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Author Topic: No more fall maqs  (Read 6467 times)

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Offline Dunkel

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No more fall maqs
« on: March 16, 2015, 08:49:24 pm »
Just got back in checking the home hives.  Two of the five with maqs were queenless.  About the same percentage as last spring.  I chalked it up to old queens for the most part.  But these were all the same age.  Lots of honey left, I left partial supers on for insurance, that was the reason for the maqs on these hives.

 Dreading to check the hives in another area. I used them there also.  Ten were still alive but haven't dug into them. On the bright side the ones that make it usually are boomers, but no more for me late in the season.  Got to kick myself for being too lazy to remove the supers and treat and replace.  Oh well live and learn.  Bring on the drones! 
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Offline camero7

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Re: No more fall maqs
« Reply #1 on: March 17, 2015, 08:59:12 am »
Formic is very hard on queens. I only use it in the spring, if at all.
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Offline Jen

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Re: No more fall maqs
« Reply #2 on: March 17, 2015, 12:57:16 pm »
Oxalic Acid treatments don't harm anything in the hive but varroa and treacheal mites. Doing three treatments today, only takes me about 40 minutes including set up. Then I go inside and cook breakfast  :)
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Offline apisbees

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Re: No more fall maqs
« Reply #3 on: March 17, 2015, 09:49:33 pm »
That is true Jen as long as the formic vapor do not reach to high of an percentage. to cool and the formic treatments can be ineffective, to warm and you can get killed brood and dead queens. got a call from a new beekeepers and she was concerned about the rapid death of a large numbers of bees. investigated and found nearly all the bees in the hive were dead. after talking with her husband I learned that he had applied a formic treatment the 2nd of 3. after further question I discovered that he thought more acid would give a better treatment. I figured he was putting about 6 oz of formic in a treatment in the hive. The high temp for the day was about 10 deg warmer in the 90's than the previous week. It was almost a total kill of the hive. Formic is a great product but caution must be used with it's application keeping in mind dose and temperature.
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Offline iddee

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Re: No more fall maqs
« Reply #4 on: March 17, 2015, 09:56:05 pm »
Apis, jen is talking oxalic and you are talking formic. You're mixing my head up here.
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Offline Dunkel

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Re: No more fall maqs
« Reply #5 on: March 17, 2015, 10:10:28 pm »
Well thanks Jen I feel better now :P  Just kidding, things seem to get crazy hectic in the fall around here. Between calves round up and last cutting of hay I start getting mad when my buddies start showing pics of deer killed since our season starts in Sept..  With daylight dwindling its pretty tough to get everything in place for winter.

 Last year I broke over into the OA vaporizing but felt like I was making moonshine out in the open.  Explaining that to the guy I used to teach with would have ran into more time. Just found that 45-50 is the max hives I can handle myself, until I can retire.  Always sucks when you find your limitations.

Since it looks like it will approved and without the temperature restraints of others I can pace out the treatments and make adjustments this year.  MAQS still has a place but not so late they can't requeen before winter. 
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Offline Jen

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Re: No more fall maqs
« Reply #6 on: March 17, 2015, 10:31:19 pm »
"Well thanks Jen I feel better now   Just kidding,

      Pay back for my own snarkiness is completely excepted  ;) :) 
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Offline Dunkel

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Re: No more fall maqs
« Reply #7 on: March 18, 2015, 04:58:38 pm »
Jen I am as excited about OA as you are.  I am just going to have to get another vaporizer to speed up the process.  Temperature is the problem around here as far as formic.  By the time it gets cool enough to apply formic in the range I am comfortable with the bees are getting ready for winter.  I'd rather get them earlier to ensure healthier bees building up before winter..  I think that's where the OA will shine along with one before Christmas.

Since I have been fooling with bees the only thing constant or routine is that nothing has been constant or routine.  I guess that has been the thing that has held my attention along with all the different aspects of the subject.
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Offline Jen

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Re: No more fall maqs
« Reply #8 on: March 18, 2015, 07:04:16 pm »
Dunkel, how many hive do you have?
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Offline camero7

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Re: No more fall maqs
« Reply #9 on: March 19, 2015, 08:21:45 am »
I've been using OA vapor for 4 years now. I treat my production hives 4X, once a week for 4 weeks starting in August. I find it lowers the mite count to minimal and I get good healthy winter bees.
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Offline robo

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Re: No more fall maqs
« Reply #10 on: March 19, 2015, 01:54:37 pm »
Quote from: iddee on March 17, 2015, 09:56:05 pm
Apis, jen is talking oxalic and you are talking formic. You're mixing my head up here.

One caveat,  if you heat OA hot enough (I think above 350F-ish) it will create formic acid and carbon monoxide.  Someone check their CRC handbook on this C:-)

Also,  I would not say OA is harmless as those that use the dribble method warn about not doing more than once or twice(?) due to queen/brood rearing issues.

With all that said,  I think OA is the best option if you must treat.    Before I stopped treating,  OA was the only consistent method that worked for me.  Towards the end I would do just one spring treatment.   If I ever had the need to treat in the future,  OA vapor would be my choice.
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Offline Dunkel

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Re: No more fall maqs
« Reply #11 on: March 19, 2015, 05:46:50 pm »
Jen, looks like I'll be coming out of the winter with 40 or so.  I'm almost ready to get going again.  Drew a line in the sand last year at thirty. Oh well, females never listen to me.  On the bright side we've been covering reproduction in class.  Part of that has lead to assembling hive components, as in the birds and bees fame.  Amazing what 30, 13 and 14 year olds can get done to keep from picking up a pencil. Compare and contrast light honey and dark essay in the morning with biscuits :D 
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Offline GLOCK

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Re: No more fall maqs
« Reply #12 on: March 19, 2015, 06:58:22 pm »
OAV  is great the first year i treated 5 times and had drop's like this.

Treated one time this past fall and the worst drop looked like this.

So cheap to use. And easy on the bee's i am PRO OAV!

My bee's are much stronger and healthier  now . I have only lost 1 nuc since 3/14  and have 31 hives getting ready for spring.
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Offline Dunkel

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Re: No more fall maqs
« Reply #13 on: March 21, 2015, 09:09:53 am »
Glock, got to love pics like that.  I am looking forward to having some like that myself.

Glock what kind of vaporizer is that?
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Offline camero7

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Re: No more fall maqs
« Reply #14 on: March 21, 2015, 12:06:11 pm »
Looks like the ones I use, Heilyser from Canada. I've had good success with them. I do once a week for 4 weeks in August.
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Offline Jen

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Re: No more fall maqs
« Reply #15 on: March 21, 2015, 12:12:28 pm »
That looks like the Heileser Dunkel. That's the one I use as well. I love it!

Glock, what kind of board is that you use to catch the dead mites? and do you smear anything on it like veg oil, or vaseline? That's what I do  :)
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