Oxalic Acid treatment & removing the Super

[BernardBlack]

Left a super on one hive as stores in BB were light in autumn.

Will do Oxalic Acid trickling soon. Thought it best to remove the super, trickle the OA in the BB, then feed colony fondant.

Then replace the super when any risk of honey tainting from the OA is gone.

How long should I keep the super off the hive to avoid tainting of honey?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

good chance there could be bees up there - so ripping off the super could break the cluster
if the super is full of honey, why would you want to put fondant on?
and if (obviously) the honey is for the bees why worry about it getting 'tainted' with OA?
if the super is virtually empty, there won't be much honey in there to 'taint' and again, no point in removing

 

[user 819]

It isn't the time of year to be fiddling , as JBM says the warmest place will be at the top of the super and most likely they will be clustered there esp if the stores are there.
Heft the hive with roof removed and if it lifts easily feed fondant above the cluster in the super.

 

[madasafish]

Which is why I always nadir supers.

 

[BernardBlack]

good chance there could be bees up there - so ripping off the super could break the cluster
if the super is full of honey, why would you want to put fondant on?
and if (obviously) the honey is for the bees why worry about it getting 'tainted' with OA?
if the super is virtually empty, there won't be much honey in there to 'taint' and again, no point in removing

Fondant was temporary, until I put the super back on.

The bees will probably end up with the honey that’s there (it does still feel quite full), but I was just concerned in case I was to use the same frames in future, and didn’t know if extracting honey from frames that were treated with OA was safe to eat.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I was just concerned in case I was to use the same frames in future, and didn’t know if extracting honey from frames that were treated with OA was safe to eat.

perfectly safe - if I was in your position I'd just crack on and trickle with the super in situ (I've done it in the past when helping at an association apiary when a non thinking beekeeper was in charge)

 

[BernardBlack]

Which is why I always nadir supers.

In order to move the stores up into the Brood Box above it?

 

[madasafish]

In order to move the stores up into the Brood Box above it?

Two or rather three reasons:
Move stores up.
My hives are on open stands. We get very windy weather at times and lots of rain, so anything that reduces turbulence inside the B box is a good thing (often swirling winds )
Storage: I store supers outside in 12 or so high stacks.. Don't really have space/stands for more --see also windy comments.

Not had an issue with wasps due to supers being underneath .. although weak colonies don't overwinter here due to autumn wasps (which also decimate mating mini nucs in August)