The use and efficacy of formic is a topic that keeps coming back like a
bad penny and each time formic is presented as something new due to some
new wrinkle in application method. Every time there are new people who
have no idea of the long and international history of formic in mite
control.
Formic was extensively and intensively investigated and employed as a
tracheal and varroa control in Europe long before North Americans found
a need to fight mites. All sorts of devices and methods have been
tried. The methods used in North America to date have been copied or
derived almost directly from European methods and devices.
A decade or so ago, Betterbee came up with a strip much like the MAQs in
concept, if not chemistry. It ultimately failed due to problems with
storage and application, if I recall.
In case we have forgotten already, the predecessor of MAQs, Mite Away
II, was presented as _the_ solution to varroa problems until suddenly
it was withdrawn from the market.
Some beekeepers used Mite Away II effectively, or thought they did, but
many others had variable results and serious losses while using it.
We must remember that some beekeepers are using _nothing_ for varroa
control and apparently having good survival, due to their local
circumstances, stock selection, luck, fraud, or lack of accurate
observation and reporting, so we have to look at the reports from formic
users with the same skepticism we use when evaluating treatment-free
reports.
Rob Currie and his crew have done a lot of work with formic and
presented the results across Canada over the years. We have watched
formic use over the years and have employed it ourselves. One of the
things that struck me in the early presentations was the reported loss
of production in hives, even if the mites were controlled. This problem
seemed elusive and showed up sometimes, but not always, so seems to be
weather or operator dependant. That is why I prefer oxalic or Apivar
and am cautious about formic.
Personally, I consider formic useful for tracheal control, but am
doubtful about it for serious varroa control.
The long and the short of it is that in spite of the fact that many
inventors have promoted formic as a harmless, simple method of control
-- if only their proprietary device is employed -- the fact remains that
formic is a caustic, touchy, unpredictable control chemical that can do
as much harm to the bees and production -- or beekeeper -- as it does to
the mites.
No amount of promotion or happy talk changes the fact that formic is
hard on bees and brood, and maybe the upfront cost is only a hint of the
total cost if potential unpredictable damage to colonies and production
are considered.
I'd like to see a test of MAQs vs. Apivar over a season or two. I'm
betting that Apivar is far more benign.
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