oxalic acid and glycerine mix

[charlievictorbravo]

Would a strip of oxalic/glycerine mix on a covered alighting board work,bees walk on it and carry into hive ?

I'm not clear in my own mind how the cardboard strip work OVER TIME. I can see with the towels that the action of the bees chewing them and dragging the remains through the hive might distribute OA crystals throughout the hive but this did not seem to happen with Randy Oliver strips - they did not appear to have been chewed very much.

I was wondering if, over time, the Glycerine in the strips starts to "dry out", leaving OA crystals on the surface and these get distributed around the hive by the actions of normal bee movements. This would account for why the strips work well for over 6 weeks as the glycerine dries out and the OA comes out of solution on the surface, hence dry OA crystals, which is what kills the mites in a sublimation treatment. There's a lot of acid in each of those strips - 10g - four times the quantity used on a whole hive sublimation and there's four strips per brood box.

For OA to work, it seems to me that as OA is a contact poison, the mites have got to get their feet or mouth parts in contact with the OA. Having a threshold strip might not achieve this - somehow the OA on the bees' feet have got to contact the mites and I don't see a mechanism for this.

CVB

 

[Finman]

.
All poison strips are so, that they have contact to brood, because mites hang around the brood. 80% out of mites are under brood caps. When they emerge, they get at once the poison.

Idea is not spread the stuff around the hive.

.

 

[Finman]

I was wondering if, over time, the Glycerine in the strips starts to "dry out", leaving OA crystals on the surface and these get distributed around the hive by the actions of normal bee movements.

CVB

Glyserine does not dry out. It will be finish because it sticks to bees.. It tend to suck moisture from air. But of course, when bees touch the glycerine, it will be"consumed" .

Glyserine adds the contact of acid onto the mites compared with dry crystalls. Same do the sugar.

 

[Hivemaker.]

Had some 2mm thick cardboard arrive yesterday from the beer mat manufacturer, free sample to see if Apibioxal mix soaks into it, and enough to make 100 strips.

 

[piggy]

Look forward to hearing about the outcome Hivemaker.

 

[Hivemaker.]

Look forward to hearing about the outcome Hivemaker.

Found out one thing...the glycerine without apibioxal soaks right into the cardboard in about half an hour, without having to warm it at all.

 

[charlievictorbravo]

Found out one thing...the glycerine without apibioxal soaks right into the cardboard in about half an hour, without having to warm it at all.

I think the warming was to aid dissolving the Api-Bioxal, although being warm may make the mixture less viscous, thus aiding it being absorbed by the cardboard.

It will be interesting to hear the results of your experiments.

CVB

 

[linoleum bonypart]

http://www.beer-mats.net/beermats/blank-canvas-beermats-square/

 

[Hivemaker.]

http://www.beer-mats.net/beermats/blank-canvas-beermats-square/

I agree with this comment. Mats would need to be much bigger though, to cut long enough strips.

We never cease to be amazed at the ingenuity and creativity exhibited by purchases of our blank beer mats and the amount of time people are prepared to spend creating their very own masterpiece

 

[Michael Palmer]

Mats would need to be much bigger though, to cut long enough strips.

I use a product called Chipboard when I make strips. It's a paper product, similar to the gray paper on the back of a pad of writing paper, but slightly thinner. There may be different thicknesses available, perhaps needed for absorbing enough of that material. I buy it from a printer that has the ability to cut paper sheets into strips. Mine measure 1.5"x17". I fold a bundle of strips into a "V", and soak in product. One leg of the strip is placed on either side of a central brood comb.

 

[rook66]

Update from Randy Oliver, getting there.
http://scientificbeekeeping.com/oxalic-shop-towel-updates/

 

[Finman]

.
A good description what to do, and what not.

And useful comment that it takes at least a month that you see the results.

I have considered myself, do I do such? It seems that to keep the Queen on prison 3 weeks / brood interruption in July is simpler job than 5-6 weeks glyserine thing in brood area. See COLOSS.

 

[Hivemaker.]

Update from Randy Oliver, getting there.
http://scientificbeekeeping.com/oxalic-shop-towel-updates/

Yes, saw the update on beesource, certainly looks promising, and noticed that Randy is also trying to get the treatment registered.

I’m currently working with EPA to add this method as an approved application method (so that it can be used legally).

I’m working with another registrant to bring prepared towels to market at an inexpensive cost.

 

[mbc]

Hypothetically speaking, someone I vaguely know has experimented with various forms of this oxalic glycerine mix on towels and cardboard strips in some hives which haven't been treated since a single thymol autumn treatment. Sugar shakes were taken and most hives had between 5 and 10 mites / 300 bees.
I wait with baited breath to see how the next shakes turn out.

 

[Hivemaker.]

Hypothetically speaking, someone I vaguely know has experimented with various forms of this oxalic glycerine mix on towels and cardboard strips in some hives which haven't been treated since a single thymol autumn treatment. Sugar shakes were taken and most hives had between 5 and 10 mites / 300 bees.
I wait with baited breath to see how the next shakes turn out.

I hope the someone you vaguely know has good results from the experimental treatments

 

[Hivemaker.]

Update 10 March 2017

I’m currently working with EPA and Dr. Jay Evans at USDA ARS to add this method as an approved application method (so that it can be used legally). The current sticking point is to get it approved for use while honey supers are on, which will apparently require us to do further testing, and to have EPA set an acceptable maximum residue level for OA in honey. Luckily, natural honeys and especially some honeydews contain a fair amount of OA, as do many veggies. So this likely won’t be an insurmountable problem, but will need to work through the bureaucratic requirements. A big thanks to EPA, ARS, and CDPR for working with me for the benefit of the bee industry!

Good news, my experimentation is now legal! California DPR has issued me a Pesticide Research Authorization to run field experiments with the OA/gly towels (snip below).

...

http://scientificbeekeeping.com/oxalic-shop-towel-updates/

 

[mbc]

Preliminary results are in, towels not so good, cardboard strips good. Very promising, varroa counts down to ones and twos (or so my source claims!)

 

[Norton]

The towels are giving good results here in Cyprus. Maybe the fact that we have a Mediterranean climate plays an important role in the effectiveness.

 

[charlievictorbravo]

I've revived this thread because I came across this link to the making of the Oxalic/glycerin shop towels. A follow-up video here (about 4 minutes in) is not very helpful as to effectiveness of the experimental treatment.


Has anybody heard any more about this varroa treatment?

CVB

 

[rook66]

I've revived this thread because I came across this link to the making of the Oxalic/glycerin shop towels. A follow-up video here (about 4 minutes in) is not very helpful as to effectiveness of the experimental treatment.


Has anybody heard any more about this varroa treatment?

CVB

The last update was on the 5th of May.
http://scientificbeekeeping.com/oxalic-shop-towel-updates/