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Author Topic: Oxalic Acid "Sponge" treatment for 10 frame double deeps  (Read 4883 times)

Offline Lau

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Oxalic Acid "Sponge" treatment for 10 frame double deeps
« on: June 10, 2021, 03:50:57 pm »
A friend is inquiring about this treatment, and was wondering if the sponges would need to be set on the lower 10-frame deep or the top 10-frame deeps or both to treat his itchy mite problem...

Offline BeeMaster2

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Re: Oxalic Acid "Sponge" treatment for 10 frame double deeps
« Reply #1 on: June 11, 2021, 10:29:19 am »
Welcome to Beemaster.
I don?t use sponges to put Oxalic acid in my hives so no help here.
Maybe someone else can help.
Jim Altmiller
Democracy is 2 wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well armed lamb contesting the vote.
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Offline Beeboy01

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Re: Oxalic Acid "Sponge" treatment for 10 frame double deeps
« Reply #2 on: June 12, 2021, 04:34:09 pm »
Randy Oliver over at scientific beekeeping has some information on using shop towels, pads or small sponges for oxalic acid treatment. Here's a link. It hasn't been approved yet but the shop towel method looks promising.

http://scientificbeekeeping.com/oxalic-shop-towel-updates/ 

Offline rast

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Re: Oxalic Acid "Sponge" treatment for 10 frame double deeps
« Reply #3 on: June 13, 2021, 09:18:53 am »
  " It hasn't been approved yet but the shop towel method looks promising"
 For some reason the shop towel method has not performed well in 3 tests in high humidity  states, NC, Ga, and Fl.
Fools argue; wise men discuss.
    --Paramahansa Yogananda

Offline Beeboy01

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Re: Oxalic Acid "Sponge" treatment for 10 frame double deeps
« Reply #4 on: June 13, 2021, 02:37:47 pm »
Rast, Thanks for the update about high humidity. I would think a sponge would have the same problems in a humid environment.

Offline Lau

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Re: Oxalic Acid "Sponge" treatment for 10 frame double deeps
« Reply #5 on: June 16, 2021, 11:10:21 pm »
So, I read the scientific beekeeping articles. I guess, when you say its not approved? does that mean that it cant be used by commercial beekeepers only, or hobbyists as well?

Offline Ben Framed

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Re: Oxalic Acid "Sponge" treatment for 10 frame double deeps
« Reply #6 on: June 16, 2021, 11:14:00 pm »
Hi Lau, has your friend considered using Oxalic Vapor instead of  Oxalic sponge treatment?
2 Chronicles 7:14
14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

Offline Beeboy01

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Re: Oxalic Acid "Sponge" treatment for 10 frame double deeps
« Reply #7 on: June 19, 2021, 09:56:23 am »
"So, I read the scientific beekeeping articles. I guess, when you say its not approved? does that mean that it cant be used by commercial beekeepers only, or hobbyists as well?"  The sponge method of delivery hasn't had enough fields trials done to show whether it's effective for mite control without adverse effects on the hive. It's a use it at your own risk situation without a defined dosage that's been backed up by research.   

Online NigelP

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Re: Oxalic Acid "Sponge" treatment for 10 frame double deeps
« Reply #8 on: August 23, 2022, 02:28:46 pm »
Hi Lau, has your friend considered using Oxalic Vapor instead of  Oxalic sponge treatment?

Not quite sure if this is right thread for this but some recent research in US has shed a bit of doubt about efficacy of repeated 5 day intervals of vaporized OA as an effective varroa treatment when brood is present.

https://academic.oup.com/jinsectscience/article/22/1/15/6523139?login=false

"However, we did not find evidence that frequent periodic application of oxalic during brood-rearing periods is capable of bringing V. destructor populations below treatment thresholds".

Offline Ben Framed

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Re: Oxalic Acid "Sponge" treatment for 10 frame double deeps
« Reply #9 on: August 24, 2022, 08:06:32 am »
Nigel check out this topic: "Varroa checks"


Just one Topic of many, demonstrating another good example, loaded with good information concerning OAV treatments, (as well as other type mite treatments) which can be found here at Beemaster, such as the following example. The following was experimented with, researched, and posted by our very on member. "Coolbees"
 
Re: Varroa checks
<< Reply #14 on: July 19, 2021, 01:03:21 am >>

... Treatment day 1 then wait till day 7 retreat. The problem is Varroa exiting their capped cells between days 2 and 6....

I also do 3-day treatment cycles with OAV, for exactly the reason you state. Only, I usually try to treat 9 times (27 day total).

I did mite counts and sticky board drop counts on every hive during treatment - for 2 years. I collected all the data. Based on that data, I now: treat in August (once yearly) & don't count mites. This is what has worked for me, in my area. My bees don't get a brood break due to winter, but they do have a dearth from August till November.

My average mite drop counts would look like this (counted on the 3rd day after each treatment, just prior to the next treatment):
900
900
900
450
300
300
280
320
18

As you can see, the last 2 or 3 treatments seemed to catch a goodly qty of mites, before the drop counts really fell.

I know they say that OAV "stays effective" for 3 days, but my notes showed very little increase in mite drops after about 30 hours post-treatment. Suggesting to me that efficacy drops off quickly.

My data definitely has proven - to me - that a 7-day OAV treatment cycle would not work. Fwiw.

Ben Framed"quote"
"Thanks for sharing this Cool...  Good stuff!!"
« Last Edit: August 24, 2022, 09:12:34 am by Ben Framed »
2 Chronicles 7:14
14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

 

anything