Formic Pro time?
Formic Pro time?
Looking at the temperature forecast next week (below 85 degrees), it's definitely time for me to think about treating my colonies with Formic Pro. I've always done the 2-strip, 14-day treatment, but would love to hear the pros and cons of doing that vs. the 1-strip, 10-day (x2) treatment option.
Re: Formic Pro time?
I think the half treatment lessens the chance of queen issues--I understand that weak queens may not survive Formic Pro, especially the full treatment. I also am tempted to get full treatments on my hives with this "cool" stretch coming up. I am willing to risk losing weak queens and combining queenless hives for over wintering. Whether I use full or half treatments, I always check for queen status for a good period following Formic Pro treatments. It is still my "go to" mite treatment of choice. I can always follow up with OAV as a supplemental treatment and again around the winter solstice.
Re: Formic Pro time?
I took advantage of yesterday's weather to get Formic Pro on my hives in Brown Summit and at the Arboretum. I will evaluate and treat (if needed) some of my house hives in the near future, but 4-5 of my strongest hives at the house will get multiple OAV applications instead. I am trying to use them as comb builders and am not supposed to feed during Formic Pro treatments. Also, I don't want to stop what progress I have made getting these hives to pull wax.
Re: Formic Pro time?
So in my opinion here are a few of the CONS to doing the 1-strip, 10-day (x2) treatment option:
1. Not only do you have to find one, 3-day temp period of less than 85 degrees, but you have to find two of these periods - typically in August! This time it looks like we'll get lucky with only a few days in between the two treatments, but in the future I could see where we could be in the 90s for who-knows how long...
2. With either option, you're not supposed to feed. Again, this is typically done in August around here when we are in a dearth and I would like to be feeding. Instead of only 14 days of no feeding, you're faced with 20+ days of no feeding.
3. With this option, you have to break open and access the lower box of each hive one extra time in order to replace the strip. And right now these girls are not usually very cordial about that...
What does everyone else think?
1. Not only do you have to find one, 3-day temp period of less than 85 degrees, but you have to find two of these periods - typically in August! This time it looks like we'll get lucky with only a few days in between the two treatments, but in the future I could see where we could be in the 90s for who-knows how long...
2. With either option, you're not supposed to feed. Again, this is typically done in August around here when we are in a dearth and I would like to be feeding. Instead of only 14 days of no feeding, you're faced with 20+ days of no feeding.
3. With this option, you have to break open and access the lower box of each hive one extra time in order to replace the strip. And right now these girls are not usually very cordial about that...
What does everyone else think?
Re: Formic Pro time?
I agree with you--as long as the hive is strong enough to take a full treatment. If I can get it done early enough in August, there is still time to make sure the queen is still there, the mite count is where it needs to be, or that time/temperatures are right to easily do a combine if that is needed.