It’s 77°F - this amount of bearding pretty typical after applying formic pro strips?
More than I have seen, but Formic acid is pretty nasty when it is warmer. What are the max temps mentioned on your package? I would consider taking them out if you have more hot weather coming. Formic acid can be pretty hard on the queen when it is summer.
High was 81 today, highest this coming week is 82. Package says “ideal” is 50-85 and do not apply if going to be over 92 for the first three days… I figured I had enough of a margin…
Then perhaps just watch and wait. If they don’t go back in at night, I would consider removing the strips. Thank you for the link to the product, it was very helpful.
They are usually out at night anyway… but I’ll keep watch and if it doesn’t seem to be decreasing I’ll pull them out.
On the topic of Varroa treatments, what oxalic acid vaporizers fit through the flow hive 2 entrance or can you just slide it in above the multifunction tray (with something to insulate it from the plastic)?
Yesterday afternoon, it got worse before it got better, then they had a little shower while out front…
Better this morning, decreased activity but still moving pollen… I can see them working the upper box frames from the observation window… Hopefully queen is ok and the rest didn’t abscond!

I don’t put mine through the entrance, I put it under the screen. I pull out the slider, and slide in a double sheet of roofing flashing which I have cut to size to fit. The 20 inch rolls of flashing that you can buy in Home Depot, Ace hardware etc are perfect for this. I cut double the width I need, then fold it in half to make it stiff enough. I leave the slider out, so that it doesn’t melt.
I have a piece of Thermoply (structural 1hr fire-rated sheathing) that should do the trick!
As a follow up, everything seemed to be back to normal as far as the regular washboarding, foraging, dead-bees-around the hive as of about 4 days after putting in the Formic Pro.
Noticed that the bits of the paper wrapper are appearing in the tray.
Number of dead mites on the tray has tapered down to only a dozen or so per day after being too many to count initially. I imagine the dead mites on the emerging bees will continue to drop for a few more days.
Have seen 3-4 dead SHB - are they also sensitive to formic acid?
Hotter this week so we’ll see if anything changes.
Nice to read the update, thank you for your effort.
It isn’t an accepted treatment for them. However I suspect that it is probably a surface area to volume ratio effect. Smaller critters will get a higher concentration than larger ones, so the smaller you are, the more likely it is that you will get a toxic dose.
FYI-
I looked in the hive 15 days after placing the formic pro - removed the remnants of the pads.
Queen looked good, egg, capped and uncapped brood, so if she stopped laying during the treatment it must have been for a max of 5 days or so. Bottom deep pretty much all pollen and brood, top box all honey and uncapped nectar.
Haven’t noticed any mites in the tray for several days now, I guess all the brood from during the treatment have emerged. Also haven’t seen any SHB. Maybe the bees went so bonkers during the treatment they really drive them all out.
Going to check after another couple weeks to make sure they are making progress on their honey now that we are into our fall Goldenrod flow.
Reading these Varroa threads is a horror story, I feel for you having to deal with it and hope it never gets here but it’s only a matter of time.
I never kept bees before Varroa so maybe I don’t know the difference but I do wish that I had to bother them less in order to make sure they’re healthy.
I’m busy enough with small hive beetles and nearby AFB outbreaks, don’t want Varroa too.
When you put your OAV wand under the screen do you find that a significant amount condensed on the screen itself? Or if this is even a problem since the bees will be walking all over it anyway…
I haven’t seen much on the screen, but as you say, if the bees walk on it, it is probably doing some good too.
One of my hives just got formic pro yesterday and today I found the queen on the ground “only mostly dead.” (Billy Crystal voice)
My plan was to wait until after 14 days have elapsed, inspect, and add a new mated queen. I’d be ok with letting them requeen themselves but the days are getting shorter and there aren’t a lot of drones around any more. Any consideration to requeening prior to the end of the treatment?
Thoughts??
I think 14 days sounds good, assuming that you are doing the 2 strip treatment. I don’t think I would re-queen before then, as formic acid is very hard on the queen’s malpighian tubules and you don’t want to damage a nice new queen…
Yes, that hive has two strips! Will plan for after the treatment is over.