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Subject:
From:
Karla Eisen <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Mon, 26 Aug 2013 11:28:35 -0400
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Many thanks for your post and information.  My sample is small, but perhaps interesting.

Weather during treatment was unusual for Virginia- mid to low 80's for the week of treatment which was a big reason I decided to treat when I did and with MAQS. 

I sampled in late July using alcohol shaker/300 bees.  Out of about 20 colonies, 2 of the colonies had counts over 20, one over 15.  I treated all colonies. (which are 2D1M) with 2 MAQS pads. Most were under 1 year old pads.  I sampled these same 3 that had the high count yesterday (about one month post treatment) and found 6-7 mite count.  Decided that was not going to bode well for the future and treated them again with something else.

I have not finished checking the other colonies except for a few.  Colonies that in late July tested 10 and under mites in the alcohol shaker had 0-2 mites yesterday.  

My conclusion is that MAQS has worked well in the colonies with "reasonable" mite loads.  In the ones with "whopping" (for lack of a better scientific term) the treatment was not enough and a 2nd one I thought was advised.

Not exactly rocket science, but still new information to me.  After seeing high mite loads this Spring, I have had to rethink my treatment strategy and hence the post treatment checks.

I find your post on the theory of high temps causing the formic to vaporize too quickly interesting and I wonder if that really could be true.  Makes sense to me.
  

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