What to do with Supers that were on when treated with OA

[colintinto]

Just been in at the bees today.

My strongest colony seems to be doing well. I added a super full of drawn comb to the top last Friday but so far the bees haven't touched it.

When I got this colony it was a BB plus two supers, with no QE, so there was brood all over the place come spring. It was also badly infested with Varroa. The queen was found and placed in the BB, and a QE fitted, then treated with Oxcalic Acid by sublimation - while the two supers were in place.

I'm wary about extracting anything from the 2 supers that were on during treatment - am I right to leave them? They are getting quite full now, which is why I added another.

Should I clear them and take them off to encourage the bees to use the new super? Could they be stored and put back on for the bees at the end of the season? Put the new super just above the BB?

I could still see us getting a cold spell up here (was close to freezing last night), so I don't want to leave them with no stores right now

Colin

 

[Erichalfbee]

Colin,
you can't sell honey contaminated with oxalic.
There's no reason you can't just pop the frames into the freezer and let the bees have them back after your autumn thymol Tx.
If they are capped you might be able to store them out of the freezer but I'm not sure.
If they are filling the frames with nectar and you want some honey this year then it makes sense to give them unadulterated frames.
As far as a short cold snap is concerned there would surely be enough stores in the brood frames for a few days of inclement weather.

 

[Easy Beesy]

Pretty sure ox acid doesn't contaminate honey by dribbling method. But i'm confused by 'sublimating'. I used to freeze dry vaccine by sublimating it but I don't know how you sublimate ox A?

 

[colintinto]

Still a newbee, but as far as I know it's Oxcalic acid crystals that are placed on a hotplate. They then vapourise, and the vapour re-crystallises on the bees, allegedly killing 95% of the mites (outside sealed brood)

 

[mbc]

When oxalic acid vapour condenses it forms very fine crystals which I believe can cause problems for lungs if breathed or kidneys if ingested, however these very fine crystals will very quickly dissolve and the acid will get diluted when exposed to air with any moisture in it ( or honey/nectar ) so unless you sublimed this morning and want to eat honey this afternoon I wouldnt worry, use the supers as per, and forget they were on when you sublimed.
This is just an opinion so dont sue me when you choke !

 

[Rosti]

Colin, if you are relatively new and so have limited resources then I would reckon that your drawn super comb is worth as much to you as the honey in them and certainly should not be tied up as storage for autumn feed.

I would extract them, put the honey to one side and then use in place of sugar to make up syrup as required. I would then get those valuable drawn frames back in to service pronto.

I agree with other posters. I would not knowingly sell or consume honey exposed to OA.

 

[mbc]

dont eat onions either or lambs which may have been exposed to car exhaust fumes or any vegetables exposed to acid rain

 

[oliver90owner]

Less than one gram, I would suggest remains in the hive. Of that far more would be on the brood frames. Oxalic acid occurs naturally in honey, anyway. Given a suitable dilution with other honey I would suspect the oxalic level is unoticeable from the natural base load. Check out honey composition and do a few sums.

Regards, RAB

 

[Hivemaker.]

You may never be able to use any honey from that hive again,as long as they have the same brood combs,because bee's often dump nectar there before moving it up to the supers.....doomed..

 

[colintinto]

I'm not convinced that the supers have that much honey in them anyway.

I had a look and some of it looks more like it's still got sugar syrup stored in it. Would this be possible at this point in the season? I did feed them a fair bit in the autumn.

Some drawn super comb would certainly come in handy. I have a pile of old kit, including maybe another 2 spare supers of drawn combs, however the combs are old and have been stored with the wax moths...

We try to avoid chemicals on our veg patch and fruit trees as much as possible, and while I'm starting to realise that 100% 'natural' bee-keeping might be a bit of a push, I'd rather not take the chance of ingesting more than my fair share of oxcalic acid on my toast in the morning.

Colin