Regards Janet's 3 good questions I have only anecdotal evidence after a lot of use over 3 years. I have never seen any brood kill even on a small scale. I have seen no obvious harm to queens. There is ongoing debate on the mode of action and I'll leave it to higher authority. As to mid winter application. The condensing crystals need to coat the bees ( and attached mites ) and that happens very rapidly. There is no doubt some crystal transfer between bees as they move about but in a tight cluster there could be poor distribution. That said I would wait for a day warm enough for at least a little flight and a broken cluster. No pesticide is harmless but OAV is the least bad that I know of.

Gene >Recently I have been playing around with Formic Acid and wonder if anyone knows a way to avoid the very irritating fumes when you apply formic pads?

Before OAV I was mister formic. Mostly mite wipes but also MAQS and Mite away II. A couple of points. The fumes are heavier than air so keep all material below preferably at ground level. You will get a lot of caution about using a full face organic fumes mask. Not comfortable with a veil to me on a hot day. From professional work with some nasty adhesives I know that the manufacturers recommendation is to change cartridges at the first hint (taste or smell) of the fumes. Formic will let you know quickly if you are breathing any. For comfort with a veil on I use 3M 8577 Nuisance Level organic fume mask. Similar in size and comfort to a particle mask but with activated charcoal and a relief valve.  10 pack for around $40. Works fine for me, no hint of any fumes. 

Paul Hosticka
Dayton WA  

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