MAQ strip dosage

[Melbee]

I removed the MAQS strips from my two colonies yesterday. One colony seems fine - eggs, open brood. The second colony has lots of polished cells in the brood frames but I couldn't see eggs etc. hope things will settle down... Has anyone else had this? Any advice welcome
Thanks

 

[Black Comb]

a read through this is useful

http://www.maqs.co.uk/blog-before-you-treat/category/treatment

 

[enrico]

a read through this is useful

http://www.maqs.co.uk/blog-before-you-treat/category/treatment

But there is still no suggestion that anything but the two strips is the correct dosage
E

 

[Melbee]

a read through this is useful

http://www.maqs.co.uk/blog-before-you-treat/category/treatment

Thanks. I've read the comments and questions but there is very little about MAQS and effects on the queen. Like Enrico says, they also talk about using two strips during application.

 

[Black Comb]

But there is still no suggestion that anything but the two strips is the correct dosage
E

Exactly.

 

[irishguy]

Then someone should tell them to change the instructions! You can't put instructions on a box and then say 'oh but they are different for you!'
E

Is that right, you've a lot to learn about the real world. Companies lie all the time to get more sales or not so much lie, just change a few words here or there and bingo, more sales!

 

[nubee 61]

There seems to be all sorts of rumours going round. I stick to two strips as per instructions, varroa floor open and reduced entrance. Works for me
E

i put 2 strips on each of my hives yesterday as per instructions,but i also put the solid boards in under the OMF is this wrong
my first time using MAQS

 

[Pete D]

Hi nubee, general consensus is open floor and entrance.

 

[Dusty Rhodes]

Hi nubee, general consensus is open floor and entrance.

Agreed.

This is recommended on the MAQS 'blog'.

Dusty

 

[nubee 61]

thanks Pete,Dusty
i will go take them out this morning hope i havn,t over dosed them with fumes over night

 

[rolande]

Yes it does say 2 in the instructions but when maqs was doing its own research on how much to use, they did this in a dandant hive which is quite larger than a national

Dadant? I wonder why they would have chosen to use a dadant -I'd have imagined that such hives would be as scarce in Canada (even amongst the French) as they appear to be in the modern day US. Could the representatives have been referring to langstroth hives as made and supplied by the Dadant company these days?

Not a major issue at all, just curious to know whether they did choose to use a box which appears to be almost obsolete in that part of the world and if so, why?

 

[Melbee]

How do you monitor the varroa drop if there's no floor board - or am I missing something here...

 

[enrico]

You monitor before, to see what the drop is....then treat....and monitor afterwards if you want just to check! Hopefully there will be a difference!
E

 

[enrico]

Is that right, you've a lot to learn about the real world. Companies lie all the time to get more sales or not so much lie, just change a few words here or there and bingo, more sales!

I won't bite (too much)....but a bit uncalled for! I understand the complexities of sales figures, but basic instructions are rarely wrong, just a little warped. Like some(one)thing else I can think of!
E

 

[itma]

How do you monitor the varroa drop if there's no floor board - or am I missing something here...

The "kill" during treatment is not what matters.

What really does matter is the extent of the problem remaining AFTER treatment.
However, because the varroa population will have been skewed by almost any attempt at treatment, the drop immediately after treatment isn't a good guide.
Better to wait a few weeks (a whole bee brood cycle?) before drawing any conclusions. And to measure for several days, as the drop is still likely to be 'peaky' rather than steady.

 

[itma]

… but basic instructions are rarely wrong, just a little warped. …

One problem is that the instructions form part of the "approved" product.

Changing the instructions would require a new approval process.

AKAIK the UK approval testing was done at the NBU, where they use double-brood Nationals. But then, that's only the rumours that I've been told …

 

[Melbee]

The "kill" during treatment is not what matters.

What really does matter is the extent of the problem remaining AFTER treatment.
However, because the varroa population will have been skewed by almost any attempt at treatment, the drop immediately after treatment isn't a good guide.
Better to wait a few weeks (a whole bee brood cycle?) before drawing any conclusions. And to measure for several days, as the drop is still likely to be 'peaky' rather than steady.

There were very few mites before treatment but loads at the end. I kept the boards in over the 7 day period (kept the entrances wide - no wasps thankfully) and looked at them when I removed the strips. I gave up counting after I got to 70 on each board! Perhaps the boards should go back in again for a further week to monitor ongoing drop ? Thanks

 

[irishguy]

Dadant? I wonder why they would have chosen to use a dadant -I'd have imagined that such hives would be as scarce in Canada (even amongst the French) as they appear to be in the modern day US. Could the representatives have been referring to langstroth hives as made and supplied by the Dadant company these days?

Not a major issue at all, just curious to know whether they did choose to use a box which appears to be almost obsolete in that part of the world and if so, why?

I'm just saying what our association secretary was telling us at the meeting a few days ago. He was there chatting to the guys from maqs along with many beeks from UK.

 

[jd101k2000]

Just finished treating with MAQS on six hives. As per MAQS blog, I had open entrances, but 'solid floors', which I took to mean varroa boards IN. The treatment instructions say that you should have at least 7 frames of brood before treating, so my seventh colony did not get treated.

After treatment, 1 week, most of the colonies had no larvae but a few eggs (break of at least 4 days). two colonies had approx 2 day old larvae (so a break of 2 days). The final colony looked as if the MAQS had hardly stopped brood production at all.

Large varroa drops on all colonies (100+) with a couple looking like 500+.
All my colonies come originally from just 2 queens. It was noticeable that the daughters of one queen had less than half the varroa drop of the other. Not entirely scientific, but something to ponder on in the future.

 

[itma]

Just finished treating with MAQS on six hives. As per MAQS blog, I had open entrances, but 'solid floors', which I took to mean varroa boards IN. The treatment instructions say that you should have at least 7 frames of brood before treating, so my seventh colony did not get treated.

"Solid floors" means floors with a wood (not mesh) base. Which seems to be the standard US practice.

Your smaller colony should not be left unchecked and untreated. The proportion of varroa to bees matters, rather than simply the total number of varroa.