Apiguard in winter

[testka]

Hi
In the October edition of the Bbka news magazine there is mention of leaving a tray of apiguard in the hive over winter and to remove two weeks before adding the first super in spring. this is meant for those that do not wish to use Oxalic acid but have a mite issue.
Has anyone tried this and what are your thought On this?
Thanks

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[casualman]

I've never done this. Temperatures need to be at least 15 centigrade for Apiguard to work.

 

[testka]

Yes i thought so also. The article says this is not necessarily recommended by the manufacturer but will give a 50-60percent treatment efficacy. I used oxalic last year but would rather not this year so this caught my eye

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[Arfermo]

Yes i thought so also. The article says this is not necessarily recommended by the manufacturer but will give a 50-60percent treatment efficacy. I used oxalic last year but would rather not this year so this caught my eye

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What is your problem with oxalic? Most people use it and FERA include it in their leaflet on "Managing Varroa" - page 30 in my 2009 edition. Nothing better yet to get bees set for season.

 

[testka]

Hi
I am planning on using on one hive which has a higher count but not on two which have low count. No real objection but do not wish to use if the count is low. this idea seems like a good method for the lower count hives.



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[steve1958]

What is your problem with oxalic? .

Think it through Oxalic ACID.
Then read the warning lable - gloves, mask, and do not inhale fumes.
Sounds really healthy stuff.

 

[Monsieur Abeille]

Think it through Oxalic ACID.
Then read the warning lable - gloves, mask, and do not inhale fumes.
Sounds really healthy stuff.

Like ascetic and citric, oxalic is classified as a weak acid. The name can be too emotive.

 

[the naked beekeeper]

What is your problem with oxalic? Most people use it and FERA include it in their leaflet on "Managing Varroa" - page 30 in my 2009 edition. Nothing better yet to get bees set for season.

There's lots of things we've been 'told' in the name of science throughout the years.............

 

[drex]

All our stomachs are full of hydrochloric acid, at quite some strength!

Part of thymol treatment depends on the fumes, which will be temeprature dependent. Lower temp, fewer fumes, less effective - but more likely to promote resistance? I would certainly never prescribe a sub clinical dose ( or shortened course) of an antibiotic for this very reason.

 

[the naked beekeeper]

All our stomachs are full of hydrochloric acid, at quite some strength!

Part of thymol treatment depends on the fumes, which will be temeprature dependent. Lower temp, fewer fumes, less effective - but more likely to promote resistance? I would certainly never prescribe a sub clinical dose ( or shortened course) of an antibiotic for this very reason.

That's our stomachs though! And we are not talking about applying OA to humans!!

We as human beings, god knows how many hundred times bigger than an insect and having a diet consisting of various bits of animal and plant.

The bee's stomach, simply ingesting flower nectar, will be far more delicate, as will its entire body, so remarking that humans' stomachs contain hydrochloric acid in an attempt to support the administering of OA to bees is not actually relevant at all!

Its the bees who are getting this dose.

 

[greatbritishhoney]

Its the bees who are getting this dose.

Are their any recorded cases of bees being killed by OA?

 

[psafloyd]

Like ascetic and citric, oxalic is classified as a weak acid. The name can be too emotive.

After all, vinegar is a weak acid, isn't it?

 

[The Cumbrian]

After all, vinegar is a weak acid, isn't it?

Yes and if you are using it in a school laboratory the CLEAPSE advice is wear goggles.

However they also advise that if you get water in your eye you should wash it with ............... copious amounts of ..............water.

 

[Nic Rhodes]

I am one of the few that use Oxalic acid professionally at work, I treat it with significant caution, it deserves it. It is not nice stuff, which is why we use it for Varroa.

 

[adrian wilford]

i cant understand why it has to be 15 degrees for the apiguard to work as its in the hive on top of theframes with bees on, definatley more than 15 degrees in the hive!!

 

[mbc]

It does work at lower temperatures but I think the vapour pressure of thymol doesnt get up to speed and its mostly vita's mythical "chemical trail" of thymol through the hive as the bees rtemove the apiguard that kills the little sods

 

[oliver90owner]

There are literally thousands of chemicals that should be treated with 'significant caution'. That may well be no particular reason for not using them in appropriate circumstances.

For instance 'weak' acids can either be concentrated or dilute. The difference for 'due caution required' would be considerable, depending whether you were talking glacial acetic acid or vinegar!

Same with oxalic acid - a different set of cautions are appropriate, depending on whether it is used as a weak solution or being sublimed. Arriving at that weak solution may need another set of hazard cautions, yet again.

There are a lot more reasons for wearing protective gloves, etc, when incising into a human stomach, I am sure.

Oxalic acid used to kept in the poisons cupboard when I was at school. It is now simply kept in the chemical store. There again, and I cannot remember clearly, lots of chemicals were likely simply stored around the labs in those days.

Remember, everything is 'relative'. What may be 'second nature' to some is new ground for others.

 

[drstitson]

read the datasheet for thymol. happy to use that now?

 

[mbc]

Tghe issue with oxalic surely isnt its toxicity - we all know its present in lots of foodstuffs - but its aparant damage to the midgut of our bees

 

[Nic Rhodes]

well aware of the issues Rab, we run one of the largest chemical laboratories around, which is why I used the words I did, they were well chosen with full knowledge of this chemical and others and those that might use it, experienced or not as in the case with most beekeepers.