Swedish Cloth Strips – A Game-Changer in the USA!

Beekeepers around the world are discovering the benefits of Swedish Cloth strips as a highly effective tool for oxalic acid extended-release (OAE) treatments. Trials in both the USA and New Zealand show that these cellulose and cotton strips, soaked in oxalic acid / glycerine solution, deliver long-lasting mite control while being biodegradable and easy to use.

Proven Results in the USA

One commercial beekeeper, Mr. Sennett, runs 3,500 hives across Georgia and Maine. For the past four years, Swedish Cloth strips have been his primary treatment. He reports:

• Up to 10 weeks of strong efficacy, consistent with New Zealand research.

• Hive survival rates equal to his usual average, while many others in the USA reported unusually high losses last winter.

• No reliance on synthetic miticides—he occasionally supplements with formic acid, but cloth strips remain his main treatment.

Meanwhile, beekeeper and researcher Greg Rogers (North Carolina, USA) calls Swedish Cloth strips a “game-changing treatment”. His field trials demonstrated that cutting cloths into four strips works better than using half-sheets or full pads.

👉 Watch Greg Rogers’ detailed trial video here: YouTube Link (see 11–25 minutes). See Summaries of the numbers below.

Average Mite Count by Treatments after 75 days in 2023:

Percentage of Hives over the economic threshold of 9 mites:

Trial Data Highlights

• 2023 trial (75 days): 4-strip setups outperformed 2 half-pads, with fewer hives exceeding the mite threshold of 9 mites.

• 2024 trial (90 days): Out of 31 hives, only 2 exceeded the economic threshold by the end.

Rogers observed that colonies treated with strips maintained vitality resembling “the bees of 30 years ago”, with stronger populations and fewer virus issues.

Some of the benefits of using cloth strips:-

• Low cost and very easy to apply
• 10 – 12 weeks of good efficacy
• Does not cover brood on the frames, causing death like most other miticide strips.
• All natural product.
• Can be used during the honey flow
• No evidence worldwide of varroa mites getting resistant to Oxalic Acid.
• The bees will discard most of the strip outside the hive if they are left in place for a long enough period.

Single vs Double Brood Box Use

While strips worked exceptionally well in double brood box colonies, some challenges arose in single brood setups. According to Mr. Sennett, reduced nurse bee travel over the strips limited their effectiveness. The cloth strips are not the best option for smaller colonies.

However, in New Zealand trials during the 2024–25 summer, and the 2025 - 26 summer, the cloth strips  showed very good efficacy in single brood hives with the following method:

• Laying strips horizontally over the brood box.

• Using a rimmed queen excluder to maintain bee space.

• Stacking honey supers above.
  

Strong colonies maintained strip temperatures above 32°C, keeping the glycerine liquid and the oxalic acid active. With heavy bee traffic, oxalic acid was effectively spread throughout the brood nest. We were concerned in NZ that the strips could get cold. No OAE (oxalic acid extended-release) strips work very well if they get below 30°C. They need to be at brood temperature or close to it. 

Important Tip for Double Brood Box use

When the soaked strips are placed between two brood boxes, it is very important that all the burr comb is removed so that there is a bee space above the strips. If this is not done, the burr comb can squash a lot of solution out of the strips and prevent the bees from walking on them and transferring the solution around the hive. The strips will be rendered largely ineffective.

A correctly sized bin with 100 dry Swedish Cloth strips, ready for soaking.

What makes the Beequip NZ Swedish Cloth strips the right choice?

For optimal performance in hives, Swedish Cloth must be:

• 100% natural – cellulose and cotton only.

• Free from additives – no dyes, flame retardants, plastics, or microplastics.

• 100% Biodegradable – safe for bees and the environment.

• Sized correctly – approx. 200mm x 43mm x 2mm.

• Supplied dry – ready for soaking before use.

The Beequip NZ cloth strips tick all these boxes and very well tried & proven.

Winter Use?

Early results also suggest potential for winter use, though more research is needed. See chart below with results from a beehive in an urban area in the Nelson region over a 7 month period:-

This colony maintained good bee numbers right through the winter and maintained good travel over the strips.

Conclusion. If there is a bee space above the strips, and enough bees in the hive to keep them at the right temperature and the right humidity, then they will work very well anytime.

At Beequip, we’re excited to support beekeepers with innovative, sustainable solutions like Swedish Cloth strips—helping hives thrive, naturally.