> Can you feed while treating?  I am using formic acid in drylock
 > pads every five days...

I can't see any reason why not. You can treat while nectar is coming in 
and I don't see any conflict, although I would be interested in any 
theories as to why not.

It seems that formic does not stay in the hive long or affect the honey 
in storage in any significant way.  It does absorb into open cells, but 
then evaporates out again in short order.  Some slight level of formic 
is found in honey from untreated hives as I understand it, anyhow.  Dean 
may have some further insights.

I did some formic treatments this year.  I placed two on either side of 
the top bars of the top box, 1/3 of the way from the back as Medhat has 
been recommending and noticed the pads had pretty well discharged their 
load 24 hours after applying. It is easy to tell.  The pads get dry.

The positioning of the pads and the ambient temperatures will affect the 
evaporation rate.I was careful to place the perforated side down, since 
I use a plastic pillow for inner cover and there is no airspace above 
it. The temperatures ranged from about 10 degrees C to 25 and I placed 
them near the end of the day so as not to cause too fast a release.  I 
have EPS boxes and I think that might accelerate the release rate as 
these hives are warmer than wood at night.

A warning to those using formic, be careful.  Formic burns don't hurt 
until later when the skin blisters and comes off. Have lots of clean 
water handy and flush any skin in contact with acid thoroughly. Using a 
little baking soda to ensure neutralizing is wise as well.  Momentary 
contact on sound skin like hands seems harmless if washed off promptly.

Also, protect your eyes.  They are very vulnerable to acid damage, far 
more so than the tough skin on hands.

Breathing the fumes is also unwise although the occasional whiff is 
pretty well unavoidable and IMO harmless as long as the fumes are not 
concentrated, like they are over an open pail of pads or if the pads are 
being made up indoors.  We always did that outdoors with a light breeze 
to prevent fume buildup in our workspace.  Cooling the pails of pads in 
a fridge overnight before use an reduce the fumes.

That said, using formic can be safe and effective as long as the proper 
precautions are taken and due care is taken to prevent tripping, 
splashing, spilling and other mishaps, and the proper procedures and 
materials to handle such events are pre-planned and at hand. Like 
gasoline, bleach, lye, pesticides, and other common but dangerous 
materials we handle daily, formic can be handled safely, but must be 
treated with respect.

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