On Sat, May 11, 2013 at 11:22 AM, allen <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

>
> Miteaway pads were based on a home-made method developed in Europe, then
> adapted in Ontario by Medhat and David -- as I recall.  David
> manufactured pads commercially under the Miteaway name.
>
>  Now that Allen mentioned David's name, I thought I'd quickly add to this.
Yes he did have many problems and those he outlined as guest speaker here
in Ontario at a summer OBA meeting during his launch and testing. One of
the key points I guess a selling feature was that they were made of
dissacharides, i.e. sugar based so that the bees could easily destroy them
and they were "environmentally" friendly.  He told us that due to time
constraints he wouldn't talk about the chemistry.  I did however corner him
and he divulged that it was now 45% formic .  Another, what I call a
gimmick was that by using these the male varroa which remains in the cells
and has a vulnerable soft shell would be targeted.
As if the 65% as Allen noted   to wouldn't have.
As the losses here also add up, some of my predictions came true.
I'm trying to find the bulletin our Tech transfer team on behalf of David's
company frantically, sent out last fall.  In that it outlined that two
treaments were imperative in that one would only give an efficacy of 65% or
something like that  and to hit the preferred 95%  two would be suggested.
So now one had to spend twice the money to get results.
I responded by stating that many would be misled, not following directions
and to quote a friend of mine would  "simply throw them in and walk away"
.   His losses were 60% plus
and after surveying those who are knocking on the door for nucs, alot of
them did the same thing.
I gave up on formic a couple of years ago and went straight for apivar.
The strip does the trick quite nicely  if used in spring and fall.Nice
thing to date - no resistance.  No concerns about queen loss, brood loss
especially in the fall when winter bees are most important.

Walter
littlewolfapiaries.com

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