Is Oxalic Acid Vaporization an effective Varroa Mite Treatment in August?

In this episode I explain why Oxalic Acid Vaporization is not an effective method for controlling varroa mites during the warm months of August.

[gregkolodziej]

Much needed August advice for hobby beekeeper

[mab]

I just started using my InstantVap so I'm a novice at this, but since OAV is a contact treatment the effectiveness is driven by 3 factors: dosage, application interval, and application span. I think we all now know 1g per hive is ineffective and 2-3g is the sweet spot. The study really highlights application span of 20+ days to get the full incubation cycle is required. I also think the fog really only coats the surface of the cells and effectiveness of distributon is up to the bees moving about in their daily routine. Along a similar vein, you definitely need an interval short enough to treat from emergence through capping of every cell in the hive. True effectiveness requires bees to physcally enter all brood cells in the hive to distribute the OA and eliminate hiding spots. I had pretty bad mites this year so i went 4 day interval for 20 days giving me 23-24 days of active coverage. It's also way over 100 here, so OA is really my only option right now. Love to see a repeat of the test at 3, 4, and 5 days to see max effective interval. .

[Trinityoaksfarms]

I like the 1-2 punch in the summer. A couple rounds of apiguard in hot weather and dearth will really shut the queens down and then come back a week later and hit with oa vape. Very little capped brood if the timing is right. Then start feeding to get them rolling heavy again into the fall.

[glennsnaturalhoney]

I'm lucky in that I can usually find a few days during honey pull when Temps allow using formic pro. Supers off, formic on.

[stephenstarner]

Always enjoy watching your video's. I listen a lot and reply very rarely. If you are ever in the south charlotte would love to talk with you over a cold water right now....

[kathyhathaway]

Hello Hello very informative. I have been using OAV for years an have been getting great results with it an YES it all boils down to time . Do not know the percentage of bee keepers in NC but I would guess most are smaller scale bee keepers. I do my treatments every five to seven days apart. So it really takes around the same time total with Apiguard or Apivar or OAV . It is just if each person has the time. The money to purchase your equipment at the start is a little hi with the OAV but after that the cost per treatment per box per year is a lot cheaper to do in the long run . So everyone needs to look at there own operation size an time they have . For me after I get set up it takes around a minute or two to do each treatment. Just a thought. Keep up your videos we enjoy your content. THANKS

[stevenaamos]

Thanks for putting this out, I like OA but it is limited.

[GrillingNetwork]

I am in agreement with a comment made earlier, it all boils down to time. So it’s not that its not a good / effective treatment, because it still is… it’s just another method to treat for mites… 😅 I get where you are coming from with 500 hives, and multiple treatments, it would take forever to treat with OA. Great informative video!! Keep them coming!! -SUBSCRIBED

[nszucs]

Doing very similar things here in Ohio. Formic is my main go-to though. I am using a little bit of apigard on the smaller colonies with a 25 g dose. I may be allegedly using OA with the pads.

[fuzzynuggetsbees]

Thanks Ashby! Your videos are very helpful.

[georgeboyer]

For me that works the best is OAV. spring .august and late winter . Apiguard to hot and to late in the year and Apivar not so good it did not do nothing i think i got a bad batch with my expense. I see your point when you have 500 pulse hives for me only 30 hives

[bowsavage]

We treated with 25g on our hives and one of them is bearding like crazy. We are small time and only have 6 hives. Now let me say that this is by far my strongest hive and it just had a population explosion. I don't think we ran them out but it worries me because we are planning a second dose in 10 days as well. We are only a couple miles from you so the hot weather I'm sure plays a role. I'm looking forward to colder weather.

[brucesbees]

Good stuff Ashby. I hit mine with OAV for 2 or 3 treatments about a week apart with the understanding that it would hopefully help keep the mites in check. But now have applied Apivar and I think that will take them into the winter bee season as you mention. Overall testing always pretty good. I treated everything except a few VSH type bees that I am try out and se large production colonies that are bringing in cotton honey that o plan to harvest. Hitting them with OAV until I pull honey if I decide to do that. I did hit them with Formic Pro back in the spring and they are looking quite good. Haven’t tested them lately though. Thoughts?

[jimjim]

When a mite test is done the numbers are counted based on exposed mites on nurse bees not the number of mites under cappings, unless you actually pull capped brood. The effectiveness of the treatment is also counted that way. It is an interesting point that a 5 mite count in August could mean 3 times the mite load of a 5 count in May and that the post check may be misleading. Freezing some drone comb in August would make a lot of sense.

[loudounhoney]

What dosage was that every other day trial? We all know 1g per box doesn't do anything, even if you hit it 20x. I do 2.5g/box every 4 days and can turn the corner with 4-5 treatments. It does take seemingly FOREVER, even at 45 sec/hive... but that's probably just the respirator in August talking...

[DewBee]

What is your mixture! I don’t use vegetable oil! What is your ratio of oa glycerin and oil! Do u use water??

[johnhudson]

We’re seeing temps above 100 degrees Fahrenheit here in Texas. Should I wait for the aqigaurd? BTW nothing like a cold Miller Lite on a hot summer day.😅

[daverowden-RowdyBeeFarms]

Does that lite beer help you knock down mite numbers?

[Steele_Wings]

I OA treated all july after pulling honey off in June. I treated 5 weeks every 7 days. Too hot for phormic acid. Charlotte NC. Apivar has been a fail over last 2 years. I lose hives due to bees absconding because of high mite load.

[cpac]

Cant you break the brood cycle for a weekand use OA?