Spring Vaping Ox Acid – A query

[Spikedog]

Can Oxy Vapers please advise. I Vape Ox Acid on or about January 1st annually. This time as the colony is anticipated to be brood free i.e., no sealed brood protecting mites under the wax (This is in reality approximate brood free). My understanding is that Ex Acid is harmful to brood. I am considering MAQS for Spring treatment (where required). I note many members vape as mite fall demands across the season, with a regularity to “hit” emerging mites. So question: Is Oxycelic Acid harmful to unsealed brood? Is another treatment (where required) preferable in early Spring? Obliged for opinions.

 

[Millet]

OA vaper is totally safe for brood, i have done many vapes over the past three seasons in late summer i treat 4 x every five days and not had one single casualty apart from dead varroa, the same can not be said for apilife var that i used in 2015 that treatment killed many young brood.

 

[birdsandbees]

I repeat treated mine in the autumn, three vapes at around five days between, specifically because they had brood, no ill effects seen, the only losses I've encountered have been the odd bees cooked in the pan or which have stung the cloths used to seal up, all have come through winter okay.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Vaping is safe as the other two have said. Much better than MAQS killing your queen before drones are about. I’m doing an accelerated drop on most of mine in a few weeks

 

[Stedic]

At the risk of drifting off topic...

I've seen a lot of mentions of accelerated drops in spring. Can someone explain what is meant by this? Are talking about a single hit vape to reduce the phonetic population of adult mites?

 

[Erichalfbee]

At the risk of drifting off topic...

I've seen a lot of mentions of accelerated drops in spring. Can someone explain what is meant by this? Are talking about a single hit vape to reduce the phonetic population of adult mites?

It’s a single hit vape to measure your mite load. It will reduce the phoretic mites by about 97% according to some but that is not its purpose. If your colony is brooding 80% of the mites are in the brood so you multiply your 24 hour drop by five which gives you the mite load in the hive. You can then decide whether to continue vaping or leave treatment for some future date. Varroa numbers double every 3/4 weeks and your critical level is 1000. You can use any fast acting miticide and even sugardusting will do but according to Randy Oliver sugar knocks down only 50 % so you have to adjust your calculations

 

[Spikedog]

Many thanks to Millet (not first time), B&B and E 1/2 B for clarification and the further enlightenment re Accelerated Drop. Off to charge the battery - Best, P

 

[Millet]

Just noticed BB mentioned cooking bees in the pan of the vaporizer, i vape from the back of the hive under the open mesh floor which stops bees from killing themselves, i have made a modified inspection tray with a slot cut out of the back so the vaporizer can slide in on top of the inspection tray, you just need to add a little more product in the pan to compensate for it crystallizing on the underside of the mesh floor.

 

[birdsandbees]

Just noticed BB mentioned cooking bees in the pan of the vaporizer, i vape from the back of the hive under the open mesh floor which stops bees from killing themselves, i have made a modified inspection tray with a slot cut out of the back so the vaporizer can slide in on top of the inspection tray, you just need to add a little more product in the pan to compensate for it crystallizing on the underside of the mesh floor.

I do use a tray for Vaping Nucs, they sit on top while vaping, I tend to do the hives through the entrance as I prefer the OA to spread through the hive without the restriction of the mesh floor as there's always quite a lot that gets stuck on the mesh, it's only one or two that get fried so I can live with that off set against the better distribution.

 

[Millet]

I do use a tray for Vaping Nucs, they sit on top while vaping, I tend to do the hives through the entrance as I prefer the OA to spread through the hive without the restriction of the mesh floor as there's always quite a lot that gets stuck on the mesh, it's only one or two that get fried so I can live with that off set against the better distribution.

A member on here cooked his Queen last year..i think it is much safer going under the mesh floor as i would be gutted if i fried the Queen, the amount that gathers on the mesh is minimal and easily cleaned away and imo from the lack of mites i have at the moment it gets distributed around the hive very well.

 

[Spikedog]

Interesting – I can front load a few hives and have taken a few fried ladies, not many. However, hive designs are differing across the apiary and most lend themselves to manipulation from the rear under the mesh. New point of interest – I note in Thornes catalogue 2018 a facility for Top Vaping i.e., a multipurpose eek with a facility to take a vaporiser onto the top bars and is lauding (marketing) the efficiency of vapour spread/coverage. Leaving aside costs of said eek– Any views on top v bottom vaping? Perhaps a new thread!

 

[Hivemaker.]

Any views on top v bottom vaping?

More effective from the top.

 

[Millet]

More effective from the top.

Do you use a sublimox type vaporizer when vaping from the top or do you use a standard heater plug/pan type, with the heated pan type i would be worried about burning the bees and the top of the frames.

 

[madasafish]

Do you use a sublimox type vaporizer when vaping from the top or do you use a standard heater plug/pan type, with the heated pan type i would be worried about burning the bees and the top of the frames.

I have not tried it at the top but if I did, I would use an eke with an entry hole for the handle and placed the vaporiser itself on top of a piece of thin plywood covered with thin aluminium foil - of the type found in takeaway reheat meals and not the rolls of flexible cooking foil - which will tear - used to prevent the wood burning. (Wood to prevent burning the top bars/killing bees on the bars).

Cheap and simple...

 

[Erichalfbee]

Do you use a sublimox type vaporizer when vaping from the top or do you use a standard heater plug/pan type, with the heated pan type i would be worried about burning the bees and the top of the frames.

I use a sublimox from the back just above the omf through a pre drilled hole to take the sublimox nozzle. HM warmed me the vapour is hot and to be careful of frying the queen. My frames are warm way so I’m hoping it’s quite unlikely the queen would be on a back frame near the floor. Just in case though I will give the bees a puff from the smoker under the omf at the back.

 

[charlievictorbravo]

Interesting – I can front load a few hives and have taken a few fried ladies, not many. However, hive designs are differing across the apiary and most lend themselves to manipulation from the rear under the mesh. New point of interest – I note in Thornes catalogue 2018 a facility for Top Vaping i.e., a multipurpose eek with a facility to take a vaporiser onto the top bars and is lauding (marketing) the efficiency of vapour spread/coverage. Leaving aside costs of said eek– Any views on top v bottom vaping? Perhaps a new thread!

Do not forget that one big advantage of vaping from UNDER the open mesh floor is that there is not disturbance to the bees - apart from the cloud of OA vapour wafting around. There's no mucking about poking the heating pan through the entrance (I use under floor entrances so I cannot vape via the entrance anyway) or having to remove the roof and crown board and add a modified eke and solid crown board to vape from the top and then reversing all that when you're finished.

OK, you need with vaping from under the OMF a little more OA ingredient to cater for what condenses on the OMF but it's not the end of the world to use a little extra to account for this.

CVB

 

[deemann1]

How many grams do u use per vape

 

[sean-a]

I noticed a load of bees crowding out of the hive last time I vaped (under the OMF)
Could this be because I overdid the OA dose?

 

[Erichalfbee]

How many grams do u use per vape

I used to use 3g under a 14x12

 

[Millet]

I used to use 3g under a 14x12

I don't even weigh it now, i have a good idea how much is needed with a little tub i use, it maybe over or under at times depending on how compressed it is , either way the Varroa don't like it and it does not bother the bees or brood one bit..