Martha Kearney's varroa treatment ?

[Mossie]

Did anybody see Martha Kearney's second programme on beekeeping.

If so she treated her bees for Varroa with 'a new method' . I meant to record the programme but forgot . What was the treatment she used and has anybody used it and is it any good ?

 

[BigAshW]

Did anybody see Martha Kearney's second programme on beekeeping.

If so she treated her bees for Varroa with 'a new method' . I meant to record the programme but forgot . What was the treatment she used and has anybody used it and is it any good ?

Wasn't it MAQs strips??

 

[domino]

Yeah is was MAQs, I've used them and like them.

 

[MartinL]

MAQ?????
Thought it was formic acid in fondant??

Anyhow where is it sold, dose MC have shares?

 

[Hans wilson]

She used MAQS, Martha Also stated - " from egg to hatching for worker bee is 16 days" don,t think so, try 21days

 

[charlievictorbravo]

MAQ?????
Thought it was formic acid in fondant??

Anyhow where is it sold, dose MC have shares?

I don't think the product was named in the programme - it was just said that it was based on formic acid.

As for MK having shares in it, the programme was filmed in 2013 and the product was not named and was only readily available in the same year.

I don't think that Beeks are the target audience for this programme but I think anybody staffing a beekeeping association stall in any shows or fairs had better see the programmes because they seem to have sparked the interest of the general public and questions will be asked!

CVB

 

[itma]

MAQ?????
Thought it was formic acid in fondant??

Anyhow where is it sold, dose MC have shares?

Mite Away Quick Strips. MAQS.

Sold widely by bee equipment retailers.
I don't think she has any connection with the transatlantic creators of the product.
It was 'hot news' last year after it gained product approval following DEFRA testing. Lots of us gave it a try.


It is a reasonably safe (for the beekeeper) means of using a Formic Acid treatment.
Two benefits of Formic are that it kills mites in sealed brood cells, and - particularly usefully - that it can be used with honey crop supers on the hive without tainting the honey.

Its a promising treatment option, but needs to be approached with thought and caution (especially if you don't run wooden Langstroth hives with solid floors and holes in the crown board).
If you are interested in the stuff and people's experiences with it, search the forum for
MAQS
and you'll find plenty about it.

 

[Ruary]

What surprised me was the scarcity of dead mites when they examined their test board after treatment. The board went in with the treatment: bees had deformed wings so the mite load was heavy. The board was left for a week and yet they had to look for mites.

 

[Oscarmonster]

What surprised me was the scarcity of dead mites when they examined their test board after treatment. The board went in with the treatment: bees had deformed wings so the mite load was heavy. The board was left for a week and yet they had to look for mites.

My thoughts too. Maybe the bee with DWV was a plant.

 

[pargyle]

Come on guys ... this is TELEVISION .... it's not real. It was obviously scripted before the programme started to be filmed and the bees just have to fit in ... if they didn't have DWV in a bee ... get a stand in !!

The programme is probably doing beekeeping a lot of good from an exposure point of view - certainly a lot of my non-beekeeping contacts/friends have been watching it - but even at the level it is presented they are only getting a light application of what beekeeping is all about. I don't know about anyone else but the question I'm getting (this week) most is 'Is that thingy mite killing all your bees ?'.

 

[Swarm]

Come on guys ... this is TELEVISION .... it's not real. It was obviously scripted before the programme started to be filmed and the bees just have to fit in ... if they didn't have DWV in a bee ... get a stand in !!

The programme is probably doing beekeeping a lot of good from an exposure point of view - certainly a lot of my non-beekeeping contacts/friends have been watching it - but even at the level it is presented they are only getting a light application of what beekeeping is all about. I don't know about anyone else but the question I'm getting (this week) most is 'Is that thingy mite killing all your bees ?'.

I have to agree, I doubt the DWV victim was even in her hive, we just saw it on a comb.

 

[alanf]

... It was obviously scripted before the programme started to be filmed and the bees just have to fit in ..

Indeed. See the previous week when the "supers were being drawn from foundation", super frame visible in hand, cut to pan across cells, cut to close up of cell with an egg at the bottom. No doubt copied from footage made for some other purpose when they had the close up lens handy, maybe not even MKs hive.

 

[davnig]

there was also a shot where a glove miraculously appeared on close-up, then disappeared again - editing!

 

[Edwardking]

On the point of there being just a few dead mites on the inspection board - take a look at how it was removed from the hive - by lifting it out at almost 90 degrees most of the debris would have fallen off. If you want an accurate count then you have to be very careful when you remove the board to keep it level. Simples.

 

[theeggman]

A thin smear of cooking oil on the board stops anything falling off and stops the mites climbing back up to the bees.

 

[Erichalfbee]

On the point of there being just a few dead mites on the inspection board - take a look at how it was removed from the hive - by lifting it out at almost 90 degrees most of the debris would have fallen off. If you want an accurate count then you have to be very careful when you remove the board to keep it level. Simples.

No...you should be applying something sticky if you are doing a count...that way no ants etc will walk off with mites.
Sticky board can be waved about quite happily

 

[Ruary]

But if the hive was infected, then the board should have been covered in mites. Even if some dropped off due to bad handling there should hsve been hundreds if not thousands of them on the board. And what about hive debris: after a week.

 

[Tomo]

I use sticky (one side) A3 paper. Nothing gets off!
I got it from my brother in law who is in the paper trade, similar is available on-line.

 

[REDWOOD]

I think we are missing the best part in the program when they discovered the affects of insecticides, there must have been 100 people who have contacted me saying they were astonished of the effects which I replied Why, bees are insects, just goes to show joe public are never really interested unless they see it on TV, so as for the program being staged who cares as long as people watch it and learn, it's just a shame it wasn't broadcast on BBC1 to attract a wider audience.

 

[einsteinagogo]

I did not have a large fall of varroa last year in Sept after MAQS but had 360 after OA in Dec/Jan!

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