> >I have been told that what is used in the miteaway pads is a formic
> stearic
> solution.
>
Bob, it is proprietary, and I don't know for sure, but I believe that it is
a formate ester. I approached a chemist 20 years ago to see if I could come
up with essentially the same thing.
An ester is a compound made by combining an organic acid and an alcohol,
removing a molecule of water in the process. If you add water back, the
chemical may break back down to the original components.
As I understand it, Miteaway works in such a fashion--it absorbs moisture
from the hive, and slowly releases the formic acid that is formed.
Simple soaking in formic would not recharge that same way.
Randy Oliver
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