# Mite Away Quick Strips



## westernbeekeeper (May 2, 2012)

Hello all,
What is your experience with MAQS? Are there down sides to them? Do they have any adverse affects on the bees? Please input here. Thanks!


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## Sharpbees (Jun 26, 2012)

I used them on 5 of my hives according to the directions and had a lot of brood mortality, also think I read on here that they can cause queen problems. You also can't use them during high temperatures.


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## Grant (Jun 12, 2004)

I used them last fall once the temps fell into a "normal" range. I had a couple of really weak hives and put them on anyway. They absconded or died out. Everything else, no problems. Temps were in the upper 70s and lower 80s for daily highs.

However, the bees did not carry the material out. I did have to return and scrape away the dried out strip.

Given a easier and milder winter, it's hard to know if they made a real difference, but I experienced my best over-wintering success last year. And the MAQS was my only mite treatment.

Grant
Jackson, MO


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## westernbeekeeper (May 2, 2012)

Thanks Grant, and everyone else.


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## snl (Nov 20, 2009)

I used them last year in normal temp ranges. I did have to scrape the "leftovers" out eventually. 18 out of 18 hives made in thru winter with no queen problems. However, I will use oxalic acid this year. While it's a little more work, it's a lot cheaper and what the heck, I'm retired and get out to the bee yards often anway.


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## Michael B (Feb 6, 2010)

Mass beekeepers association president does not recommend them. Queen mortality is too high on well managed colonies.


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## Dragonfly130 (Dec 12, 2008)

Just got back from checking colonies that were treated third week of June With Maqs.

3/8 entrance, no extra ventilation or cracking boxes and daytime high's of, high 70's to low 80's, for at least three day's. All checked are queenright, 50% of colonies checked have supercedure cell's. No big deal. Nice young queen's going into fall/winter if they carry supercedure through. I personally like supercedure queens. The bee's are blaming the queen's for the brood loss and the queen's are kicking it into high gear to make up for it. Second year using Maqs pretty much same result's both times. Treated 23 colonies this time and checked 50% of them. Double deep's looked better than the singles I treated. they seemed to have either recovered from bee loss faster or reacted to it better. Two strip's in both. 

I also tested a styrofoam nuc (the ones betterbee sell's)3 frames of bee's and a q cell. No extra vent holes and ventilation is poor in them. They are alive and well after a half of a strip. I really expected to kill them but, didn't happen. Oh and the queen hatched and is laying well.

Figured that was enough checking with not one Q lost. The bad storm that rolled in had absolutely nothing to do with it. Was afraid to look up , might have drownded!


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## swarm_trapper (Jun 19, 2003)

Have the strips been killing mites as good for you this summer as this winter? I had excellent kills this winter but i can hardly kill a mite with one pad this summer and the temps certainly are high enough for it. Just wondering if they switched the formula or something with the new and improved pad.


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## Keth Comollo (Nov 4, 2011)

swarm_trapper said:


> i can hardly kill a mite with one pad this summer


I thought the suggested dose was two pads? Is there a reason you are using only one?


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## swarm_trapper (Jun 19, 2003)

the heat, using two in this heat will kill half the field force. But even in the hives that got two, it still is not getting the infestation down enough. Not sure why, it worked very well this winter. 
I did notice that the pads are easier to handle now with the new design but they also are a different color they are white instead of the orangish color they were this winter.


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## criscojohn (Sep 11, 2010)

swarmtrapper, perhaps they are expired? might make a difference and might explain the lack of color? JMTCW


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## matt1954 (Sep 8, 2010)

I use Check Mite and Thymol over the objection of our state inspectors and have excellent results. In fact, on every hive I used this combination, I had double deeps which combed/brooded out far better than those that did not. We are talking about 65 hives here that I did this to in one yard.


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