Mite-Away Quick Strips-NEW Info on use!

[SmithN]

I received this e-mail from NOD Apiary Products and thought I would share it with you.

Hi fellow beekeepers:

I know you are all very interested in the Mite-Away Quick Strips. Some have mentioned how little information there is out there about it. Well, it's a brand new product, and not many have used it yet. Articles are in process of being written. One group HAS used it, however, and that's the beekeepers in Hawaii. Please see the link to a paper published by our good friends and fellow researchers at the University of Hawaii who have diligently tested MAQS on behalf of Hawaiian beekeepers and on our behalf here at NOD Apiary Products.

Varroa is spreading across the islands and MAQS is there just in time to help control the outbreak.
http://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/sustainag/n ... varroa.pdf



Bee well and bee happy!

Liz Corbett

NOD Apiary Products

[ski]

I attended a meeting tonight where Patrick Jones from the NCDA gave a talk on pesticides and pest control and included an update on the quick strips. The latest info as of today 1/20/2011 (a phone call was made to NOD from the NCDA) is:
The quick strips may be out mid to late 2011.

Yep another year slipping past us, maybe we will get to use them in 2012 or maybe not.

[ski]

The quick strips have been approved by the federal Government.

http://www.miteaway.com/html/what_s_the_buzz.php

[SmithN]

I discovered a short video on YouTube,
titled: Mite Away Quick Strip Application
Check it out!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nb6pjlAv ... rofilepage

[ski]

Found this om another web site

Blue Sky Bee Supply
We've sold MiteAway for years. We should have MAQS hitting our warehouse before or by 3/25. We'll update our website with it to take pre-orders within the week and will prepare to begin shipping.

Note approvals of where we'll be able to ship to.

Available Immediately to:
Hawaii
Illinois
Mississippi
Montana
North Carolina
Oregon
Washington

In Process (should be complete over the next 2 weeks):
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Florida
Georgia
Iowa
Kentucky
Louisiana
Michigan
Minnesota
New York
North Dakota
Ohio
Pennsylvania
South Carolina
South Dakota
Texas
Virginia
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming

[michelle]

Thanks for the information. I am a newbee and have to admit I had information overload during class. The mite-away quick strips do what? What are the advantages? I apologize in advance for any eye-rolling that may occur after reading my post

[Wally]

There will be no eye rolling here, Michelle. We are here to answer questions.

They are for varroa mites. You "shouldn't" need them before 2012. A mite count in the fall should show a low level infestation on first year bees.

[michelle]

Thanks for your help. I went back and looked it up in the Brushy Bee catalog. So, my first mite count should be this fall? Thanks for your help.

Michelle

[Wally]

Depends which check you use, how many beesare in the hive, when you check, ETC. By then you will have an idea of whether it is low or high. There is no magical number allowed. It is a sharp learning curve the first year, but you will make it fine.

Just don't worry too much and have fun.

Keep reading and asking as the summer rolls along.

[ski]

The link below covers some comments on the MAQS, one post is copied below. I have some but have not used them yet. Has anyone on this forum put them to use yet?

http://www.beesource.com/forums/showthr ... mite-count

Re: MAQS result on hi mite count
This is from this months WASBA newsletter.

MAQS has been in the marketplace in Hawaii for 18 month, and now parts of the US for 2
months. There has been a lot of interest and many phone calls. Here is a Top-10 Frequently
Asked Questions (FAQ) list for MAQS:

1) Subject: The paper wrap on the gel strip.
Q) I remove the outer plastic wrap, should I peel the inner paper wrap off of the of the gel?
A) The paper wrap stays on. It works as a wick to help control the vapour release.

2) Subject: Examining the colony and then treating.
Q) The label says to disturb the colony as little as possible at time of application. Can I do a full
colony exam and then treat immediately, or should I wait and come back and treat?
A) The bees need to have their affairs in order when treated. When running trials it was found
out that the colony assessments were best done 3 days in advance of the application. If the
colonies were taken apart, assessed, reassembled and then treated shortly after we saw some
absconding. It also increased the risk of queen loss. After an exam it would be best to wait at
least until the next day to apply MAQS.

3) Subject: Treating with honey supers on.
Q) Can I really treat with honey super on? Why does it not flavour the honey?
A) Formic acid naturally occurs in honey at levels ranging up to over 2,000 parts per million (ppm).
The formic acid concentration in hive air during MAQS treatment remains well below 100 ppm, so the levels in the honey do not go outside of naturally occurring levels.

4) Subject: Screen Bottom Boards
Q) Should I leave the Screen Bottom open or close it off?
A) There was only one trial run so far with screen bottom boards open, by Randy Oliver
(www.scientificbeekeeping.com). He published the results in the February 2011 issue of American Bee Journal.
There was a 4 to 5 % reduction in efficacy over a solid bottom board, however, both open screen and solid bottom boards saw over 90% drop in mite loads, so it is basically up to the beekeeper.

5) Subject: Additional entrances, cracks in the equipment.
Q) Should I close off all entrances except the fully open bottom board entrance?
A) The fully open bottom entrance should be seen as meeting the minimum ventilation need. Having additional entrances does not seem to affect the efficacy of the treatment. Adequate ventilation is critical with this product. For 2 brood chamber colonies some beekeepers slide back the second story to create a temporary full width entrance, and then slide the boxes back square sometime after the first 3 days.

6) Subject: Colony response - bees bearding on the hive.
Q) It looks like most of the bees in the hive are bearding out on hive. Is this normal?
A) It is normal for the bees to beard out for the first day, especially under warmer conditions. See the University of Hawaii photos in their report from 2009, found at: http://www.miteaway.com/V1-wright-varroa.pdf . There may be an increase in adult bee mortality in the first three days after application. Remember natural loss of bees occurs at about the same rate as egg-laying; with the formic treatment the bees may not be able to clean away the bees as quickly as usual.

7) Subject: Field bee activity.
Q) Will the bees continue to forage during the treatment?
A) Yes, the bees continue to forage.

Subject: Impact on brood - reducing dose?
Q) What is impact on the brood? Can I reduce the dose?
A) Studies have shown that reducing the dose reduces the effectiveness, and may still cause some brood damage.
What we know from trials conducted so far is that MAQS works best by the 2-strip dose. Any brood damage that occurs is quickly made up, the queen is laying throughout the cluster area by Day +7. There are often lots of eggs by Day+4 although they may be as far away from the strips as possible. Any damage is cleaned up by Day +7. The field bees can continue to get pollen through the whole treatment, so there are good protein reserves when all the larva need feeding. The next time that MAQS is used, even if it is months later, the bees somehow know how to cope better.

9) Subject: Moving bee hives during treatment.
Q) Can I move the bees during the 7-day treatment period?
A) The bees should not be disturbed during the treatment period.

10) Subject: Removing the strip residue after treatment.
Q) The bees chewed up some of the strip but did not remove it all. How do I dispose of the residue?
A) The residue from MAQS will simply compost over time. It can be handled the same way as any other organic yard-waste material.
http://davesbeeadventure.blogspot.com/
http://www.colonialhoneyfarm.webs.com