Press Release – February 27th 2013,

MAQS^® Beehive Strip has received registration in the United Kingdom for beekeeper’s use.  It has received approval by VMD (Veterinary Medical Department). 

The beekeepers of the United Kingdom now have a 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. Millions of colonies across Europe have died in recent years from this parasitic mite. 

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, transmitting viruses that deform the bee, their control is being approached as a brood disease.  The saccharide gel formic acid vapours released from the saccharide gel strip penetrate the brood cap, stopping the mite where it reproduces.  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 MAQS^® Beehive Strip was first developed in Canada, by NOD Apiary Products Ltd. operating in the UK as NOD Europe. NOD’s personnel worked with BASF’s scientists to overcome technical barriers, the solution to which was BASF’s biodegradable and compostable film Ecoflex®.  The resulting treatment is just 7 days.                       

The physical product will be available in the UK from early April 2013.

End of press release

Webmaster Notes:

• MAQS® stands for Mite-Away-Quick Strips®.
• NOD stands for Natures Own Design the developers of the product.
• VMD is the Veterinary Medicines Directorate an executive agency of DEFRA (Note that MAQS is not appearing on their database as of 1 March 2013)

Further information

You can find out more on the NOD website here.

Randy Oliver has carried out an early summer test in 2011 and the results of this are published on his excellent Scientific Beekeeping website.