Vaporising Oxyalic Acid Against Varroa

[Erichalfbee]

Maybe someone needs to take lessons in climatology?

I think he means that the climate in Britain is the same everywhere.

 

[Finman]

I think he means that the climate in Britain is the same everywhere.

That is as clever idea as " all British are same looking".

He means not. He means that Britain has Britain's climate. Climate does not follow the borders of state. You should know that.

And he means that climatology does not make you better beekeeper.

When you say that Scotland and Wales have different climate, how much more you get honey to your hive?
.
And then we have such term like microclimate. That is good to understand in beekeeping, where you put your hives to produce honey.

.

 

[rugbee]

Ooooooh I think I may have to use that quote elsewhere. Glad to have a Fin confirm we have different climates

But yes - brood breaks are one issue for us, that's why vaping has become more attractive, as even if we don't get a brood break we can vape three times over a three week period to zap all of the mites. It's starting to look like replacing thymol treatment for a lot of us as it's far cheaper if you have a fair number of hives.

So what other treatment are you using in the active season if not thymol or similar
OA kills mites I'm sure not a treatment I use but I can't see in any way three treatments in the winter is ever going to be more economic

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

OA kills mites I'm sure not a treatment I use but I can't see in any way three treatments in the winter is ever going to be more economic

oxalic acid can be bought for as low as £5.00 a kilo, that's a hapenny a gram - let's say we're erring on the side of caution and one dose for one hive is 2.5 grams - that's 1.25 pence per treatment per hive. Notwithstanding the initial outlay (£40.00 for a fleabay cheapo or £100.00 for a Varrox) and Apiguard retailing at approximately £5.40 for one full treatment, it doesn't take some idiot with a degree to work out the economics.
OK I have quite a few hives, so my 'savings' on my initial foray has covered the cost of a Varrox and a lifetime's supply of OA with still a few quid in my sky rocket.
You can use it in the 'active' season when three vapings may be necessary to cover the mite's emerging cycle. I'd be happy doing one vape in the winter as per OA trickling, but if you're one of these with a compulsive obsession when it comes to counting mites (probably due to ineptness in treating during the autumn) you can opt for a three treatment cycle in the winter as well. Even so, that means an annual cost per hive per annum of seven and a half pence (or 15 pence if you go with the crowd and pay £10.00 a kilo for your crystals)
Plus no need to get stressed about wanting to get the honey off when the bees are foraging well into September as you want to get the apiguard on before it gets too cold and you need four weeks for the treatment (not to mention everything stinking of Thymol)
I think the term 'no brainer' comes to mind

 

[Cussword]

oxalic acid can be bought for as low as £5.00 a kilo, that's a hapenny a gram - let's say we're erring on the side of caution and one dose for one hive is 2.5 grams - that's 1.25 pence per treatment per hive. Notwithstanding the initial outlay (£40.00 for a fleabay cheapo or £100.00 for a Varrox) and Apiguard retailing at approximately £5.40 for one full treatment, it doesn't take some idiot with a degree to work out the economics.
OK I have quite a few hives, so my 'savings' on my initial foray has covered the cost of a Varrox and a lifetime's supply of OA with still a few quid in my sky rocket.
You can use it in the 'active' season when three vapings may be necessary to cover the mite's emerging cycle. I'd be happy doing one vape in the winter as per OA trickling, but if you're one of these with a compulsive obsession when it comes to counting mites (probably due to ineptness in treating during the autumn) you can opt for a three treatment cycle in the winter as well. Even so, that means an annual cost per hive per annum of seven and a half pence (or 15 pence if you go with the crowd and pay £10.00 a kilo for your crystals)
Plus no need to get stressed about wanting to get the honey off when the bees are foraging well into September as you want to get the apiguard on before it gets too cold and you need four weeks for the treatment (not to mention everything stinking of Thymol)
I think the term 'no brainer' comes to mind

 

[Quis Custodiet]

Pleasant it is to note that the cockney language, even if not spoken, is at least understood in Wales!

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Pleasant it is to note that the cockney language, even if not spoken, is at least understood in Wales!

I think my favourite is Jack and Danny - followed by a gypsy's kiss and an Eartha Kitt or pony and trapp with maybe an oily rag to settle the nerves .

 

[rugbee]

oxalic acid can be bought for as low as £5.00 a kilo, that's a hapenny a gram - let's say we're erring on the side of caution and one dose for one hive is 2.5 grams - that's 1.25 pence per treatment per hive. Notwithstanding the initial outlay (£40.00 for a fleabay cheapo or £100.00 for a Varrox) and Apiguard retailing at approximately £5.40 for one full treatment, it doesn't take some idiot with a degree to work out the economics.
OK I have quite a few hives, so my 'savings' on my initial foray has covered the cost of a Varrox and a lifetime's supply of OA with still a few quid in my sky rocket.
You can use it in the 'active' season when three vapings may be necessary to cover the mite's emerging cycle. I'd be happy doing one vape in the winter as per OA trickling, but if you're one of these with a compulsive obsession when it comes to counting mites (probably due to ineptness in treating during the autumn) you can opt for a three treatment cycle in the winter as well. Even so, that means an annual cost per hive per annum of seven and a half pence (or 15 pence if you go with the crowd and pay £10.00 a kilo for your crystals)
Plus no need to get stressed about wanting to get the honey off when the bees are foraging well into September as you want to get the apiguard on before it gets too cold and you need four weeks for the treatment (not to mention everything stinking of Thymol)
I think the term 'no brainer' comes to mind

Wow you have a lot to say l take it by this and the editing of what I said that you just advocate OA based on somewhat slanted costing
I really don't care much about the cost of it as I did say I don't and am unlikely to use it I did say economic as there are other costs, going round sites in the winter ,it is an extra cost for me let alone three times
My apiguard treatment does not cost me any where near that and I do it whilst going round not as extra
Using one type of treatment is not the way forward without mentioning that you should now be using the registered product I certainly don't think it's a treatment to use out side the winter or with supers on so stressed or not that you can't get your supers off in time using it in the active season is not to be promoted
One treatment in the winter is not sufficient for the season and mite numbers should be reduced in the autumn
I don't think I'm an obsessive mite counter especially as I don't ever count them I can't comment on your ineptness in your Autumn treatment
Three winter treatments not for me but you may have to if you don't treat in the autumn with a suitable method

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Three winter treatments not for me but you may have to if you don't treat in the autumn with a suitable method

You seem to have a lot of nothing to say in fact - most of your ramblings seem to be surmise based on non facts and very selective (or slapdash) reading - nowhere did I say that I vaped three times in the winter, nor did I say I don't treat in the autumn.
But it's obvious you've just waded in here to pick a fight, something I have no desire to partake in. So let's leave it at that shall we?

 

[Hivemaker.]

I also treat involving my normal autumn apiary visits, which are to treat and some feeding, Thymol products such as Apiguard or Apilife-var for instance are obviously way more expensive than a few grams of oxalic.

With either kind of treatment, oxalic or thymol based, a similar amount of visits are needed to the apiaries to treat, and a similar time taken to do the treatments when there, with either kind of treatment, down side of the thymol based treatments could be queens put off lay, or too cold for the treatment to be as effective as needed, neither of which would be the case with the oxalic treatment, and then of course the oxalic can be used again in winter, or spring, or both, if needed.

But thymol in the right conditions at the right time is still a good treatment, just more expensive.

 

[Millet]

I think my favourite is Jack and Danny - followed by a gypsy's kiss and an Eartha Kitt or pony and trapp with maybe an oily rag to settle the nerves .

.

I'm cream cracked now but I still have time to beat the meat I need to go to bed now though as I have something in my mice pie..

 

[Quis Custodiet]

Crackered, not cracked. If one might be impertinent enough to presume to effect a correction!

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Pleasant it is to note that the cockney language, even if not spoken, is at least understood in Wales!

I particularly like fiddling around with a handful of threepenny bits

And if I can't get my hands on any, I'll settle with my town halls

 

[drex]

Just checked my monitoring boards, having vaped for first time a few days ago. In all there was quite a pile of white dust in a blob ( where I assume the vapouriser was). I assume this is oxalic which the bees have dislodged. However am concerned that the vapour did not disperse that well in the hive. Followed instructions to the letter. Is this normal? Had a fair mite drop.

 

[Millet]

I have done mine a few times now and there's always a bit of white powder left on the inspection board, it gathers on my open mesh floor that's why i put more in the vaporizer than recommended, there's also another member of the forum that does the same for that reason, when i have played with the gassing equipment in the shed i know fine well that the vapor will get everywhere in the hive, i totally filled a 10ft x 8ft shed of 1g of the stuff and if it was on fire it would not have produced as much smoke..

 

[Erichalfbee]

having vaped for first time a few days ago....................................However am concerned that the vapour did not disperse that well in the hive. Followed instructions to the letter. Is this normal? Had a fair mite drop.

Your answer is in bold

 

[drex]

Your answer is in bold

???? Even with thymol I only get a fair drop ( cannot be doing with counting each and every mite). I vape above the omf. On checking there was a pile of white powder in one spot sitting on the inspection board. It was as if the OA had sublimated with much more ending up on the frames just above the vapouriser. I am sure it has worked OK, but just wanted to know if others found this. Seems millet is in accord, but I am just too thick to understand your reply. Sorry

 

[Erichalfbee]

Sorry, I meant that as you had a fair mite drop I'm sure the oxalic sublimated effectively. You're not thick....my reply was in shorthand.
I sometimes get a little pile of oxalic powder on the metal tray, around the varrox.
When the hives were treated in the autumn I lifted the crown board a little to see how quickly the vapour got to the top. I appreciate that i would have caused a little up drought this way but it was still pretty quick.

 

[drex]

Thanks erica

 

[fred scuttle]

With the Sublimox you can potentially sublimate/treat 30 hives in that time, although 20 is more reasonable, and all without opening the hives at all, but speed is not an issue with most beekeepers anyway.

After reading through this thread 'm going to give vaporising a try, is there a straightforward how two I should be following / recommended method, or is that being too optimistic? Thanks in advance