Chris:
Exosect has been available in the UK for some years but has never become
opular.
Peter: Could you possibly elaborate on that?
Chris :I guess that, being a small company, they haven't been as heavily into marketing as will be done now by Bayer. Look at their web site: google Agri-Nova technology. I notice that the discussion on BeeL describes the powder as being scattered over the frames; however the product as sold here includes a plastic tray upon which the powder is placed and inserted into the hive entrance. It is pictured on their site. Foam rubber has to be used to block off alternative entrances to ensure that bees entering the hive have to walk through the powder. It is important that the hive has a mesh floor so that groomed-off mites don't get back. Incidentally, I heard Jeff Pettis at a lecture some years ago say that you need a 2" gap between a mesh floor and any board beneath it. He discovered through experiment that if the gap was only half an inch all the living mites found their way back into the hive whereas with a 2" gap none did, with a gradual range between those distances. Looking at the Exosect leaflet of common questions and answers I see that the product bears the insignia of Organic Farmers and Growers certifying that it is approved for use in organic farming.
Chris
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