I started a new colony this past April. I am new to Santa Fe, having moved in last November. I am using a top bar hive for the first time. Not knowing how much honey the colony will need to survive the winter, I have not and am not planning on harvesting any honey this year.
As a mite prevention, yesterday I added two strips to the hive. I am wondering if I should remove them as I now understand that the active ingredient can accumulate in the bee's wax. All the instructions state to remove the honey supers before using the strips, but in a top bar hive this is not possible. All the research I have done indicated that this is not a problem if the honey collected is filtered to remove any wax.
Has anyone else had this issue and if so what are your recommendations? Assuming the colony survives the winter, should I have any concerns harvesting honey next year? Should I remove the strips now?
Any information would be appreciated.
Thank you,
Hugh
