Everything You Need To Know About Formic Acid
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Last week we covered the treatment free version of "Preparing Bee Hives For Winter - Varroa Mites & How/What To Treat". But that is not the only way to take care of varroa mites in your honey bee colonies. In this post I am going to cover all of the pro's and con's on EVERY treatment that is on the market. So that you walk away after reading this with a better understanding of how you want to take care of your hives and which option best fits you!
Getting your bee hives through winter successfully is one of the biggest obstacles a beekeeper faces. It is what seperates bee havers from beekeepers. HAHA! I love that saying too much. One of the defining factors in overwintering survival is whether your honey bees are going into the winter with a high or low mite load. You can test for this by doing an alcohol wash, or what I like to use a dawn dish soap wash. For more information on testing for mites check out this video!
So let's get straight into it!
Formic Acid (aka Mite Away Quick Strips or Formic Pro)
First and foremost this is my FAVORITE treatment to suggest to new beekeepers. And here is why...
- Formic Acid Pro’s
- Kills phoretic (mites found on the bee) and founderess mites (mites found in the cell). Meaning you only have to apply once verses applying multiple times over a 5 week period so that you hit all of the new emerging brood.
- Does not leave residues in wax or honey.
- Can use with honey supers on.
- An organic compound and found naturally in honey.
- Full dose is only a 10 day treatment. (If you would like to lower the concentration of the acid the bees will come in contact with you can also apply in two consecutive doses over a 20 day period. This is done by applying one pad for the first 10 days, then replacing that with the 2nd pad on the last 10 days.)
- Easy to apply, sold as pads for you to place on the lower brood box and will release gases over 10 days (the pads release the highest concentration of the acid in the first 3 days. Keep that in mind when applying as it is crucial that your outside temperature is under 85 degrees during those first 3 days.)
- Formic Acid Con’s
- It is harsh on the bees as it makes the hive very hot.
- The acid will sterilize the hive, killing the microbiome of the hive and in the bee's gut.
- Can burn/kill brood.
- Can cause the queen to die or the entire colony to abscond. (Absconding is a term we use when a hive completely abandons ship and leaves.)
- Can only use between the temps of 55-85. This makes it hard to use in the summer and in some climates.
- Expensive over time $90 for a pack of 10 doses.
How do I apply it?
Here are two of the pads placed on the lower brood box of a colony I was treating. Place one pad on a corner in the front, and another diagonally across at the back of the colony.
Now the IMPORTANT part of using formic acid pads is you MUST have good ventilation in you hive. Leave your lower entrance completely open. Do not leave any entrances reducers in, if you had them on then remove them for the treatment.
And, if you have an upper entrance or a shim with an upper entrance notched into the wood, I would recommend also putting that on the hive. Airflow is very important when using formic acid as...is it an acid. So, the bees will need to fan their wings to circulate in new air. These pads will really stink up the hive as you can see in the picture that the moment I placed the pads on the hives, the bees instantly tried to give them their distance.
Also a side note....DO NOT SMELL IT. It is recommended that you wear an air mask when applying formic acid to your colonies. It is very strong and the gasses that it releases are hazardous.