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Chronological Thread  
  • From: Jan Bouterse <woodpast AT gmail.com>
  • To: Nerissa Rivera <nerissa.rivera AT duke.edu>
  • Cc: "ocba AT lists.ibiblio.org" <ocba AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [ocba] Oxalic Acid Treatment
  • Date: Wed, 6 Apr 2016 11:00:44 -0400

Hello there!
I attended a good presentation on treatment for mites with oxalic acid at the American Bee Federation conference this January on Florida and hereby attach the slides.
best
Jan Bouterse

On Wed, Apr 6, 2016 at 10:14 AM, Nerissa Rivera <nerissa.rivera AT duke.edu> wrote:
Thanks to all who responded.  I had not considered the absconding hive because in the articles I read, they suggest you close up much of the hives in order to reach as many bees as possible.  Since the treatment only lasts about 4 minutes with another 10-15 minutes for the vapor to hit the whole hive, it wouldn't be closed for very long.  I say all this so you can kind of follow my logic as to why I considered the idea in the first place.

I appreciate the feedback and am very grateful to all who took the time to respond.

Todd- I'll definitely do the powdered sugar process.  I've done that before with pretty good results.

Nerissa



-----Original Message-----
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Sent: Wednesday, April 06, 2016 9:55 AM
To: ocba AT lists.ibiblio.org
Subject: ocba Digest, Vol 133, Issue 7

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Today's Topics:

   1. Re: Oxalic acid treatment for varroa (Todd Walker)
   2. 2015-2016 Colony Loss and Management Survey Is Live: Take the
      Survey Today! (Todd Walker)
   3. Bees and equipment for sale (Curtis Gay)
   4. Introducing a queen to an established colony (John Rintoul)


----------------------------------------------------------------------

Message: 1
Date: Tue, 05 Apr 2016 15:00:27 -0400
From: Todd Walker <mtwalker AT imageray.net>
To: "ocba AT lists.ibiblio.org" <ocba AT lists.ibiblio.org>
Subject: Re: [ocba] Oxalic acid treatment for varroa
Message-ID: <D32980CC.12A47%mtwalker AT imageray.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

Good point, Randall. Yes, please read the label. Even though using oxalic to treat packages is on the label and therefore legal, it just doesn?t seem practical to me. I personally wouldn't risk it after spending $120 on a package. The protocol recommends storing the bees for 72 hours after they have already been in the package for 3 or more days. It sounds like a recipe for trouble. It would be different if the package producer did it before they were shipped. For me, I?d want to get them in the hive as soon as possible, get them established, and then deal with varroa.

~Todd

From:  Randall Austin <ra41717 AT gmail.com>
Date:  Tuesday, April 5, 2016 at 2:45 PM
To:  "ocba AT lists.ibiblio.org" <ocba AT lists.ibiblio.org>
Cc:  Michael Todd Walker <mtwalker AT imageray.net>
Subject:  Re: [ocba] Oxalic acid treatment for varroa



As with any pesticide, apply according to the label. The label is the law.
Read the label <here
<https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=5&cad=rja&uac
t=8&ved=0ahUKEwiEi-vbkvjLAhVILyYKHbCQCeUQFgg2MAQ&url="http%3A%2F%2Fextension.
oregonstate.edu%2Fmb%2Fsites%2Fdefault%2Ffiles%2Fdocs%2Fbreecec%2FOxalic%252
0Label%2520EPA.pdf&usg=AFQjCNGQc4mHqVLw-tgRuafakbHciIt8Dg> >.

 The oxalic acid label specifically tells how to treat packages. As Todd wisely advises, you should do it while the package is still in the package, not after it has been hived.

> SPRAYING PACKAGE BEES
>  Ensure bees are clustered before applying oxalic acid (for example
> store in cool dark location 24 hours before application).
>  Spray broodless package bees with a 1:1 sugar:water solution at least
> 2 hours before spraying with oxalic acid. This allows  bees to fill
> honey stomachs with sugar water reducing ingestion of oxalic acid.
>  Mix a 2.8% oxalic acid solution by dissolving 35 g of Oxalic Acid
> Dihydrate in 1 liter of 1:1 sugar: water (weight:volume).
>  Evenly apply 3.0 mL of 2.8% oxalic acid solution per 1,000 bees using
> a pump sprayer or battery powered sprayer (for  example, a typical 2
> lb package contains approximately 7,000 bees which requires 21 mL of
> solution). Apply solution evenly  on both sides of the package.
>  Store bees in a cool darkened room for 72 hours before hiving.
>

 Randall

 On 4/5/2016 2:19 PM, Todd Walker wrote:


>
> Oxalic acid should only be used when the colony is broodless so one
> would think that it would be perfect to use right after hive a swarm
> or package (an artificial swarm). It is not. Fumigant treatments (or
> any treatment for that
> matter) can be very stressful to the bees. Remember that a swarm or
> package has no reason to remain in the hive. There is no brood and in
> some cases no drawn comb. Nothing to make them want to stay. Using a
> treatment before they have fully accepted their new home could lead to
> them absconding. Once you hive a package or swarm, leave them alone
> for two weeks, only disturbing them to quickly check the queen has
> been released ( in the case of a package) and to feed them.
>
>
>
>
> If you are determined to do something you might consider the Dowda
> Method of sugar dusting:
>
> http://scientificbeekeeping.com/powdered-sugar-dusting-sweet-and-safe-
> but-does
> -it-really-work-part-1/
>
>
>
>
> ~Todd
>
>
>
>
> From:  ocba < <mailto:ocba-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org>
> ocba-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org> on behalf of Nerissa Rivera
> <nerissa.rivera AT duke.edu>
>  Date:  Tuesday, April 5, 2016 at 1:50 PM
>  To:  " <mailto:ocba AT lists.ibiblio.org> ocba AT lists.ibiblio.org"
> <ocba AT lists.ibiblio.org>
>  Subject:  [ocba] Oxalic acid treatment for varroa
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> I installed 2 packages last Friday and was thinking about treating
> both with Oxalic acid using a vaporizer.  I understand that the temp
> should be 61 degrees or less when I do the treatment.  I am hoping
> that late afternoon tomorrow will give me my window of opportunity
> temperature wise.  I would wait, but the treatment should be done when
> there is no brood in the hive.  Am I totally off to do this?  My aim
> was to start the season with as little varroa as possible.  I would
> still monitor the mite count as I go along, but hope not to have to
> treat again until late summer.  Just checking to see if my plan seems reasonable or if this is overkill.
>
>
>
>
>
> Thanks for all feedback.
>
>
>
> Nerissa
>
>
>
>  _________________________________________ ocba mailing list | North
> Carolina
> Beekeeping|  <http://www.theocba.org/> http://www.theocba.org/ Manage
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>
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Message: 2
Date: Tue, 05 Apr 2016 15:47:27 -0400
From: Todd Walker <mtwalker AT imageray.net>
To: PCBA ListServ
        <person_county_beekeepers_association AT lists.ibiblio.org>,
        "ocba AT lists.ibiblio.org" <ocba AT lists.ibiblio.org>
Subject: [ocba] 2015-2016 Colony Loss and Management Survey Is Live:
        Take the Survey Today!
Message-ID: <D3298E8E.12AD9%mtwalker AT imageray.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Please share your results. It help us all.

 https://beeinformed.org/2016/04/01/2015-2016-colony-loss-and-management-sur
vey-is-live-take-the-survey-today/


~Todd


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Message: 3
Date: Wed, 6 Apr 2016 00:12:41 +0000 (UTC)
From: Curtis Gay <cpgay AT rocketmail.com>
To: OCBA Listserv <ocba AT lists.ibiblio.org>
Subject: [ocba] Bees and equipment for sale
Message-ID:
        <2124197168.2957897.1459901561921.JavaMail.yahoo AT mail.yahoo.com">2124197168.2957897.1459901561921.JavaMail.yahoo AT mail.yahoo.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"

I am moving to Wilmington to a condo and will no longer be keeping bees. I have equipment for two hives, mostly new or slightly used. One hive has bees. selling everything to first offer of $250.oo.Curtis Gay919-471-2352

?Much food is in the fallow ground of the poor, and for the lack of Justice there is waste.
Proverbs 13: 23
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Message: 4
Date: Wed, 06 Apr 2016 09:52:37 -0400
From: John Rintoul <beecd AT icloud.com>
To: Bynum Hoekstra <bynumhoekstra AT gmail.com>
Cc: Orange County Beekeepers Association <ocba AT lists.ibiblio.org>
Subject: [ocba] Introducing a queen to an established colony
Message-ID: <93BC5743-0633-4DED-8369-F1A8E2D687AC AT icloud.com">93BC5743-0633-4DED-8369-F1A8E2D687AC AT icloud.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"

Bynum,
This is the pic that I told you about of a new queen being introduced to the colony. I laid the queen cage on top of the frames to see if the colony would attack or accept her. According to Jamie Mills at 7 Stands Bee Farm if the bees already had a queen, they would attack her by mobbing and balling the cage in an attempt to bite through the screen to kill the her. The bees looked murderous to me. But when Jamie looked at this picture he said, ?Don?t worry, they?re just lovin? her up.? He was right.




This experience taught me that it?s always a good plan to 1) take pics, and 2) to have more experienced beekeepers to consult with. Thank you OCBA!

Someday I will place a caged queen on the bars of a hive that I know has a queen just so I can see (and photograph) the difference between bees attacking and bees lovingly accepting a new queen. Maybe someone on the OCBA listserv already has such a pic.

-John

John Rintoul
(919) 414-4071 (M)

No trees or bees were killed in the distribution of this message, but countless electrons were seriously inconvenienced.




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