Formicpro 68.2g Beehive Strips for Honey Bees

AN: 00153/2025 & 00154/2025
Do not use for treatment of colonies less than 10 000 bees. A smaller colony
might not be able to provide sufficient air flow to achieve a tolerable formic acid
concentration.
3.4 Special warnings
The product should only be used as part of an integrated varroa control
programme. It is highly recommended to monitor mite levels monthly during
periods of brood rearing and treat when local thresholds are reached. Use
according to local treatment recommendations, if available.
Take care to disturb the colony as little as possible during the application
process.
Treat all colonies in the apiary at the same time, to avoid re-infestation from
untreated colonies
Screen bottom boards should be closed off during treatment to optimise efficacy.
The safety and efficacy of the product has not been fully tested in horizontal
hives such as Layens hives. Use only according to a thorough benefit/risk
assessment and after consideration of possible integrated pest management
alternatives.
3.5 Special precautions for use
Special precautions for safe use in the target species:
Do not disturb the colony during the treatment period. If the colony is disturbed
during the treatment period, there is an increased risk of brood and/or adult bee
(including queen) mortality, and absconding may also occur.
Natural birth and death rate is 1,000 to 2,000 bees per day during spring and
summer, the natural death rate increases in the autumn as the large summer bee
population is replaced by the smaller winter bee population. Under the stress of
treatment, bees that are fragile due to age or maladies, (ones that normally
would die away from the hive), may succumb within the hive, and can be
observed around the entrance.
Temperatures: Outside daytime temperature highs should be in the temperature
range given in section 3.3. Temperatures above this range during the first three
days of treatment may cause increased brood mortality and a higher risk of
queen loss, particularly in fragile queens. If such temperatures coincide with a
dearth period (where food is in short supply), there is an elevated risk of queen
loss, sudden supercedure, or delay in egg laying. Treatment should be
postponed until temperatures drop or nectar flow resumes.
To avoid an intolerable formic acid concentration, it is essential to ensure
sufficient ventilation during the treatment period. An entrance must be provided
AN: 00153/2025 & 00154/2025
that is the full width of the hive (typically the bottom board entrance), with a
minimum height 12.5 mm. Any restriction on air movement through the entrance
into the brood chamber (e.g. reducer or mouse guard) must be removed to
prevent excessive damage to the colonies.
In hives with permanently reduced bottom entrances take appropriate measures
to provide a sufficient level of ventilation (i.e. provision of alternative brood
chamber entrances to act as ventilation slots). Refer to section 3.9 for further
information.
Colonies should have good food reserves at time of treatment and should not be
fed in-hive during treatment.
Do not destroy queen cells that may be observed prior to or post treatment.
Supercedure, even if thought to be set in motion by treatment, is a natural
process, and should be allowed to proceed for the health of the colony. Verify the
colony is queen-right one month after treatment. Mother and daughter queens
present post treatment are not uncommon.
In case of expanding colonies which require extra space, supers empty of honey
may be placed on the hive at time of application.
Special precautions to be taken by the person administering the veterinary
medicinal product to animals:
This veterinary medicinal product is irritating to the skin and eyes.
Avoid contact with the skin, eyes and mucous membranes. Avoid inhalation of
vapour.
People with known hypersensitivity to formic acid or oxalic acid should administer
the veterinary medicinal product with caution.
Personal protective equipment consisting of the usual beekeeping protective
clothing and chemical resistant gloves (EN 374) should be worn when handling
the veterinary medicinal product.
Have water readily available.
Only open the product container and unwrap strips outdoors, standing upwind of
the product.
If you cannot avoid working in a confined space, wear an appropriate half-mask
or full-mask respirator with filters conforming to Type B or E should be worn
when handling the veterinary medicinal product.
In case of accidental eye contact, flush the eye(s) immediately with clear running
water for 10 minutes, seek medical advice immediately and show the package
leaflet or the label to the physician.
AN: 00153/2025 & 00154/2025
In case of direct contact with skin, wash the exposed skin immediately with water
and if irritation persists, seek medical advice immediately and show the package
leaflet or the label to the physician.
In case of accidental inhalation move to fresh air and if irritation persists, seek
medical advice immediately and show the package leaflet or the label to the
physician.
Keep children well away during application of product.
Do not eat, drink or smoke whilst handling and applying the product.
Always wash hands with soap and water directly after use.
Special precautions for the protection of the environment:
Not applicable.
Other precautions:
This product is corrosive. Do not allow product to contact metal surfaces.
3.6 Adverse events
Honey bees:
Insufficient ventilation, high ambient temperatures and insufficient hive volume
have been identified as particular risk factors for build-up of formic acid
concentrations beyond easily tolerated levels. Specific requirements of section
3.3 and 3.5 should be carefully observed as there is an increased risk of adverse
events if these are not followed.
Uncommon
(1 to 10 animals / 1,000
animals treated):
Increased mortality rate, bee brood mortality,
queen bee loss
Bees absconding
, bee colony death
, loss of
egg-quantity
Rare
(1 to 10 animals / 10,000
animals treated):Queen bee rejection
Very rare
(<1 animal / 10,000 animals
treated, including isolated
reports):Behavioural disorders
1
Increased frequence may be observed in smaller cavity hive designs or where
entrance reducers were not removed prior to use.
AN: 00153/2025 & 00154/2025
Secondary signs to increased mortality rate, bee brood mortality, queen bee
loss
Formic acid will initially disturb colony activities and may, within one day of
application, triggering queen supercedure activities.
Bearding behaviour. Colonies are expected to expand the cluster as part of
controlling vapour concentration during the first 3 days of treatment.
Moribund bees (e.g. those suffering from a viral infection or a high mite
infestation) are more susceptible to toxic effects.
Reporting adverse events is important. It allows continuous safety monitoring of a
veterinary medicinal product. Reports should be sent, preferably via a
veterinarian, to either the marketing authorisation holder or the national
competent authority via the national reporting system. See the package leaflet for
respective contact details.
3.7 Use during pregnancy, lactation or lay
Not applicable.
3.8 Interaction with other medicinal products and other forms of
interaction
Do not use with other acaricides against varroosis.
3.9 Administration routes and dosage
For in-hive use.
In vertically modular hive types (examples: Dadant, Langstroth).
Dosage: 1 sachet (i.e. 2 strips) per hive for 7 days.
Allow a minimum of one month between applications.
GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS
Screen bottom boards should be closed off during treatment to optimise efficacy.
Once the hive is prepared, carefully remove the strips from the sachet and
separate the two strips.
DO NOT REMOVE THE ECO-PAPER WRAP. This acts as a wick (i.e. it controls
the rate of the release of the active substance).
Do not disturb brood chamber frames during the application process. Place
treatment on the top bars of the frames of the lower brood chamber. No
additional spacer should be used; hive components must fit tightly together as
the hive is reassembled.
AN: 00153/2025 & 00154/2025
DOSING INSTRUCTIONS
For double brood chamber hives; lay two strips, staggering them so they lay flat
and across the full width of the lower brood chamber, in the heart of the brood
rearing zone, with approximately 5 cm between strips and 10 cm between the
ends of the brood chamber and the outer edges of the strips. For single brood
chamber hives lay two strips flat across the frames directly above the brood
rearing zone with spacing as indicated in the pictogram.
The bottom hive entrance needs to be open the full width of the hive, minimum
12.5 mm high, for the entire duration of the treatment, with no barriers into the
brood chamber.
AN: 00153/2025 & 00154/2025
In hives with permanently reduced entrances take appropriate measures to
provide equivalent ventilation slots. Examples are provided in the pictogram.
Spent strips do not need to be immediately removed at the end of the treatment
period but must be removed before supers are placed back on the hive.
When removed, dispose of by composting.
3.10 Symptoms of overdose (and where applicable, emergency procedures
and antidotes)
Excessive mortality of adult bees and brood as well as absconding are typical
overdose symptoms. These signs can be caused by exceeding the
recommended dose, insufficient ventilation, high temperatures and/or
inappropriate hive volume. In case of overdose, increase hive ventilation by
creating additional entrances from top to bottom. Check for presence of the
queen 2 weeks after application. See sections 3.5 and 3.9.
3.11 Special restrictions for use and special conditions for use, including
restrictions on the use of antimicrobial and antiparasitic veterinary
medicinal products in order to limit the risk of development of
resistance
Not applicable.
3.12 Withdrawal periods
Honey: Zero days.
Supers with honey must be removed from the hive prior to product applic

[Text truncated]