# My impresstions of mite away quick strips.



## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

No shims needed, no spacer either. Just a good respirator for fumes , a pair of rubber gloves and sissors.

Started our mite treatments yesterday (10-22-12) with the mite a way quick strips. I can see where some one would think the wraps were supposed to come off the gel packs. Some of them would start to unwrap them selves as I seprated them to place in the hive. 
Wearing my respirator I never got a whiff of the fumes. Kare how ever got to close at least once and said it was awful stuff. to smell.

I found out at the first bee yard I need sissors as I hadn't opened the pail to look at them. Lucky for me I had a pair of good tin snips in my tool box that worked great to open the packs up. I also should have taken some sort of trash container to put the empty packs in.

It started clouding up about 4:00 as we finished one yard. We decided to go home and do those before it rained because the remaining yard was a small one at this time.
We got 3 done in the front yard then it started sprinkling, I did the 4th and last one in the front in a slight rain.

Did the last 6 hives in the back yard before the rain yesterday (10-23-12) morning and the last out yard in the afternoon during a break in the rain.
Finished with that.

I like these quick strips. I have used Check Mite, Apastain and the old mite away pads. All had to be removed and some times it would be freezing at that time. Never did it my self but many bee keepers left them in the hives all winter. The reduced streght of the Check Mite and Apastain caused the mites to devlope a resistance. 
From every thing I have read and experts I have talked to the Mite away pads and quick strips are not like that.

 Al


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## kens (Aug 25, 2007)

didn't wear gloves or a mask threw up twice and the acid ate all the skin off of my right hand wont be doing that again like the strips though.Guess they'll be my treatment from now on.


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## JRHILLS (Oct 27, 2010)

kens said:


> didn't wear gloves or a mask threw up twice and the acid ate all the skin off of my right hand wont be doing that again like the strips though.Guess they'll be my treatment from now on.


I would quit beekeeping before I exposed myself and my bees that stuff.


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

It is* Formic acid*, the MSDS sheet says to wear rubber gloves and wear a resperater If people are foolish and don't read the instructions they pay the price.

Doesn't seem to effect the bees , I've been useing the formic since it became avaiable. and it is approved for Orginic honey producers.
Dose a great job on killing mites and the mites can't become resistante to it.
We found out we only have to treat once a year with it.

 Al


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## kens (Aug 25, 2007)

Live and learn as I said wont be doing that without gloves again.


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## JRHILLS (Oct 27, 2010)

alleyyooper said:


> It is* Formic acid*, the MSDS sheet says to wear rubber gloves and wear a resperater If people are foolish and don't read the instructions they pay the price.l


And we sincerely hope you don't come down with cancer or leukemia in a few years. Who would know how you got it it?

This kind of comment was made about the use of DDT a few decades ago.


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

So don't use formic acid. No one is asking you to use it.

I did the reserach for me and decided I liked the product and have used it in its first form as mite away II, I like the strips better cause they don't require a bunch of extra equipmwnt like mit away II did.

 Al


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