Just a couple of points.  We used to really stack up the big pails, but 
found that the pads didn't fill evenly.  Only putting 8 litres in the 
pail with 250 pads will guarantee that the formic is all soaked up 
before you start, but I can assure you that you will have varying amount 
in each.  The sheer weight squishes those on the bottom thinner and the 
top ones don't necessarily "get their feet wet" long enough to suck up 
the full amount (that's why we like to invert the pail).   We find that 
even though we start with what appears to be extra FA in the pail,there 
will only be a few mls there with the last pad.   Perhaps when using the 
small pails and the Dri-locs are placed on their ends you could get a 
fairly even distribution of smaller amounts (such as 30 ml), but not 
sure how you could truly it do that without dosing each individually.

"7 ml per day for 4 days" is an overall myth.  This is a "Flash 
Treatment" affected by conditions of weather, hive strength, humidity, 
etc. There is a high initial hit and it falls off quickly, which is why 
I think it doesn't create the hive damage other methods of applying FA 
do from time to time.  Here, especially in fall, with big colonies & low 
humidity the pads are virtually dry 12 hours later.  We first discovered 
this when we tried to go out the next day to remove those with too high 
a concentration.  We've checked other applications since and find that 
they're pretty well done in 24 hours.  Lots of times the bees have drug 
the pieces out the front in 48 hours.

We will pull the old one off if it still exists and replace it after 
going through the hive.  Often its presence is a sign of other issues in 
the colony.

You're right, it's not difficult to calculate how to cut FA, but with 
many things on ones mind and perhaps thinking that it was easy and 
didn't need one's full attention, we managed to not add enough water 
that one time.  Now all my crew has to do is measure out of the barrel 
the amount written on the pail.

Look forward to your reporting what you find.

Dave Tharle
T'N'T Apiaries
Ardmore, AB

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