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British Beekeepers Association Official Forum 

  • oxalic acid

  • General Q&A, Bee chat and only Bee chat please
General Q&A, Bee chat and only Bee chat please
 #9411  by Liam
 03 Nov 2020, 14:10
I found an old thread here that gave me a lot of information on vaporising and oxalic acid treatment but I couldn’t quite find the answers in regards to supers.

So, I know supers really should be off to treat but I'm leaving a super of honey mixed with syrup on over winter as my bees seem to consume rather a lot. I obviously do not intend on eating this. I will have to disturb my bees if I have to remove the super, so my question is:

If I do not intend of eating this honey from the super, can I leave it on to treat and just add an extra 1/2g of oxalic acid. I do however intend on trying to use the built comb next year in that super when it’s empty, will it taint the wax?.

Help appreciated, Thanks.

Ps the reason why I’m trying this treatment is because I originally treated with apiguard to the instructions and it worked well but my mite population suddenly has increased.
 #9412  by Steve 1972
 03 Nov 2020, 15:23
Go for it..you will not hurt anything orher than varroa and like you mentioned just add a little more to your vaporizer to help get it in both boxes..
 #9413  by Liam
 03 Nov 2020, 17:33
Great, thanks, it will save a lot of messing about clearing the bees from the super.
 #9414  by Alfred
 03 Nov 2020, 17:35
In public ,try to refer to it as "apibioxal" - the holier-than-thou won't get quite so offended.....
 #9418  by Liam
 04 Nov 2020, 12:01
Alfred wrote:In public ,try to refer to it as "apibioxal" - the holier-than-thou won't get quite so offended.....
Haha, yes I did read about that :lol:
 #9436  by thewoodgatherer
 08 Nov 2020, 13:31
I am offering to do a video for my local association but it looks as though the powers that be see vaporising as a big no no. Lots of ignorance, misconceptions and set in ways in the local clubs. I think the toxicity of the vapour is the main concern. People need to have some perspective. Using gloves and a tight fitting mask plus common sense of not standing within a cloud of vapour is all you need. It’s not cyanid and even an accidental whiff from distance is unluckily to have any negative effects once it’s diluted and in the few PPM. Oxalic acid is not just natural but we regularly consume it in our veg.
 #9437  by Ian123
 08 Nov 2020, 16:19
Don’t be surprised about your associations lack of enthusiasm the same thing happened with the use of oxalic trickle method. Quite frankly they should be the driving force For U.K. beeks for alternative treatments not a hinderance
 #9438  by NigelP
 08 Nov 2020, 17:44
Yup, I was told by my local association that I couldn't talk about OA (Apibioxal) vaporization as a method of varroa control, despite it being a legally recognised method.
Needless to say I resigned.
 #9450  by Liam
 10 Nov 2020, 08:16
Yes, I think to many people watch YouTube and see people doing it without protection, organic acid filtered masks. I guess it’s seen as a tricky subject to tackle as when vaporised is not good for us humans, so instinctively people think it’s harmful to bees.

One thing I do know is, I have a lot of dead mites on my bottom board and was far more effective than anything else I have used, no dead bees either.
 #9454  by Patrick
 10 Nov 2020, 16:49
Ian123 wrote:
08 Nov 2020, 16:19
Don’t be surprised about your associations lack of enthusiasm the same thing happened with the use of oxalic trickle method. Quite frankly they should be the driving force For U.K. beeks for alternative treatments not a hinderance
Odd they have a problem with trickling. I understand concern regarding vaping without PPE, but that only reinforces the need to ensure people are best informed about the use of vaping safely. Ignoring the topic entirely just leaves people to go their own way, likely buy the cheapest they can find on the internet and make their own minds up about spending more on quality PPE (if they even think of it at all) .

Experience of chainsaws suggests that many people buy the cheapest they can find and skip the PPE altogether.. enough to make your toes curl. If you have any toes left..