March 13, 2014. Mite Away Quick Strips® received registration in New Zealand for beekeepers’ use. Mite Away Quick Strips® has received approval by EPA (HSR100672) as well as the MPI, ACVM Group (P008556).
The beekeepers of New Zealand now have a powerful new tool to combat the most serious threat to its honeybees, the Varroa Destructor parasitic mite. Left untreated, varroa mites will transmit viruses that weaken a honeybee colony until it collapses. This invasive mite is affecting honey bee colonies across New Zealand and most of the world.
Mite Away Quick Strips®, commonly referred to as MAQS®, is a saccharide gel strip formulation of formic acid, an effective active ingredient that is naturally occurring in honey. Because the varroa mites reproduce on the developing baby bee and transmit viruses that deform the bee, their control is being approached as a brood disease. The formic acid vapours released from the saccharide gel strip, via a unique wicking wrap, penetrate the brood cap, stopping the mite where it reproduces; under the cap. The initial target was the male mite, which never leaves the brood cell. However, trials show that it is also very effective on all stages of the female mite. It is the first mite treatment to successfully target varroa mite reproduction.
The concept of Mite Away Quick Strips® was first developed in Canada by NOD Apiary Products Ltd. NOD’s personnel worked with BASF’s scientists to overcome technical barriers, the solution to which was BASF’s biodegradable and compostable film Ecoflex®. MAQS® only requires a 7 day treatment window, is highly effective, and leaves no residues in the honeybee colony.
Available this spring with our distributors for both South and North Islands:
Ecroyd Bee Supplies Ltd.
6A Sheffield Crescent, Burnside, Christchurch 8053
+64 3 358 7498
ecroyd@beehealthy.co.nz
