Varroa destructor remains the single biggest threat to honey bee colonies in the UK. Effective management requires not just treating your bees, but keeping accurate records of what you applied, when, and to which hives. Good records protect your bees, ensure your honey is safe to eat, and keep you on the right side of regulations.

This guide provides a free template for tracking varroa treatments and explains why proper record-keeping matters for every UK beekeeper.

Why Varroa Treatment Records Matter

There are several compelling reasons to keep detailed treatment records:

Honey safety: Most varroa treatments have withdrawal periods. Without records, you risk contaminating your honey harvest with treatment residues.
Legal compliance: Under the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) regulations, beekeepers using veterinary medicines must maintain treatment records. This applies to prescription treatments like Apivar as well as authorised products.
Effectiveness tracking: Recording treatments alongside mite counts helps you assess which treatments work best in your apiaries and whether resistance is developing.
Bee inspector visits: If a Regional or Seasonal Bee Inspector visits your apiary, they may ask to see your treatment records. Having them organised saves stress and demonstrates good husbandry.
Colony management: Year-on-year records help you identify colonies that consistently have high mite loads, which may indicate a need for requeening or other interventions.

UK-Approved Varroa Treatments and Timing

The following treatments are currently approved or commonly used by UK beekeepers. Always check the latest VMD and NBU guidance, as product availability can change.

Summer/Autumn Treatments (Post-Harvest)

Treatment	Active Ingredient	Method	Duration	Withdrawal Period
Apivar	Amitraz	Strips	6–10 weeks	Check product label
Apiguard	Thymol	Gel tray	4–6 weeks (2 applications)	None stated, but remove before supering
MAQS (Formic Pro)	Formic acid	Strips	7 days	None (can use with supers)
Api-Bioxal	Oxalic acid	Trickle/sublimation	Single application	None stated

Winter Treatment (Broodless Period)

Treatment	Active Ingredient	Method	Timing	Notes
Api-Bioxal	Oxalic acid	Trickle (2.25% solution) or sublimation	December–January	Most effective during broodless period

Important notes:

Always follow the manufacturer's instructions for dosage and application method
Oxalic acid (Api-Bioxal) is the only oxalic acid product with a VMD marketing authorisation for use in the UK. Using non-authorised products may be illegal
The NBU recommends an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) approach, combining monitoring with timely treatment
Check mite levels before and after treatment to assess effectiveness — the NBU recommends treating if natural mite drop exceeds 1,000 mites per day in summer

Free Varroa Treatment Record Template

Use this template to record all varroa treatments across your hives. You can copy this into a spreadsheet or print it for your records.

Date Applied	Hive ID / Name	Apiary	Treatment	Batch No.	Dose / Qty	Date Removed	Withdrawal Ends	Mite Count (Before)	Mite Count (After)
15/08/2026	e.g. Hive 1	e.g. Garden	e.g. Apiguard	AB1234	1 tray	12/09/2026	N/A	35/day	2/day

What to Record

For each treatment application, capture the following:

Date applied: The exact date you placed the treatment in the hive
Hive identification: A name, number, or code that uniquely identifies the hive
Apiary location: Which apiary the hive is in (essential if you manage multiple sites)
Treatment product: The brand name and active ingredient
Batch number: From the product packaging — important for traceability
Dose/quantity: How much was applied (e.g. number of strips, ml of solution)
Date removed: When strips or other slow-release treatments were removed
Withdrawal period end: The date after which honey can be harvested
Mite counts: Before and after treatment, to assess effectiveness
Notes: Any observations — colony reaction, weather conditions, etc.

Staying Compliant: VMD and NBU Requirements

UK beekeepers should be aware of the following regulatory requirements:

VMD regulations: The Veterinary Medicines Directorate requires that anyone administering veterinary medicines (including varroa treatments) maintains records for at least 5 years. Records should include the product name, batch number, date of treatment, identity of the hive/colony, and withdrawal period.
BeeBase registration: The NBU strongly recommends all beekeepers register on BeeBase. This helps with disease surveillance and means inspectors can alert you to outbreaks in your area.
Prescription medicines: Some treatments (e.g. Apivar) are prescription-only veterinary medicines (POM-V). You must obtain these through a veterinary surgeon, and additional record-keeping requirements apply.
Honey for sale: If you sell honey, food safety regulations require that you can demonstrate your product is free from treatment residues. Accurate treatment records with withdrawal periods are essential evidence.

Automate Your Treatment Records with HiveLog

Paper templates work, but they have limitations. Sheets get lost, handwriting becomes illegible, and it's difficult to spot patterns across multiple hives and seasons.

HiveLog's treatment tracking feature (available on the Premium plan) lets you record varroa treatments digitally with all the fields you need:

Select the treatment product from a pre-populated list of UK-approved options
Withdrawal period alerts remind you when it's safe to harvest
Treatment history is linked to each hive, so you can see at a glance which colonies have been treated and when
All records are stored securely and accessible from any device
Export your records as CSV for sharing with bee inspectors or for your own spreadsheets

Premium plans start from just $5/month (or $45/year, saving 25%), and include a 14-day free trial so you can try it with no commitment.

Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Approach

The NBU recommends an IPM approach to varroa management. This means combining multiple strategies rather than relying solely on chemical treatments:

Monitoring: Regular mite counts using varroa boards, sugar rolls, or alcohol washes to track infestation levels
Biotechnical methods: Drone brood removal, artificial swarms, and brood breaks can reduce mite populations without chemicals
Timely treatment: Treating at the right time of year, when treatments are most effective
Record-keeping: Tracking mite levels and treatment effectiveness over time
Colony management: Requeening colonies that consistently carry high mite loads

Good record-keeping underpins every part of this approach. Without data on mite levels and treatment history, you're making management decisions in the dark.

Further Resources

National Bee Unit (BeeBase) — Varroa management guidance and advisory leaflets
VMD — Information on authorised veterinary medicines
BBKA — British Beekeepers' Association resources on disease and treatment
Your local beekeeping association — many run treatment workshops and can advise on local conditions

Varroa Treatment Record Template (UK)