Yep that is correct. I can't remember which follow up video it is (since this is an old one) but I do later mention that I made a mistake in feeding during the treatment.
Hey there So I did a formic pro treatment (2pads) on July 4 for 14 days like the instructions say but now what I am wondering is when can I use the other two pads? 30 days later? 60 days later? My mites are still a little bit higher than I'd like. Any ideas? 🤔
If you are still seeing a mite drop higher than you like I would at least wait 30 days till you re-treat with formic again. Doing the full dose treatment (14 days) that you did is a lot on the bees and I believe NOD advises to wait a full month before applying another treatment cycle. I hope it works but you are doing the right thing trying to knock those mites back right now and not later. Cheers!
The way I see it there was already plenty of ventilation in there with the entrance opened up a bit more, plus there is added ventilation from the top entrance (via the wooden shim). I usually keep Queen excluders on until the cold months when I remove them so the queen can move around with the cluster. Leaving an excluder on during the treatment process isn't going to affect ventilation whatsoever. Thanks for the watch!
@@drewbeesapiary5452 It is better to have the queen excluder off when treating so the queen came move if needed. Formic fumes sink. An upper will not help. But if it works for you, good luck.
@@daisyshoney6021 Hey I understand. I think a lot of beekeepers have different ways about doing things and I like to hear different options/opinions. Also I am going to leave a link to NOD's website regarding the application of Formic pro. nodglobal.com/formic-pro-application/ In there it mentions that regardless of the 14 or 20 day treatment it is acceptable to have queen excluders in place. Either way I will do a test with it next time to see! Thanks again!
Hi, I noticed you have an upper entrance in the spacer below your feeders. I would be concerned and have experienced extreme robbing with this method. I'm curious how this works for you. I use a little Hive Alive in my syrup that might make the difference. Thanks!
I think on my next visit out there I will most likely remove those. I do agree that its another entrance the bees have to defend to protect against robbing from the neighboring hives. It has done wonders for overcrowding and ventilation these past few months which is why I had them in place. I would only use one on a strong hive for this reason. If you notice my green hive does not have one as it is the weakest of the four in this yard and I know if I put one on there they would have difficulty defending it from robber bees. The other three hives are very robust and have done a good job keeping each other at bay from what I can tell. I have never used Hive alive syrup but I will look into it! Thank you!
The Formic Pro company says to NOT feed during treatment as there was a higher mortality rate seen in bees that were being fed with FP in the hive.
Yep that is correct. I can't remember which follow up video it is (since this is an old one) but I do later mention that I made a mistake in feeding during the treatment.
Hey there So I did a formic pro treatment (2pads) on July 4 for 14 days like the instructions say but now what I am wondering is when can I use the other two pads? 30 days later? 60 days later? My mites are still a little bit higher than I'd like. Any ideas? 🤔
If you are still seeing a mite drop higher than you like I would at least wait 30 days till you re-treat with formic again. Doing the full dose treatment (14 days) that you did is a lot on the bees and I believe NOD advises to wait a full month before applying another treatment cycle. I hope it works but you are doing the right thing trying to knock those mites back right now and not later. Cheers!
@@drewbeesapiary5452 ok good was thinking 5-6 weeks prolly.. Thx! Life would be great without varroa!
Why did you leave the Queen excluder on? With the entrance reducer on, will that give you enough venting for the Formic Pro requirement?
The way I see it there was already plenty of ventilation in there with the entrance opened up a bit more, plus there is added ventilation from the top entrance (via the wooden shim). I usually keep Queen excluders on until the cold months when I remove them so the queen can move around with the cluster. Leaving an excluder on during the treatment process isn't going to affect ventilation whatsoever. Thanks for the watch!
@@drewbeesapiary5452 It is better to have the queen excluder off when treating so the queen came move if needed. Formic fumes sink. An upper will not help. But if it works for you, good luck.
@@daisyshoney6021 Hey I understand. I think a lot of beekeepers have different ways about doing things and I like to hear different options/opinions. Also I am going to leave a link to NOD's website regarding the application of Formic pro. nodglobal.com/formic-pro-application/ In there it mentions that regardless of the 14 or 20 day treatment it is acceptable to have queen excluders in place. Either way I will do a test with it next time to see! Thanks again!
Hi, I noticed you have an upper entrance in the spacer below your feeders. I would be concerned and have experienced extreme robbing with this method. I'm curious how this works for you. I use a little Hive Alive in my syrup that might make the difference. Thanks!
I think on my next visit out there I will most likely remove those. I do agree that its another entrance the bees have to defend to protect against robbing from the neighboring hives. It has done wonders for overcrowding and ventilation these past few months which is why I had them in place. I would only use one on a strong hive for this reason. If you notice my green hive does not have one as it is the weakest of the four in this yard and I know if I put one on there they would have difficulty defending it from robber bees. The other three hives are very robust and have done a good job keeping each other at bay from what I can tell.
I have never used Hive alive syrup but I will look into it! Thank you!