Oxalic 6%, Payn*s in the Arse!

[farbee]

When mixing, do you need a "safety kit" - special gloves, mask etc.?
If so, can you recommend one.

Mixing my own for first time this year.

If inhaled in significant amounts could cause you some problem but you would have to try hard to do this.

If it gets onto your skin wash of fairly sharpish (within a few minutes should be fine but under a minute to be sure).

If it gets in your eye you will know pretty soon. Wash out immediately with cold running water.

Gloves & goggles would seem sensible but not essential.

 

[Finman]

Gloves is an absolute minimum .

to do what?

 

[Hivemaker.]

Gloves & googles would seem sensible but not essential.

Is that for you...or the bees when you pour it over them.

 

[farbee]

Well we dont use any special gear................in the solution form at 3% its not a big issue as you would require to actually ingest a fair amount of the stuff to do you any harm............BUT.....and a chemist friend highlighted this, the crystals themselves, particularly if they get airborne and you inhale them (might happen if you dropped the container and it flew everywhere), can be dangerous. For the same reason this guy would not use the sublimation/vapourisation method.

However, fair to point out we DO perform the mixing in a place where there is plentiful running water and all the safety gear on hand should it be needed.

In the current environment I think that if you have an employee doing this they should take full safety measures. Gloves, goggles and face mask. Could have a case against you if things did go wrong. If it is you doing it then that is different.

 

[Finman]

If inhaled in significant amounts could cause you some problem but you would have to try hard to do this..

How can you inhale it? It is not dust.

.

If it gets onto your skin wash of fairly sharpish .

I have kept with fingers and it does not injure skin.

But use a spoon.


.

If it gets in your eye you will know pretty soon. Wash out immediately with cold running water..

Why do you put it into eye?

that is odd

 

[farbee]

Is that for you...or the bees when you pour it over them.

For making it up. When putting on the bees it is already a dilute solution so would not cause problems.

 

[Finman]

In the current environment I think that if you have an employee doing this they should take full safety measures. Gloves, goggles and face mask. Could have a case against you if things did go wrong. If it is you doing it then that is different.

good heavens!

 

[Hivemaker.]

Why do you put it into eye?

that is odd

This is the UK, and our climate is different from yours.

 

[Finman]

This is the UK, and our climate is different from yours.

Oh, I see

Mind a gap!
http://www.google.fi/search?q=mind+...qo4gSmtYHoDA&ved=0CAQQ_AUoAA&biw=1441&bih=678

.

 

[farbee]

good heavens!

Let me suggest a possible scenario:

An employee is given the recipe and asked to make it up. It just so happens they are asthmatic. They are told that there is safety equipment but it is not needed.
They start to make the stuff up by weighing out oxalic and suffer an asthma attack and die. The asthma attack may have happened anyway and was nothing to do with the oxalic acid dust but one thing is for sure the lawyer would have a field day. I would certiainly feel pretty bad if was the boss to say the least.
It is very rare but these things do happen.

 

[Hivemaker.]

For making it up. When putting on the bees it is already a dilute solution so would not cause problems.

Unlikely to do much harm if it splashed into your eyes at that stage then,just as well really.

 

[Finman]

Let me suggest a possible scenario:

It is very rare but these things do happen.

that person is better stay away those stuffs then. And the boss makes the stuff an put it into hives.

Things happen, it is sure.

 

[Finman]

.
Trickling has been used over 10 years. Who has heard that something has happened.

Gasification and spraying of oxalic acid have been used over 20 years. Who.......

It is gasification about what experts say that it form small acid needles into hive and into air.
Inhaling it is not good, but water mixture has no gasification.

 

[herefordshirehoney]

Quick question about applying oxalic acid in poly hives. When I checked my hive's the weekend lifted the ashforth feeder & roof off and left the plastic crown board on. The bee's where clustered above on top as well as on the frames.

When applying oxalic acid do I just do it on top of them rather than use any smoke to push them down? (Not planning on doing it till end of dec but thought id ask now).

 

[drex]

You do not want to break up the cluster so as little smoke as needed.

What were you looking for at weekend? How do they heft, how are they on stores? Bees right up the top may be because stores are very low.
What was the temperature like outside?

 

[Finman]

.
You see the seams of frames. Driple in each seam line 5 ml . So droplets go deeper into frame gaps.
Bees will be disturbed and the cluster will expance. Bees spread that dirty stuff to each other.
Do not use smoke to winter cluster. Put the cover on before they wake up.

 

[herefordshirehoney]

Thanks finman that's what I thought just wanted to double check.

drex - checked they had enough stores, hefted old fashion way but still not 100% certain on this yet so as I took a benchmark before using a digital bathroom scales I did the same again and compared to benchmark.

I didnt leave it open too long (remember the plastic crownboards have lots of holes in them im not confusing this with QX as its specific to swienty poly hives). From my reading this is normal behaviour in poly hive's. Temp was ~ 8-10 oC as it was just after midday.

 

[Finman]

.
To be quick simply means that some hives become nervous and they boil over edges. Then you must wait that you get inside the hive.

 

[parkranger]

So...to recap the original post

Is it safe (for the bees) to use P**nes already diluted oxalic?

 

[herefordshirehoney]

So...to recap the original post

Is it safe (for the bees) to use P**nes already diluted oxalic?

Yes