# Using Mite Away Quick Strips + Results



## nativesong

Evening #1- Application
I tried Mite Away Quick Strips for the first time today in 4 hives, each with double 10" deep brood supers (2 treatment pads between both brood supers), a queen excluder, a 10" deep honey super, a top inner cover and lid. Everything went smooth. I replaced SBB (screened bottom board) plastic insert for treatment. The funny thing is that several drones conjugated at hive entrance after. Everything looks good. No dead bees (YET). Will check in the morning for varroa mite drop on the SSB inserts.

Morning/ Day#1
Out of the 4 test hives on the first morning, there were about 100 dead bees on each of the hive entrances. It's still early, so I will keep you updated on the foraging later today. There were an equal amount of dead varroa mites on the SSB. It it a heavy duty treatment, make no doubt about it. But a mite free hive has to be stronger in the long run. 
Morning/ Day #2

Bee deaths are starting to subside. We now have a combined total (morning #1 and morning #2 ) of around 200-300 dead bees and 5 dead brood larvae at each hive entrance. Like I said before, this product may be deemed 'natural', but it is a serious chemical and should be taken seriously. It appears to be doing its job, I have counted numerous mites on the SBBs and I know that there are probably many dead in the comb that I cant yet count.  Current estimated total varroa mite count is approximately *400 mites per hive* found dead on the SBB since initial application (currently 2 days).

I will keep you updated...


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## stajerc61

If I may ask, what have your daytime and evening temps been since the beginning of your application. Thank you.


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## nativesong

stajerc61 said:


> If I may ask, what have your daytime and evening temps been since the beginning of your application. Thank you.


Daytime temps have been in the mid 50's at night and around 80 in the day. Now thinking about the initial application, I am glad that I started on the lower end of the temperature spectrum. It is my belief that increased temperatures may have caused increased evaporation rates for the formic acid patties, causing the release of a higher amount of fumes. They say that after the 3rd day, the fumes begin to decrease. Their temp threshold I believe is 50-93 degrees, I don't know if suggested temperatures really account for outdoor and in-hive humidity found across the nation.


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## HarryVanderpool

nativesong said:


> They say that after the 3rd day, the fumes begin to decrease.


"They" are way off.
After day 3 the treatment is over.
At day 5, you can reach in with you bare hands, pick up the strip and touch it to the end of your nose and take a big snif.
Yeah, it smells like formic, but the vapor volume is ziltch.
It takes a minimum of 24 grams of formic to vaporize to have any effect on mites.
By day 3 of MAQS you are probably down to 2 0r 3 grams which kills nothing.
Remember, this is a FLASH treatment. And an effective one.
Make sure to get back to the hives to queencheck between days 5 - 7.
Formic flash treatments have always killed a % of queens and this one is proving to be no different.
Watch the bee journals, scientific data to be published shortly.


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## nativesong

HarryVanderpool said:


> After day 3 the treatment is over.


I didn't think that "they" were that far off at all... That is exactly what happened; and for me, at the middle of the second day the bees began to return to normal (as much as they could after such an ordeal)... There are a lot of factors on how quickly the pad vaporizes. You won't find me sniffing formic acid pads any time in the near future (and I don't recommend that anyone sniffs caustic chemicals, EVER)... I agree with you on the queen check, I will no doubt find out soon if it killed queens.


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## G B

Wonder what if anyone has tried using just one of the pads vs two? I know of guys using half a dose of apiguard in warmer temps.


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## nativesong

G B said:


> Wonder what if anyone has tried using just one of the pads vs two? I know of guys using half a dose of apiguard in warmer temps.


Maybe, but I would hate to waste the money if I was not able to have good results. I think that one should consider, If the treatment was designed for a 2 brood super... If you had a single brood super, it may work... I had a mortality rate of 400 dead bees per hive on the 2 x 10" brood supers + 10" honey super combo hives, so it may bee a bit too strong for my particular hive size at a 80 degree daytime high. If I were to consider reducing the dose, it would be subtracting from the recommended dose... 1 3/4 pad, 1+1/2 patty, etc.; not by half for economic reasons, but reduced for functionality, effectiveness and to reduce the hive mortality rate.


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## jones

Highs here have been reaching high 90s and low 100s regularly... am I going to have to wait until fall to treat? I am in the process of my first sticky board test to see just how bad off I am...


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## nativesong

jones said:


> Highs here have been reaching high 90s and low 100s regularly... am I going to have to wait until fall to treat? I am in the process of my first sticky board test to see just how bad off I am...


I would not treat with MAQS in those temps. I will tell you out of experience, it WILL kill your bees, brood and the queen if you dont take her out first. Even if you crack the lid (which can cause robbing), unless the hive is SUPER strong, at those temps the / fumic acid in my opinion will fume to a toxic level and the likelihood of finding a dead hive are very real. If you have a serious mite issue; I would definitely treat in August, and if the temps are too high, try a different less harmful product. People say that fall is too late to treat, as the hive will have trouble gaining its strength back before winter.


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## Axtmann

nativesong
Why are people learning the hard way? The active contents is nothing else than formic and you should already know, formic is not only a mite killer. 
You can make your pads and it cost only pennies or you can buy them, no differences. 

I’m finished with my mite treatment for this season, like several years in a row, instead using formic pads I go for thymol. 
It is not important how many mites you have on the sticky paper; it is important how many mites are left in the colony. 
Three weeks after the second thymol strip is in, there is almost no mite drop anymore. During treatment I had zero dead bees and never lost a queen. The mite level is now not detectable, IMO close to 1%. I checked almost all fresh closed cells on one side of a whole drone frame and found not one mite at the end of the treatment.
The instruction says put the strip on top of the frames. if it is to hot, I place the strips under the brood on the bottom board, works great too.


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## jim lyon

Axtmann: Would you use Thymomite strips when temps are 35 to 40 C or wait for a cool down?


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## Axtmann

Jim lyon

I used the strips when we had approx 35C and had no problems. The brood nest in the hive has also temperatures like this. I place the strips away from the brood in the corners, but on top of the frames. Some days with even higher temperatures I placed the strip under the frames, away from the entrance and there were also no visible problems. I also cut strips horizontal in half with a paper cutter and placed them on part in the back and the other part in front. This worked best for me, not to much strong fumes from one side.

You can play with it without running in trouble like with formic. If you place the strip cross the frames it evaporates on both sides from the strip (normal temperatures). If you place the strip along with the frame it evaporates most from one side (temperatures in the high ranges). 

You must live in a paradise with temperatures like 40C. I have to go to Spain on holyday for this temperatures.


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## jim lyon

Thanks Axtmann, actually it's hardly a paradise, many folks refer to it as a drought I just consider it typical weather patterns in the western plains from Texas through North Dakota in July and August. When we get heat like this it often comes with hot dry winds and turns the country brown pretty quickly. I don't mean to suggest that there arent areas of significant drought just that rainfall tends to taper off later in the summer.


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## PappyMAINEiac

I am using MAQS on my colony but I have an issue with placement..... Instructions say place the strips above the brood box on top bars, or between the two brood boxes on a two box setup. The problem is I am running two deeps and all of the brood rearing is in the top deep. So I am putting the strips above the top box directly above brood.... I hope and believe this is right and I will let you all know how it turns out.
*Evening #1* Put strips on top of upper brood box. *Weather* 66 degrees, M Cloudy
*Morning #1* 15 dead bees on landing board, rained overnight. *Weather* 64 Deg. and Misty


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## PappyMAINEiac

*Noon Day 1* @10 more dead bees and 20 pupa hauled out on landing board. I can see hundreds of dead mites at the entrance!! Bees are flying @30 coming and going per minute. Weather is the same.


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## wildbranch2007

randy oliver has a new article coming out on maqs.

http://community.lsoft.com/scripts/wa-LSOFTDONATIONS.exe?A2=ind1108&L=BEE-L&F=&S=&P=52903

I've got an article of my most recent test of MAQS coming out in ABJ, with a
photo of the brood kill. It is variable from hive to hive, dependent upon
ventilation, and apparently some innate difference in bee response to formic
that varies from hive to hive.

In most hives, with MAQS applied without added ventilation, the bees removed
some brood, and the queens stopped laying for about 4 days. Overall, there
was about an 8-day break. However, some hives largely "ignore" the strips,
and you don't see as much affect upon the brood.

Jeremy (who also posts to the List) recently used MAQS on hives with high
mite levels, yet saw mites still alive after treatment. I do not know
whether the male mites were killed, which would have a delayed effect. I am
interested in hearing his report a month or so from now.

Randy Oliver

there are other posts available icluding Jeremy.


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## HarryVanderpool

There is a certain type of drone cell that the vapor does not penetrate.
If you have nice white burr comb between the brood boxes that contain drone brood, or brand new drone cells at the bottom of your frames, the vapor seems to kill all of the mites in those cells.
But is you have old frames that have patches of old drone cells, the vapor DOES NOT penetrate and kill mites in those cells.
Therefore, the condition of your frames can have a large impact on the "re-seeding" of varroa in your hives.
Also, let me toss this little salvo out into the discussion:
I think the "killing the male mite" bit is nothing but a distraction.
But I don't want to get ahead of myself. Some very interesting details to follow!


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## PappyMAINEiac

*Morning Day [email protected]* 12 dead bees on board and 8 pupa. Active this morning... they look happier than I have seen them in the past weeks. HEAVY mite kill on the BB. Easily in the 1000's. *Weather* 66 Deg and overcast


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## PappyMAINEiac

*Evening day 2* 3 dead bees and 2 pupa. mite drop has slowed. Lots of orientation flights *Weather * 74 Deg and sunny


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## PappyMAINEiac

*Morning day 3* 1 dead bee. 2 pupa *Weather * sunny 69 Deg


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## HarryVanderpool

Your treatment period is done.
The mites that drop for the next 10 days are dead ones that emerging bees drag out of the cells.


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## nativesong

PappyMAINEiac said:


> *Morning day 3* 1 dead bee. 2 pupa *Weather * sunny 69 Deg


 Sounds like the cooler weather worked in your benefit pappy! I bet if had been warmer, you would have seen a lot more dead bees. I think the MAQS temp ranges are off. I have not tried the cooler end of the spectrum, but the max temps for the treatment should not exceed 75 degrees with better results below 70 degrees. The patty seems to release too much formic acid fumes when above that range. Just my opinion....


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## PappyMAINEiac

nativesong said:


> Sounds like the cooler weather worked in your benefit pappy! I bet if had been warmer, you would have seen a lot more dead bees. I think the MAQS temp ranges are off. I have not tried the cooler end of the spectrum, but the max temps for the treatment should not exceed 75 degrees with better results below 70 degrees. The patty seems to release too much formic acid fumes when above that range. Just my opinion....


I agree. I think the cool temps and rain keeping them in with the strips seems to have had a bonus effect of not killing alot of bees. Well under 100 total. I can't wait to change the BB for a nice clean one.


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## EastSideBuzz

nativesong said:


> You won't find me sniffing formic acid pads any time in the near future (and I don't recommend that anyone sniffs caustic chemicals, EVER)...


I say that also. but, I put the left over formic I mixed up last year in a mason jar and did not label it. Opened it to see if the SW has spoiled and why there was a jar of SW in my cabnet and sniffed. WHOOOOOO was that an eye opener. Pretty glad I did not pour it into the larger SW and put it on top of the hives as feed. Teach me to not label things.

Also what about pulling the queens and banking them during the treatment so none die. Then re-introduce her. For small operations that would work just fine. For me 100 hives or people with more that might not work so easily.


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## susanhall

Question: I just treated my hive (2 deeps) with Mite-away quick strips. The temp. when I put them in was in the upper 60's. A large bundle of bees did not return to the hive and are just hanging on the honey super. They stayed out all night (probably got down in low 50's upper 40's) and this morning it is lightly raining. They are still there. Is this typical?


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## Keth Comollo

susanhall said:


> They are still there. Is this typical?


Yep. They will go back in after about 24 hours.


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## susanhall

Thanks. I didn't see this last year so got a bit worried.


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## throrope

This is my first year with MAQS. I used Nod's pads in the past with good results. From a sugar roll test, one of my hives was choked with mites. The next test a couple weeks later revealed a count of six or tolerably on the low side from what I read.

Since the bees regulate hive temperature, I look for seasonal temperature below their "thermostat" but above initiating cluster or similar slowdown.

I also feel varroa is about control, not elimination and the best defense against them and all other invaders is strong healthy colonies.

I say colonies after recently losing all but one strong hive out of five. I bought packages to build up, but they both failed. The survivor went bonkers. I suspect I intercepted a swarm when I made two splits from four queen cells. Those three hives gave me two more this year via an early split and massive swarm. I'll make splits again next year, but five hives are as much as I desire.


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## snl

throrope said:


> I also feel varroa is about control, not elimination and the best defense against them and all other invaders is strong healthy colonies.


Control.......yes. As to the best defense against them is a strong, healthy colony? That's maybe true of some invaders (but not always) but from my personal experience, not true about mites.


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