The label is the law. Read your product's label before you mix or apply; the rates here come from the labels listed under Sources.
- Active ingredient
- Amitraz
- Chemical class
- An insecticide and acaricide (miticide). Apivar strips release it slowly, and it works through direct contact.[3][2]
- Mode of action
- IRAC Group 19: Octopamine receptor agonists[4]
- Signal words
- Apivar: Warning[1]
Apivar 2.0: Caution[5]
Resistance and rotation
The label warns that any mite population may contain individuals naturally resistant to Apivar and similar miticides, and that they can come to dominate if the same group is used repeatedly in one place. To delay resistance it says to rotate with miticides from different groups where possible, base treatment on an integrated pest management program with scouting and record keeping, monitor treated colonies for resistance, and never leave strips in longer than 56 days.[1]
Maine's State Apiarist reports that there have been reports of mite resistance to Apivar and calls rotating products good practice for slowing resistance in mite populations. Its list of management strategies also includes re-queening with stock that has shown some mite resistance.[2]
Where it is used
Each colony gets 2 strips per brood chamber, about one per 5 frames of bees, hung between comb frames in the brood area at least 2 frames apart. The strips stay in for 42 days, or up to 56 days if the cluster has moved and the strips are repositioned, and they are never reused.[1]
Treatment goes in during spring and/or fall, once mite levels reach the treatment threshold, and no more than twice a year. Maine's State Apiarist notes that you need a sampling device to tell when a treatment threshold is reached, and that thresholds have varied widely in recent years.[1][2]
Apivar 2.0 (EPA Reg. No. 87243-5, label stamped December 17, 2025) is a separate registration: 3% amitraz strips with the signal word CAUTION. In each brood chamber it uses one strip for every five frames of bees, from one strip for five or fewer frames up to four strips for 16 or more, hung between comb frames in the brood area or bee cluster at least two frames apart.[5]
Apivar 2.0 strips stay in for at least 42 days. With no brood present they can come out after 42 days; with brood they stay for 70 days, and they must come out after 70 days at most. It's used no more than twice a year, once in spring and once in fall, with the honey supers off, and the strips are never reused. Supers can go back on as soon as the strips are removed, and strips should be installed within a month of first opening the package.[5]
The Maine fact sheet lists Apivar alongside other varroa treatments: thymol products (Apiguard, ApiLife Var), formic acid pads (Formic Pro, Mite-Away Quick Strips), hops beta acids (HopGuard III) and oxalic acid (ApiBioxal). Unlike Apivar, it says, formic acid pads and HopGuard III can be used during honey flows.[2]
EPA's 1996 review described other amitraz uses: pear psylla, whiteflies and mites on pears and cotton, ticks, lice and mange mites on cattle and swine, and ticks on dogs through impregnated collars. Its residue tolerances also covered honey and comb.[3]
Products and registrations
Label rates
| Product | Use | Pests | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apivar | Honey bee colonies, in the brood chamber, with honey supers removed | Varroa mites (Varroa destructor) | 2 strips per brood chamber per application[1] One strip per 5 frames of bees; leave in 42 days (never more than 56); no more than once in spring and once in fall. |
How to apply it, step by step
1. Protective gear
- This is a WARNING-signal product: the label says it may be fatal if absorbed through the skin and is harmful if swallowed or inhaled. Don't get it in your eyes, on your skin or on your clothing, and avoid breathing the vapor when you open the sealed packet of strips.[1]
- Wear coveralls over a short-sleeved shirt and short pants, plus socks, footwear and chemical-resistant gloves when you handle the strips. Wash thoroughly with soap and water afterward and before eating, drinking, chewing gum, using tobacco or using the toilet, and wash contaminated clothing before wearing it again.[1]
2. Before you spray
- Treat only after you've confirmed varroa mites and their numbers have reached the treatment threshold, in spring and/or fall.[1]
- Take the honey supers off first. The strips can't be used while honey supers are on the hive, and all strips have to come out 2 weeks before the honey flow starts.[1]
- Don't use Apivar more than twice a year: no more than once in spring and once in fall. Where possible, rotate it with miticides from different groups that control the same mites.[1]
3. Mixing
- There's nothing to mix. Open the package only when you're ready, put the strips in the hive right away, and separate each double strip into two.[1]
4. Applying
- Use 2 strips per brood chamber, which is one strip per 5 frames of bees. That is also the maximum: 2 strips per brood chamber per application.[1]
- Hang each strip between two comb frames inside the brood area or the bee cluster, at least 2 frames apart, so the bees can walk on both sides of it.[1]
5. After you spray
- Leave the strips in for 42 days, then take them out. If the cluster has moved away from the strips, move them back into the cluster and leave them 14 more days, but never leave strips in a colony longer than 56 days, and never reuse them.[1]
- Wait 14 days after removing the strips before putting honey supers back on the hive.[1]
First aid
- On skin or clothing, take off contaminated clothing, rinse the skin right away with plenty of water for 15 to 20 minutes, and call a poison control center or doctor. In the eyes, hold the eye open and rinse slowly and gently for 15 to 20 minutes, removing contact lenses after the first 5 minutes, then call for treatment advice.[1]
- If swallowed, call a poison control center or doctor immediately, have the person sip a glass of water if able to swallow, and don't induce vomiting unless told to. If inhaled, move the person to fresh air, and call 911 or an ambulance if the person isn't breathing. Have the label with you; the 24-hour medical emergency line is ProPharma Group, 1-866-257-2596.[1]
Storage, spills and disposal
- Store unused strips in their original container in a cool, dry area out of direct sunlight, away from food, feed and other pesticides that could contaminate them.[1]
- Use all the strips in a package according to the label. Wrap used strips in newspaper and put them in the trash. Don't reuse or refill the empty container; dispose of it in a sanitary landfill or by incineration, and don't burn it unless state and local ordinances allow.[1]
Safety and environmental hazards
People
Signal word WARNING: the Apivar label says the strips may be fatal if absorbed through the skin and are harmful if swallowed or inhaled, and it carries California's warning that amitraz can cause birth defects or other reproductive harm. EPA's 1996 reregistration review put amitraz in Toxicity Category II (moderately toxic) for skin exposure, Category III by mouth and inhalation, and Category IV for eye and skin irritation, and classified it as a Group C (possible human) carcinogen after tumors in female mice; no tumors were seen in rats.[1][3]
Pets
The label's precautions are headed Hazardous to Humans and Domestic Animals, and the strips are for in-hive use only. In EPA's 1996 review, a chronic study in dogs found central nervous system depression, raised blood glucose and low body temperature; amitraz was rated slightly toxic to small mammals by mouth.[1][3]
Bees and pollinators
EPA's 1996 review rated amitraz practically nontoxic to bees, and Apivar is registered to hang inside honey bee colonies. The label still bars use while honey supers are on and requires a 14-day wait after the strips come out before supers go back on.[3][1]
Fish and water
The label says the product is toxic to fish and aquatic invertebrates, so don't contaminate water when disposing of used strips or packaging. EPA's 1996 review found amitraz highly toxic to freshwater fish and oysters and very highly toxic to aquatic invertebrates, while its two primary breakdown products ranged from moderately toxic to practically nontoxic.[1][3]
Common questions
- Can I use Apivar with honey supers on the hive?
- No. Take the honey supers off before you put the strips in, remove all strips 2 weeks before the honey flow starts, and wait 14 days after removing them before putting supers back on.[1]
- How long do Apivar strips stay in the hive?
- Forty-two days. If the bees have moved away from the strips, move the strips back into the cluster for 14 more days, but never leave them in longer than 56 days in all, and never reuse them.[1]
- How many strips does a hive need?
- Two strips per brood chamber, which is one strip per 5 frames of bees. That's also the label maximum per application.[1]
- Do I need gloves to handle the strips?
- Yes. The label calls for chemical-resistant gloves, coveralls over a short-sleeved shirt and short pants, socks and footwear, because amitraz may be fatal if absorbed through the skin. Avoid breathing the vapor when you open the packet.[1]
- What's the difference between Apivar and Apivar 2.0?
- They're separate EPA registrations. Original Apivar (87243-1) strips contain 3.33% amitraz, go in at two per brood chamber and come out after 42 days, or 56 days at most. Apivar 2.0 (87243-5) strips contain 3% amitraz, are dosed at one strip per five frames of bees in each brood chamber, and stay in 42 days without brood or 70 days with brood.[1][5]
Sources
- U.S. EPA Pesticide Product Label System, “Apivar label, EPA Reg. No. 87243-1 (EPA-stamped, July 15, 2021).” www3.epa.gov/pesticides/chem_search/ppls/087243-00001-20210715.pdf (accessed 2026-11-08)
- Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, “Honey Bee Pests (Maine State Apiarist fact sheet, revised December 5, 2024).” www.maine.gov/dacf/php/apiary/documents/factsheets/pests.pdf (accessed 2026-11-08)
- U.S. EPA, “R.E.D. Facts: Amitraz (EPA-738-F-96-031, November 1996).” archive.epa.gov/pesticides/reregistration/web/pdf/0234fact.pdf (accessed 2026-11-08)
- Insecticide Resistance Action Committee, “IRAC Mode of Action Classification Scheme, Version 11.5 (Feb. 2026).” irac-online.org/documents/moa-classification/ (accessed 2026-11-08)
- U.S. EPA Pesticide Product Label System, “Apivar 2.0 label, EPA Reg. No. 87243-5 (EPA-stamped, December 17, 2025).” www3.epa.gov/pesticides/chem_search/ppls/087243-00005-20251217.pdf (accessed 2026-11-08)