Formivar
Behandlungsmittel
Formivar is a brand name for formic acid ad us.
Formivar is a brand name for formic acid ad us. vet. The 60% variant sold in Germany is a veterinary medicinal product manufactured under standard authorization and corresponds in content to the monograph for formic acid 60% ad us. vet. So anyone working with Formivar 60 is working with the same formulation as with other 60% products, just under a different product name from a different supplier.
The solution is not applied directly but evaporates within the colony. Suitable applicators are used for this, in practice mainly vacuum evaporators such as the Liebig dispenser or the Nassenheider Professional evaporator. What matters for success is the most even possible release of small amounts over a longer period, not a short burst of acid.
Formic acid is the only approved active substance that diffuses through the cell capping into the capped brood, where it hits mainly the nymphal stages of the mites. Formivar 60 is therefore a product for the summer and late-summer treatment of brooding production colonies after the last honey harvest. Efficacy is strongly weather-dependent; too little acid is released in cool, damp weather. Several German states offer a Varroa weather forecast as a decision aid for the treatment date, which estimates the expected treatment success.
A more highly concentrated 85% variant is also sold under this name, but not for the German market. In Germany, only 60% formic acid is available as a bee medicine; an 85% preparation would only be conceivable here through a veterinarian-established therapeutic emergency. The 85% variant is approved in Austria, where the Austrian authorization and the associated package leaflet apply. It is important that the dosage information from the German 60% standard authorization must not be transferred to the 85% preparation, whose authorization states its own values.
For withdrawal period and user protection, what applies to formic acid in general applies here: it is used after the last honey harvest of the year; during the nectar flow, use is contraindicated. Formic acid is water-soluble and does not accumulate in the wax, but if applied at the wrong time it changes the honey's taste. When handling it, acid-resistant gloves and safety goggles should be worn, vapors must not be inhaled, and sufficient water for rinsing should always be on hand.
Quellen (5)
- Gebrauchsinformation FORMIVAR 60 % ad us. vet. (Andermatt BioVet)
- Emmerich, I.: Zugelassene Arzneimittel für Honigbienen in Deutschland, Berliner und Münchener Tierärztliche Wochenschrift 2018
- LLH Bieneninstitut Kirchhain: Infoblatt Varroazide (Übersicht zugelassener organischer Varroazide)
- BfArM: Wortlaut der Standardzulassungen für Bienentherapeutika (Monographie Ameisensäure 60 % ad us. vet.)
- Übersichtsartikel Varroatosetherapie von Honigbienen in Deutschland (Open Access)