Kirk Jones asked me off list:
One more thing......we thought that our formic may have lost some strength,
as it was pulled from a half barrel at harvest time. The guys didn't think
it was as strong according to smell.
What is the chemistry of formic? Does it lose strength if stored over the
winter and freezes? exposed to headspace or air? This question should be
posted to Bee-L.

Kirk, the Flinn Chemical catalog states for formic acid:
Shelf life: Poor; recent information suggests it ages poorly and may be and
explosion risk.  Avoid extended storage.

However, I was recently speaking with David Vanderdussen of Mitaway.  He
said that MitawayII pads stored for a few years still tested fine for formic
content.

Randy Oliver

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