
new acaricide products become available for Canadian beekeepers. The Canadian Pesticide Management Directorate
(formerly PMRA), approved for use, four new formulations based on already
existing chemistries. These products
allow beekeepers new options for the use of two existing active ingredients: oxalic
acid and amitraz. After having these new products available for a beekeeping
season, some practical aspects of using them have been shared with ATTTA and
summarized below.
Amitraz was first used in Canada in 2008 and has been a much
relied on miticide in the form of Apivar®.
Across the beekeeping community there are concerns that an overreliance
on this single chemical mite treatment will lead to reduced efficacy1. Two new applications based on amitraz are now
available in the form of Amiflex® and Apivar 2.0®. Although still the same active ingredient,
these formulations may help extend the use of amitraz by providing a greater
range of options.
Amiflex gel, by Veta-pharma, is a seven-day flash treatment. Most beekeepers will purchase the starter pack which contains the applicator, ten 120ml tubes and 400 wooden supports. The cost from Canadian distributors is approximately $350. Initially, each 3 ml application cost in the region of $0.88 and two doses are applied per brood chamber. So, a double brood chamber will be $3.50 for a full treatment. The applicator is very easy to use, as is placing the gel across the wooden supports. It is important that the gel is not applied directly to the frames to avoid residual amitraz absorbed by the wood.
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| Amiflex applicator (ATTTA, 2026) |
As suggested by the manufacturer, this product is not designed
to be used as a replacement for longer treatments2. Also, the manufacturer suggest that two
sequential applications can be used with high mite populations. The
potential for use is limited to specific situations. It would seem to be a good product for between
honey harvests (mid season knock down) and for treating swarms or packaged
bees. Any other broodless periods, such
as in the fall, may also be appropriate.
Overall, beekeepers report this is an easy-to-use product,
low cost per dose and will be useful in specific situations. Also, commercial beekeepers will best be able
to take advantage of the purchase quantity and the fact that, once opened, the
tubes cannot be stored. Each tube
contains enough for 10 double deep hives so can most efficiently be used by beekeepers having 10 hives or more. Plus, following recommended use of only once
per season for amitraz, the package contains more treatment than shelf life for small
operations, as it must be used within two years of the date of manufacture.
It is advantageous that there is no withdraw period before
honey supers when using Amiflex. In use,
beekeepers also found variability in the amount of gel remaining on the wooden
supports after the seven-day treatment period.
Some colonies removed all the gel while others left a significant amount
on the supports. It could be supposed
that this is a reflection of the size of the bee population but the impact of
remaining gel after seven days on efficacy is unknown.
Another new product with the same active ingredient,
amitraz, has been used by beekeepers this season: Apivar 2.0. This will eventually replace the original
Apivar strips and the expectation is that it will be used similarly. There are some advantages of this new strip
design. Packaged as paired strips, these
are easy to separate which beekeepers have reported as a great
improvement. The dosage is the same as
with the old style strips (two strips per brood chamber). A recent purchase of a large pack cost $200
from one of the Canadian distributers.
This is $3.33 per dose and could be up to $13.32 for a double colony.
Apivar is typically an early spring or fall treatment. Product availability of Apivar 2.0 meant that
beekeepers in the Maritime region did not have access for a spring treatment in
2026. For next season, one big advantage
of Apivar 2.0 over Apivar is the lack of withdraw period after treatment. With Apivar 2.0 honey supers can be placed immediately after the strips are removed (unlike the two week withdraw period
with original Apivar). This additional
two weeks in the early part of the season, to apply treatments prior to
placement of honey supers, is meaningful to Maritime beekeepers.
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| Apivar 2.0 strips (ATTTA,2026) |
The new style strips are easy to handle and separation is
straightforward. They are designed for
use in either Dadant or Langstroth
equipment. This dual use design seem to have created a compromise requiring Langstroth users to bend the strips
over the top of the frames. This may be
a slight complication in their use, especially with large commercial
beekeepers having to place hundreds of strips.
There have been no specific efficacy trials for either of these new products in the Maritime region but in terms of practical use, both are easy to apply. Any additional options for mite treatments are welcome and will support an IPM strategy. Always read and follow the label instructions.
Next week’s blog will discuss the new formulations for the
application of oxalic acid and their practical use in the Maritime region.
Connecting with ATTTA Specialists
If you’d like to connect with ATTTA specialists or learn more about our program, you can:
visit our website at https://www.perennia.ca/portfolio-items/honey-bees/
Email attta@perennia.ca
References
1. 1. Jack, C.J., Boncristiani, H., Prouty, C.,
Schmehl, D.R. and Ellis, J.D., 2024. Evaluating the seasonal efficacy of
commonly used chemical treatments on Varroa destructor (Mesostigmata:
Varroidae) population resurgence in honey bee colonies. Journal of Insect
Science, 24(3), p.11.
2. 2. Veto-pharma 2026
https://www.veto-pharma.com/beekeeping-products/amiflex-canada/