Author Topic: Spring MAQS treatment (Read 7403 times)

Rurification · « **on:** March 17, 2016, 07:28:00 pm »

Seeing as I have a colony that made it through the winter this year, I'm determined to learn how to deal with and get ahead of varroa this year. I've been researching and studying a lot. I have a few questions:

1. After I do a sugar roll test for mites in a few weeks, I should treat if I see [HOW MANY?] mites [assuming 300 bees in a 1/2 cup sample]. I've seen all kinds of numbers from all kinds of sites. What are your opinions? How many mites from a sugar roll test?

2. If I need to treat, I can use MAQS per mfr instructions in April/May. Right?

3. Then I retest in Aug and retreat if I need to by mid Aug to get ahead of the winter mite population. Right?

And pray a lot. Cross fingers and toes. Rabbit's foot. 4 leaf clover, etc, etc, etc.

sterling · « **Reply #1 on:** March 17, 2016, 09:51:01 pm »

6 mites in a shake is 2% and many say that is the treatment threshold.

GSF · « **Reply #2 on:** March 17, 2016, 10:14:43 pm »

I only do mine in the fall with OA vaporizing. Seems like a lot of work with the strips. I'd rather close them up, vaporize, then walk away and be done with it. Are you sure they need it? I've read several different opinions on the threshold so I'm no good there either.

Rurification · « **Reply #3 on:** March 17, 2016, 11:15:12 pm »

sterling - I was leaning toward the n=6 also. Glad to have the verification.

GSF - I've tried the MAQS before and it was easy for me and they're easy to get around here. I'll keep the OA vaporization as an option for the future. I'm glad to know it works so well for you.

flyboy · « **Reply #4 on:** March 17, 2016, 11:29:53 pm »

What's a MAQ's

Dabbler · « **Reply #5 on:** March 18, 2016, 08:06:28 am »

Quote from: flyboy on March 17, 2016, 11:29:53 pm

What's a MAQ's

MiteAway Quick Strip. It is a formic acid based treatment.

indypartridge · « **Reply #6 on:** March 18, 2016, 08:32:10 am »

The treatment threshold recommended by Marla Spivak at Univ Minn is 10-12 per hundred.
Here's a link (which has a further link to a downloadable pdf on doing a sugar roll):
http://articles.extension.org/pages/22279/powder-sugar-roll-for-varroa-sampling

chux · « **Reply #7 on:** March 18, 2016, 09:11:39 am »

My first two years, I used a commercial beek treatment. Last year I used nothing for mites. Saw no real losses either way. A straight out blessing if you ask me. What to do this year? I really think I'm going to try the OA vaporizer. Seems like i hear folks talking about other treatments "creating a resistant mite." I haven't heard that claim with OA. It is supposed to kill 100% of the mites it comes into contact with. It is also cheaper, after the initial investment, which matters when you have several hives to treat. I plan on treating in the fall, but I may treat before that if I do a split to let the hive raise a new queen during the summer. I think you might want to reconsider using the MAQS. Is it going to be effective? If so, how long? I don't know.

Dabbler · « **Reply #8 on:** March 18, 2016, 09:20:47 am »

Robin,

Cornell University has a nice paper on Varroa mite monitoring:

http://pollinator.entomology.cornell.edu/disease-info-sheets/2015/9/29/varroa-mite-monitoring-treatment

Threshold (per paper) depends upon method of testing (PS vs ether roll, etc) and time of year

Rurification · « **Reply #9 on:** March 18, 2016, 09:29:08 am »

indy and dabbler - thanks for the extra links. very helpful.

BeeMaster2 · « **Reply #10 on:** March 18, 2016, 01:58:46 pm »

If someone near me wants a whole container of Miteaway II, I will gladly give it to you if you will pick it up. I cannot mail it.
Jim

tjc1 · « **Reply #11 on:** March 18, 2016, 08:53:32 pm »

Hey Jim - sounds like you are giving up on MAQS - care to share your thoughts/experiences/observations?

BeeMaster2 · « **Reply #12 on:** March 18, 2016, 10:26:18 pm »

After I received this container that my father in law recommended to get to kill SHB, I decided to do a test on one hive that had just died. I put one of the pads in that hive per the directions. I checked on it the next day and I had a hole dissolved in the screen top board and then took the hive apart and found a large hole in the screen bottom board.
The asid is very strong and it is not really designed for the Deep South. Outside temps have to bee much lower to use it than we normally have.
Jim

Troutdog · « **Reply #13 on:** March 20, 2016, 03:36:29 pm »

I worry about the maq strip. If you are still early in spring it up probably is too strong especially at the suggested doses. I would cut one strip in half and use that and see what my kill was. Formic is penetrating the capped brood which is why I like it better than oxalic, but early spring not a wise idea. With oxalic you should be retreating every 9 or so days doing three times. What some people are doing is using a liquid oxalic drip late winter 10_15 ml per frame, never did it so my advice here is merely a suggestion to look it up yourself. If I did treat with oxalyic I would use 1/2g max in vaporiser.

As per treating in the fall, I have stopped waiting till I see a problem and hit them after the honey is done. Usually by Aug 1 I am treating for mites. This way they have plenty of time to brood back up after a stiff dose of formic. Side note add lemongrass essential oil or honeybee healthy on separate towel to formic treatment, as this will reduce queen loss. I often remove queen if I see her prior to treatment. When I waited until Sept or later the winter bees were already infected and they were dead but they didn't know it yet. The formic flash is over in a few hours as opposed to maq. Formic flash can be done from top or bottom no need to open brood nest.
With organic acids best to err on the side of a lighter treatment.
Luck

so much to learn so little time

rookie2531 · « **Reply #14 on:** March 20, 2016, 07:43:01 pm »

I treat in the late summer. The mite drops confirm the mite load for me. I really don't have time to sugar test or alcohol wash every hive. After the second treatment, I know if the give was bad or not. I have 3 nucs that I did not treat, just as a little test. And so far they made it.

Oh and if anybody is interested in a quality made vaporizer at a reasonable price. Check this page
https://facebook.com/hives2honey

tjc1 · « **Reply #15 on:** March 20, 2016, 09:53:50 pm »

Quote from: Troutdog on March 20, 2016, 03:36:29 pm

The formic flash is over in a few hours as opposed to maq. Formic flash can be done from top or bottom no need to open brood nest.
With organic acids best to err on the side of a lighter treatment.
Luck

so much to learn so little time

I'm guessing that you meant 'oxalic flash' rather than formic.

Rurification · « **Reply #16 on:** March 21, 2016, 02:24:57 pm »

troutdog - where are you?

The tests/research done in my area does not indicate that spring is any more problematic than fall for MAQS treatment.

Daveopg · « **Reply #17 on:** May 14, 2019, 03:58:49 pm »

Sorry, I know this post is old but I thought it was important to add that it is NOT recommended to cut the MAQS in half or cut the paper wrapping on them in any way as this is what regulates the rate that the formic acid is released (just remove the plastic wrapper). I had one with a tear in the paper and had a high mortality rate. It is okay to give "half doses" as instructed on the label and is simply using one full strip rather than two strips. (One strip is all I use and find it works fine with less mortality rate to the bees) Also, I am not sure but using them past their expiry date may increase the speed the formic acid is released as well but I will have to do more testing but that seems to be a possibility with my experience. (although limited experience at this time)

2Sox · « **Reply #18 on:** May 16, 2019, 01:06:56 am »

After doing treatment free for years, and losing 80-100% of my hives every year, I had had enough. I always treat and I never test. I don't want to be snobbish, and I realize there is science behind doing mite counts but I feel it's not necessary and a time waster. The fact is, mites are always here and they WILL kill our hives if we don't do something to address it.

I do MAQS around Labor Day and again a month later. This sets them up for winter. I wrap with Bee Cozies. I had six go into winter and six come out. 100% survival and it was the first time I had experienced this.

This year, I started OAV treatments in spring and will continue into early summer. So I'll be using both this and MAQS. The tracheal mites have been wreaking havoc on my hives and I'll just keep on treating - without ever doing any testing. By the way, now that I have my hives here in my backyard set on concrete, I realized how bad the tracheal mites were getting at them when I saw twenty or thirty every day crawling along the ground. Never realized how bad it was when I had my operation upstate in the meadow because of all the grass, I never saw this behavior.

By the way, I feel MAQS is much easier and faster than OAV treatment. With OAV, the fastest I can go with each hive is not under 12 minutes. To make it go faster, I dip the hot vaporizer in cold water, wipe it down and it's ready for the next hive.

With MAQS, you can just plan on applying during your hive inspections.

CoolBees · « **Reply #19 on:** May 16, 2019, 01:03:15 pm »

2sox - I read how slow the various Vaporizers were. Time matters to me. So I went with this one from the start: https://oxavap.com/product/provap-110-sidelinercommercial-vaporizer/
It's quick - less than 2 mins per hive, including warm-up cycles. (less than 60 seconds per hive if your hives are lined up in a row).

Like you, I didn't treat - and don't want to. But 100% losses didn't work for me either. I am testing and monitoring mites. For the next few yrs, I'm going to be looking for traits and/or genetics that have hygienic properties to propogate. In the meantime, I'm keeping the pests at bay via treatments too.

Fwiw.

jalentour · « **Reply #20 on:** May 16, 2019, 02:19:11 pm »

Robin,
I am near your area and I like to pull the honey off in early July and start treatments. I use OA vapor.
Waiting much later doesn't give the hives time to recover by winter IMO.
I have had very bad luck waiting until fall to start treatment.
This year I plan on more brood breaks for several of my hives.

2Sox · « **Reply #21 on:** May 16, 2019, 04:47:19 pm »

Quote from: CoolBees on May 16, 2019, 01:03:15 pm

2sox - I read how slow the various Vaporizers were. Time matters to me. So I went with this one from the start: https://oxavap.com/product/provap-110-sidelinercommercial-vaporizer/
It's quick - less than 2 mins per hive, including warm-up cycles. (less than 60 seconds per hive if your hives are lined up in a row).

Like you, I didn't treat - and don't want to. But 100% losses didn't work for me either. I am testing and monitoring mites. For the next few yrs, I'm going to be looking for traits and/or genetics that have hygienic properties to propogate. In the meantime, I'm keeping the pests at bay via treatments too.

Fwiw.

That gadget above is certainly not pocket change! I bought mine on eBay for $65 and it works great. With a new battery I got, vaporization takes about 2.5 minutes and I leave it inside the hive for a total of 10. I guess I could go faster if I pulled it out after 2.5 minutes and prepped it for the next hive. I just have to have a bunch of rags for this. That would probably take treatment time for each hive down to about 5 or 6 minutes. That's tolerable.