Formic Pro™ test, an organic treatment against Varroa destructor in honey bees

Formic Pro is a treatment of varroosis caused by Varroa destructor in honey bees (Apis mellifera). It is produced by the Canadian company NOD Apiary. It was registered by the PMRA (Pest Management Regulatory Agency) in January 2019.

Homologation form on the Government of Canada website :

Active ingredient: formic acid 42.25%

According to the label, there are 2 different ways to use this product :

Treatment option # 1 (14 days)
- at the same time place the 2 Formic Pro strips on the top of the frames in brood box # 1
- normally close the hive
- leave the strips for 14 days

Treatment option # 2 (20 days)
- place a strip in the center on the top of the frames in brood box # 1
- normally close the hive
- replace the strip with a new one 10 days later

*** IMPORTANT NOTES ***
1- Always read carefully the label of your product before using it
2- This is not a scientific test
3- This video is not sponsored
4- All the values mentioned here and in the video, are the real values mesured
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METHODOLOGY

Step 1 – the choice of apiary
- we chose a small apiary composed of 7 colonies
- these colonies are medium to strong and have been producing honey since June
- all the queens are of the year (2019)
- no disease or special conditions noted during our inspections
- all these colonies are on a screened bottom

Step 2 - pre-treatment screening
- we did a first 48-hour screening between August 17th and 19th, 2019
- Daily Mite Drop (DMD) screening with sticky cardboard placed in the bottom drawers
- we count all the varroa that have fallen on the sticky cardboard and divide by 2 to have the DMD rate
- each colony is tested independently

Results of varroa screening test BEFORE treatment
Hive A = 1 varroa
Hive B = 7 varroas
Hive C = 20 varroas
Hive D = 9 varroas
Hive E = 135 varroas
Hive F = 5.5 varroas
Hive G = 6 varroas

Step 3 - the treatment
- after the screenings, we treated all the colonies of the apiary, in the same way and at the same time
- we used the treatment option # 1, 2 strips placed at the same time for 14 days

Step 4 - post-treatment screening
- we did a 48-hour DMD screening for each colony
- screening was done between September 5th and 7th, 2019

Results of Varroa Screening test AFTER Treatment
Hive A = 0 varroa
Hive B = 0 varroa
Hive C = 4 varroas
Hive D = 2 varroas
Hive E = 42 varroas
Hive F = 0 varroa
Hive G = 0 varroa

Step 5 - the results
A decrease in Daily Mite Drop was observed in all of our 7 colonies tested.
As mentioned before, this is not a scientific test and this is not a sponsored video, but overall Formic Pro seems to work well. Now we will use it on a larger scale in our colonies and see if Varroa destructor can be well controlled with this product in the long run.

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Artisans de la ruche - Official Website

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#formicpro #varroa #beekeeping

[johniac]

My understanding is that 2 strips are for the treatment of a maximum of 2 brood boxes. It looks like some of your hives had several supers. The increased volume would result in a lesser concentration of formic acid vapor and result in reduced efficacy. Lovely apiary, best wishes!

[JohnnyBeeee]

Excellent presentation. In my strong opinion, this IS a scientific experiment. Well done! (As for untreated controls, we can all be confident that untreated/matched colonies did not have their VM populations magically disappear). You’re a veterinarian, I’m a PhD Psychologist and your presentation is scientific enough for me!

[terrychestnut]

Wear a Face Respirator. I did not at first: The wind blew into my face, I got a breath of this Formic Acid--WHEW--Took my breath, lungs burned, head-dizzy. I then got my respiratory and used it! No problems afterwards. I also used STEP two, and I used my "food tongs" to handle the material, I also wore heavy latex type gloves. My hive went from a small "HUMMMM" to a MAZOR can't blame the bees this stuff is strong. I got a small beard and after about four hours of "buzzing" the bees went home. I was scared they would Swarm, they did not. Now a couple days later: When I walk in front of the Hive, I Hold My Breath. This stuff is powerful! Well-to my nose/lungs/respiratory system. Take a sniff, you'll wish you didn't.

[masterofnone]

Thank you, I just settled in on a plan to use formic pro and your testing is confirming my hopeful results. Well done and informative.

[conradlarrieu]

Great video thank you for all your efforts in testing this product

[brianbennett]

Did you lose any queen bees have you seen that ?

[robertwarren]

How many days did you wait after treatment to conduct post treatment analysis?

[Mintaphil]

Great presentation! Did you check the queens 1 month after treatment? Any queen or significant brood loss? Thank you!

[harrygthang]

When do you start the treatment? Late summer?