This will be my third year using Formic Pro, and I love it. You can drop it in with the supers in place. I do one month on, one month off, between may and September . After that, it is one round of apivar in October, three rounds of oxalic acid in November and a check up in late December and then another round if needed. After my losses from 4 years ago I found more treatment is better than less. I pinched a few pennies and then paid for it big time. Now I stick to my treatment regiment.
I had 100 percent survival with formic over winter. Its harsh on failing queens is what I seem to gather. Just follow the label and the temp guidelines and box requirements and it works great
I used it for the first time this spring. No issues at all with any of the hives. Small sample size compared to you, but 100% survived and no lost queens.
Formic pro works great for me the last couple of years. Give them plenty of ventilation and space to hang out. I add a box as I treat and have good results keeping queens
Two pads is too much at one time. I lost a lot of queens using two pads at once. I switched to the one pad method followed with oxcalic acid treatments in the fall. So far, three years, it’s been working well. I hope you have great success with the two pads.
I have used Formic Pro 2 pads for several years now. Just make sure the first 3 days the temperature is below 27C (80F) and give them some ventilation. I only treat my bees in the fall and only loss 1 or 2 queens in 18 hives. I had 100% survival last winter.
In Europe it is forbidden to harvest honey in the same year in which formic acid has been used! Moreover, these formic pro stripes can have a devestating effect on colonies if applied between brood boxes.
Formic acid should not be administered simultaneously with liquid feeding because the feed raises the humidity in the hive, which counteracts the effect of the formic acid.
We are having similar weather down here in SE Mich. Rain, rain, and more rain. Coldest summer I remember ever having. I’m interested to see how the formic does for ya. Since we are now treating all of our production hives I’m debating on using Formic this fall. My only concern is timing it accordingly so that the brood loss doesn’t negatively impact their winter cluster size and ability to store syrup. Hmmmmm, great video! Keep em coming 👏🏼♥️
We are going to use formic acid this year too, our technician suggested two pads, the second one to be put 48/72 hrs after the first one. But honestly it’s the first time for us, we’ll see how it goes
I've been using Formic for years. Not seen much of a problem using 2 pads unless we are near the upper temperature limit (85F). Egg laying stops for a few days and some open brood is lost but they do bounce back with a bang. (BTW it is reccomended not to feed when using it) Last year was the first year I suspected the product did not work as well as normal....three weeks after treatment I had mite levels of 15+ in several hives! I'll still be using it this year. Its impressive to see how much grass in front of the hives gets burnt away by the acid fumes!
@@aCanadianBeekeepersBlog I had not seen it but the manufacturer told me that they see a higher winter loss if fed during treatment , for unspecified reasons. Wether it is significant or not I don't know.
Ian, i treat my bees with liquid Form. Acid just before I store them for winter - Mid September, when the high temp. is below 15C. I treat with 12 cc. Form. Acid 60% on a cardboard 20x20 on the top of the hive, or 5 sheats if newspaper, cover it with plast sheat for 2-3 days. The next 7-10 days, the quin will reduce her Egg Laying, but the results are good, & treatment is VERY cheap!! Otherwise, I feed the bees for winter & spring with syrup, add 20-30 drops of Tee Tree oil for a galon for Vorroa & Nosima, I use the Oxalic Acid strips as well. Waiting for the season to start in Canada, here in Denmark, we are in mid season right now.
My experience with formic pro and Mite Away Quick strips (more formic) is that the queen either stops laying for a short period or the very youngest brood is compromised. The Good News is that the bees bounce right back and are stronger than before so the little loss of new or newish eggs and larvae is worth the "break" loss of brood. Minding the temps is important... first few days temps are most critical has been my experience in York County, Pennsylvania USA. Look forward to hearing about your results.
I would put patties on top box frames. I like formic in august, I also used it the first time this spring, my hives were packed and I didnt make enough splits and had everything swarm. It’s great you just made yer splits
I use Formic Pro. I have used this for several years when the honey supers are on. I use a one inch spacer for better air flow, especially if I am the end of the temperature range. Some beeks in my club have sworn off of it because they have lost a queen or a lot of brood. I have not had a problem with the spacer.
I have always used 2 pads and followed the recommended 50-80 degree F and never lost a queen over past 5 years. Gotta follow the temp exactly, kills mites dead!
@@aCanadianBeekeepersBlog well not with formic pro but with the mite away quick strips. It’s been several years ago and it was later summer. It may have been temps were too warm. I believe I was within in range for temps but would have been high side. You should have cooler temps so hopefully it will be ok. And I did the two pads at once.
I am a fairly new beekeeper talking to one with many years' experience, but I would venture to recommend that you take your weaker hives and switch locations with the strongest ones. It is a stupid simple technique, but it works. No need to move frames to equalize. Might save you a little time and frustration.
I have been using the MAQS for over 10 years now. The only thing is the bees often will make emergency queen cells. Then they will use them crap cells to replace their queen. I like to go back in and kill those cells on day 7. I was scared too because people talk trash about it. I’ve made replacement queens ready and never needed them. I don’t think I’ve lost any queens because of the treatment. Killing the cells is important for that. I don’t like to use the formic pro because it takes longer and I can’t kill the cells timely enough like with MAQS. Though I have used the formic pro and didn’t have any problems they made less emergency cells because it’s not as strong. They are extremely sensitive to robbing because the formic hides the pheromones, they don’t know who is who. During flow is good. Otherwise be careful if you’re feeding. Instructions say not to feed and that’s why. The 2 pads at once is my method less time for them making emergency cells. Not all colonies make cells anyway
You’ll probably note a huge bee drop & some brood kill using 2 pads vs 1. Another thing I’ve noticed using FP in the spring is it really knocks back the swarming. Always critical to check the queens after treatment, especially if it gets too hot. Better have Carrie brew up a batch of cells just in case. I’ll never use Apivar again after an 83% loss one year. Hell of a lot cheaper to replace a queen & get back in production than to buy nucs & packages and start over.
Only tried oxalic acid we've got Africanized bees very good in the grooming and we use drone trapping for mite control I think formic acid should be one of the best control methods you are using bee venom to kill mites right thru the cappings
I use formic in the fall then OA the rest of the year, I have never so far had any problems with queens. The apiary inspector checked every one of my hives 0 mites 0 AFB and 0 EFB
Not sure how your breathing while handling the pro. When I applied it I damn near lost a lung taking the pads out of the wrapper. Has the product changed or do you have dry pads? I used 1 pad per 1 brood box, followed by another pad 5 days later for 2 pad total and had awesome bees and drop but they boiled out of my box after applying 1 pad. I'm worried your pads are dry?
I’m curious to see how the bees respond to no ventilation at the top with two strips, they move copious amounts of air ,time will tell! Personally I use Formic in June and august and apivar November and February northeast Pennsylvania! Thank you for the videos!
Have been using Formic Pro for several years now. I use single box management so we only use 1 strip at a time. Knowck down the mites very well. As long as you strictly follow the temp guidelines your queens should be fine.
@@aCanadianBeekeepersBlog I dont feed at the same time. That being said, we only use Formic pro in the summer while the honey supers are on, not in the spring during our buildup. That is one of the reasons we like it. We are in central wisconsin so temps are usually not an issue. We will put Formic Pro on in about a week. Just after the black locust flow and before the basswood.
Ian, your temps are good, its when you get close to 27 C with high humidity is when i get worried. Also with two strips you will get a better mite kill under the capping's , that information I received from DR Samuel Ramsey. Also Ian, just remember that Formic Acid main purpose is to kill the mites under the capping's where 80% of the mite are in the hive.
We had an EAS Master beekeeper speak at our monthly meeting last month and he said he learned from a large commercial operation in the south US where it's very hot, that they freeze the Formic before applying. Said they get zero queen kills that way
Formic recommends no internal feeding during treatment. 2 strips will give you a concentration high enough to penetrate the brood cappings. Make sure to protect your lungs. Good luck, I like formic acid and I think you will too.
Formic pro isn't nearly as scary of product on hot days compared to the oldschool dipped pads. safer for you and the bees. though I am still of the opinion that the 1pad/2 round method with 2 stories hives is my preference I'm very interested to hear what you think after this round!
Your Formic Pro will eat away at your "foamies". I learned this the hard way a few years ago. Also I thought it wasn't recommended to feed during treatment? Anyway good luck. I have been using Formic Pro for a few years after the old Formic formula. If the temps get high, you might have some queen losses....
Hey Ian, how do your feed pails look ? Mind you we in Duck Bay have faced a lot coolertempuretures. I solved my black mold problem with 20ppm i’ve hydrogen peroxide. I’m on week five of the last batch that I mixed here at home and again I’ve got it in the hummingbird feeders clear plastic and no signs of mold. We’re looking at one of those 475 mL from the drugstore at 3% to treat one of those totes, anyhow if you go to the drugstore and get sodium hydroxide, I’ll share a link for the strips so you can get the proper parts per million hydrogen peroxide
Have you ever had a problem with your feed buckets not releasing the syrup. I tried your method and came back after feeding and the bees didn’t / weren’t able to drink the syrup ?? Thoughts
NOD has informative utube videos about formic pro, one strip verses two, needed ventilation, and size of colony. I noticed some of the comments were counter to their recommendations
The weather was not nice for us either . Last week my hives had too much pollen and were crowding the brood and yesterday they had eaten most of it . They flew for 2 hrs today .😢.we need a few days of heat .
Formic acid in my opinion is a terrible treatment doesn’t kill mites and put the bees under terrific stress. I think it’s overmarketed the advert is better than the product. I would be surprised if you’ve got any mites with your oxalic acid in the autumn and strips, in the spring, where your mites come from seems an unnecessary expense and have you checked? Have you got? Any mites How will you know if it’s worked? when I complained about it not working they gave me a load. I just burnt it but I always enjoy watching you interesting at what you’re doing in Canada. enjoy your beekeeping Don’t get too tired. there’s always another day.❤❤❤❤❤.✅
Instructions states; Do not feed sugar syrup, pollen supplement, or anything else during treatment. Front should have 1/2 inches front entrance. Can't wait for the follow-up.
“Ensure Ventilation Remove entrance reducers. Bottom board entrances must be full width of the hive, minimum height ½ inch or 1.3 cm and fully open for entire treatment. If colonies have permanently reduced entrances, set back the upper brood box by ½ inch or 1.3 cm, or insert wedges between the bottom box and the bottom board to create a full entrance. Close off screen bottom boards for maximum efficacy. Do not consider open screen bottom boards as ‘ventilation’; bees draw in air through the bottom entrance to ventilate the colony.” nodglobal.com/formic-pro-application/
If you could handle the Formic Pro without holding your breath or wearing an organic vapor mask, then it isn’t very good. Last years batch, the paper was dry and there was no real scent to the Formic Pro. It performed terribly. I saw my mite counts rise after treatment. I believe that Formic acid is a good treatment but I am switching to MAQS.
Stating the obvious but just to make sure, the single strip requires the second strip installed in 10 days I think? Where as 2 strips is once and done. Bees look good Ian, quick question on the three nucs ganged together. Did they need top entrances?
What happened that you guys missed your flow? If I remember from years past, your flow is short but really stout and you guys would grab barrels of honey? Also those are some hungry bees to be on that patty, right next to those strips because those strips are potent! But work well 🤘🏼
Jusg my obervation on 3k hives, not a good idea to feed syrup with formic pro. The humidity in the hive will dilute that formic. Still kills mites but not as strong.
I tried Formic on a couple of colonies last year and they did fine. Question, my wife the chemist told me I had to wear this organic vapor respirator, pain in the but under a vail. Her reasoning was formic will take your breathe away if you inhale it enough. No respirators on you guys, how was it? If I could get away with no repirator and just stay upwind, that would be sooo much easier!
@@aCanadianBeekeepersBlog years ago, before Formic Pro, they had another product that looked like a large pad. That stuff would take your breath away! I smelled it through the respirator (I wasn't clean shaven). I never even got a whiff of this new stuff though. I think it's slower release and therefore doesn't "flash" as bad.
@@aCanadianBeekeepersBlog I've only been at this for 14 years or so, 50-60 colonies. I'm in NJ so since it's close, I wanted to try it for the first time.
@@aCanadianBeekeepersBlog I tried styrofoam. The bees turned them into dust. Lol. I’ve seen straw used. Thinking of going that route. If I can find some, might try bamboo as well. Thanks for responding.
@@aCanadianBeekeepersBlog You said "the flow is over". What do you mean? The bees are taking syrup, and eating pollen patties. You don't have enough resources up there?
Just the drags out there now until the summer flow hits. We actually came across a yard today staved out. We had though they were on an earlier flow but I guess we misread it and didn’t get back to them soon enough,
Formic works great , it's our back up where Oxalic strips aren't working well. You will need to restaple your floors after a couple of seasons as the formic eats the staples and most likely your clips . We have had to do all our floors as the cleats were falling off
Why not oxalic acid towels. Throw them in there every few days it will keep the count way down fraction of the cost no harm to the bees. No harm to the wax line apivar ether. Formic is to hard on the bees and queens your doing all this work to make good queens and buy good queens then you throw that harsh acid into the hives. Your after longivity in your queens then eliminate that with using the formic. Bad idea. Trust me on this just you need to use the shop towels, vegetable glycerin and oxalic acid. Even the apivar replace both formic of those treatment with the shop towels you’ll save thousands with wayyyyyyyyyy better results and your colonies and queens will thank you.
Our authorities have been looking around and inspecting operations for off label treatments, including Oxalic extended treatments. Punishable by law. It’s total BS but I can’t do anything about it
That’s to bad it really works I’ve tried both apivar and formic. They are junk compared the towels. Yes a bit more work and it makes a slight mess but when it comes down to what works and what Dosnt there is no comparison. Really needs to be changed over in BC I just told them this what I’m using this is what works they checked the hives and said okay. All the guys I know who are using it went from huge winter loss to 90 or higher winter survival. It is the way.
Hay Ean. Please Your not suppose to feed while using formic acid!! The instruction say this as well I'm sure Please watch Bruce's Bees as he interviews the man from NOD and he explains it specifically. Just watvhinbb go this and needed to tel you not to feed. Please watch
man you spend a ton of cash on your bees? I don't know how you make any money keeping bees!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! In the states bulk honey is about 3$ a pound.................................
