Mite Away II

[AnthonyBermani]

I put in my mite away 2 pads on saturday. The predicted weather temp. for wednesday is 80/82, should i remove the pads? Is that 82 degree negotiable at all? There may be a frost on Thursday morning, should that weigh in on my decsion?

[David VanderDussen]

Your bees should be fine. The first three days are the highest risk, but this time of year with good size colonies and shorter days they can control the concentration of FA in the hive environment without too much stress.

Overnight temperatures don't matter, just daytime highs.

Good choice for both varroa and tracheal mite control. With a MAII treatment the bees are stimulated to raise another cycle plus of brood, giving the colony young, "clean" bees for the winter cluster.

David VanderDussen

[lazybeestudio.com]

Mite-Away II is an excellent product. I highly recommend it as the best alternative to hard chemicals. We like it's single application, the ability to replace supers immediately after treatment has ended and its control of both varroa and tracheal mites. We consider it a natural method and integral to practicing IPM.

For those of you who have only a few hives . . . please note that there are 10 individually sealed treatments in each pail. As a result, an opened pail and remaining treatments will last up to 18 months and will provide you full efficacy--unlike other products on the market.

Try Mite-Away II today. Keep your bees healthy going into winter.

http://www.lazybeestudio.com -->(866) LAZY-BEE
Beekeeping and Soapmaking Supplies

We will be at the Ohio State Beekeepers meeting Nov. 11 in Columbus. We'll be looking for ya!

[Dwight]

I think Mite away II is probably the best mite treatment available to date. Easy to apply, takes care of both Tracheal and Varroa mites and probably less stressful to the bees than anything else out there. I am very reluctant to use any treatment. Even the "natural" acids are chemicals. I did try mite away II on a couple of hive this year. It did kill a lot of mites but interestingly one of the colonies completely sealed the pad with wax!!

[Mike Gillmore]

"With a MAII treatment the bees are stimulated to raise another cycle plus of brood,"

That's interesting. It's the first time that I've run across that statement about Mite-Away II.
Is this based on your personal experience or is there test data out there somewhere?

[lazybeestudio.com]

David is the CEO of NOD Apiary Products (the manufacturer of MAII) and a commercial beekeeper. He would be speaking from experience as well as results of research studies of the product.

The FA induced cessation of brood rearing in the first 3-5 days of application results in a stimulus to the colony to rear brood to replace the population, as egg production is still active and resources are available--of course this window decreases as daylight hours do and daytime temps drop.

However, the bees that are raised in the upswing after initial application of MAII will be free of mites and therefore "young, clean" and healthy bees--which is exactly what you want going in to winter.

You do not want old, tired and parasitized field bees going into the winter cluster. They will consume resources, only to die at the very onset of the coldest temps and will do nothing to maintain colony vitality into the harsh days of March.

If you are only going to treat once a year--DO IT NOW-Do it before winter!

http://www.lazybeestudio.com - 866-LAZY-BEE
Beekeeping and Soapmaking Supplies

[David VanderDussen]

Hi Mike;

The full product research trials were run in 2001, 2002 and 2003, for the development of Mite-AwayII. The 2003 data was submitted post registration application, which went in to the Canada and US governmnets in the winter of 2003. Hive health and treatment impact were monitored and documented as part of the trials.

To register a pesticide in Canada efficacy data must be submitted, in the US it is not part of the EPA biopesticide registration process we were involved in, but it is required for some State registrations. The data is reviewed by the agencies, but it remains the propritory information of the developer, in this case NOD Apiary Products.

In my own beekeeping outfit I made the switch from Apistan to Mite-AwayII spring and fall four years ago. It has been the only treatment product used since 2002. The data supported it working, and it has been proven to be a reliable varroa and tracheal mite control product. The fall brood stimulation has occurred every year MAII has been applied. The bees have been wintering very well!

regards,
David v.

[Mike Gillmore]

lazybee.. Dave,

Thank you for your responses.

"The data is reviewed by the agencies, but it remains the propritory information of the developer, in this case NOD Apiary Products."

Is there research data available to the public?

Not meaning to be a pest... I've used MAII and it has worked well... just curious about the research data.

Thanks,
Mike

[David VanderDussen]

We don't publish or released the data but do provide an overview of some of the results. Here is a link to the research section on the Mite-Away web site:

http://www.miteaway.com/Research/research.html

Some management tips are there as well.
dv.