[theresalynn]

I did a two strip Formic Pro treatment 7 days ago. BUT I forgot I had a screened bottom board. I have not seen any dead bees or any bees being dragged out. So I am not sure if it was effective. When should I to another mite check? Previously I did an alcohol wash and had 7 mites per 1/2 cup of bees

 

[Fivej]

The treatment period is 14 days for 2 strips. Close the screen board. J

 

[theresalynn]

The treatment period is 14 days for 2 strips. Close the screen board. J

OK, will do tomorrow

 

[Akademee]

Formic acid vapors are heavier than air, so they more than likely completely dumped out of the hive with the SBB open. I would not be very confident that they worked at all.

 

[Oldtimer]

Agreed. Also, not seeing any dead bees is a bad sign. What I've found using FA is that if I see some dead bees and dead larvae out front of the hive, the treatment probably also got a good kill on the mites. If I see no dead bees or larvae out front, probably did a poor job on the mites.

 

[theresalynn]

Agreed. Also, not seeing any dead bees is a bad sign. What I've found using FA is that if I see some dead bees and dead larvae out front of the hive, the treatment probably also got a good kill on the mites. If I see no dead bees or larvae out front, probably did a poor job on the mites.

yes, this is what I am afraid of, I was thinking of adding a singular pad after putting it on a solid bottom board. any thoughts

 

[Oldtimer]

The idea is good (solid botom board), but without knowing your temperatures etc it's hard to advise.

Just check the label instructions to ensure your daily temperatures are within the recommended guidlines then if so then yes, give it a try.

I'm always hesitant to recommend a person do FA treatments though, because they are the most risky of all the treatments. Can work well done right though.

 

[Vance G]

I tend to not offer advice if I know people have screened bottom boards because they usually have other silly ideas that are counter survival of the colony. You need to look for eggs and make sure your queen is still alive and laying. FA is really hard on queens and colonies. You need to get rid of the screened bottom board.

 

[theresalynn]

You need to look for eggs and make sure your queen is still alive and laying.....You need to get rid of the screened bottom board.

Did an inspection and saw the queen, lots of capped brood and also saw larva. I removed the screened bottom board. Removed the previous Formic Pro pads that did nothing. Did another alcohol wash, not surprising that there were more mites than the first time. Put in two Formic Pro pads. added a gallon of 2/1 syrup and closed it up. That was four days ago. On day three I saw a few dead bees on the ground and one pupa, I didn't expect it to be as big as it was. Bees are still very active. The gallon of syrup is gone. Added another today and made up another gallon but it was too hot to add today.

I figured I might as well go ahead and do another treatment, the first had no effect and yes there is a risk, but figure I will definitely loose the hive if I didn't. So now we wait. Next year I will be wiser.

 

[LarryBud]

I'm sorry to hear that your first round with the Formic Pro pads didn't achieve your goals. As written earlier on this thread, I did a FA treatment on August 30th and a month later, my hives showed a zero mite load (alcohol washes) and have fully recovered. I did the two pad treatment which had a predictable die off initially, and yes, at first I thought the worst (being a new beek) with a week of several hundred dead bees being ejected form the hive. The bees that died off were infected, sick and would have not only died anyway, but would have continued the infections until the entire hive died off. Keep reminding yourself that in a double deep, there's at least 40,000 bees that you're saving. A month out, I have lots new bees doing orientation flights, loads of brood and an activity that makes me think the bees think it's May. In my micro climate here, they are bring in loads of pollen and nectar, so much I'm wondering where they're putting it! The hives are heavy and I don't see any need to feed for at least another month if at all. Our weather here looks like low '70's highs with low 50's at night, still have a lot of goldenrod and aster going and still budding out.

End of my story is that FA is a very strong treatment-if you follow the directions (read the manufactures web site) it works and is now a part of my IPM plan.

 

[theresalynn]

I like the concept of the Formic Pro because it will kill the mites behind the capped brood. I hear people have had problems, but I am thinking that they are either doing it when temps are too high OR another possibility is their hive is maybe a single deep and there is not enough air space so the treatment is too intense and a third possibility is that their hive was not a strong healthy hive to begin with. I am a few hours north of you but in a bit of a micro zone also as I am up the hill less than a mile from the lake with the hill continuing behind providing a buffer zone. But sadly the golden rod is fading where I am. I was very surprised to see my bees take up a gallon of syrup so fast. I am also in my first year so lots to learn. Mine did not produce enough for me to take any honey off this year and they are not putting any of the syrup in the super. I hope that won't prove to be a problem. I am leaving it on so that they have room if they feel they need it.

I made a quilt board out of a two inch spacer, I put a piece of screen on the bottom and drilled 4 one inch holes (screened these also) for ventilation. I read that someone made one using a super frame, which I wish I had read about before using the two inch spacer. But I can always add on I guess. Did you ever make yours yet?

 

[LarryBud]

I agree about FA getting into the capped brood. I'm a first year too, in my situation, I saw some bees with DFW and had 3 supers on one hive, 4 on the other and we were heading into what looked like (and was) a great fall flow. I had double deeps on mine so I went with the 14 day two pad treatment. The NOD website shows how and how many pads based upon your individual hive configuration. I have a very unusual situation here, I'm on a 7200 sf lot but my neighborhood has tons of ornamental gardens and many people have planted pollinator gardens. In addition, Princeton University tore down around 15 acres of World War 2 housing nearby (built to house researcher) and stabilized the entire site with pollinator plants-I've pulled over a 100 pounds so far and it looks like I have at least that much or more now. My hives were strong but I got hit with a mite bomb right after harvesting in mid August. I think the FA was the best treatment even though I have a Varrox wand. It was quicker-14 days and the recovery was equal to the brood cycle of the bees. In the 7 day waiting period to open the hive, both queens got busy and I had 4-5+ full frames of brood, when I removed the pads after 14 days, the frames (2 deeps and 3-4 mediums), were coated with nurse/worker bees and the foragers (who were reduced in treatment) were bringing in buckets of pollen. At the time I needed the treatment, it dropped down into the upper 70's so I got lucky. As a matter of fact, my first post here was titled "Did I get lucky.." but was referring to a first year hive harvest.

Funny you asked about the quit boxes. I just made two up but used some 1 x 5 cut offs that I had from my house renovation and just got an email from Tractor Supply that the # 8 hardware cloth I order is available for pick up today. Apparently, no one around here stocks it including both small and big box hardware stores. I did a cross brace in the middle with 1 x 4, to I have a support for a 1" insulation board on top but am not sure if I should use a foam insulation board or add to the moisture draw with a homesoate board. I also only did 2 1" vent holes but wonder if I should have done 2. I'm an engineer and tend to overthink stuff-even as I build it. I'll post a picture after I add the cloth.

 

[Oldtimer]

added a gallon of 2/1 syrup and closed it up.

Not recommended. Formic acid can be very disruptive to a hive and they are less capable of defending themselves than normal. Add sugar syrup during treatment and the risk of them being robbed goes up a lot.

Feed before or after, but not during.