Oxalic acid Treatment works for removing black water spots and tannin stains. Use on unfinished or stripped wood. Also used for varroa mite control. One pound canister.
How can Oxalic Acid Treatments be applied?
- Drip / Trickle / Dribble method
- Vaporizer / Vaporization method
- Spray / Misting method
Drip / Trickle / Dribble method:
“The trickle or solution method is taking the acid and mixing it with a warm 1:1 sugar-to-water solution. Next, the solution is drawn into a oxalic acid dribble syringe and 5 ml is trickled (the scientific term for “dribbly drop”) down the seam between each frame and directly onto the bees; the maximum dose is 50 ml per colony (5mls per seam). It doesn’t matter whether it is a nuc or a hive with a single or multiple brood chamber, but use a reduction in dosage for smaller colonies obviously.”
Vaporizer / Vaporization method:
“The vaporizer method is only to be used on colonies outdoors. And, whatever you do, do not inhale the vapor! Basically, you use a vaporizer which is a metal wand with a plate at one end and a cord that connects to a battery at the other end. One gram of oxalic acid is placed on the metal plate. The plate is then slid into the entrance of the colony. The entrance opening and any other cracks and crevices are then sealed with the vaporizer in place to avoid the gas from escaping.
Once connected to a battery, the heat from the plate causes the oxalic crystals to melt and turn into a gas (sublime). The vapor will permeate the hive. When it contacts the mites, it kills them. Each vaporizer is different. Some take only a few minutes to activate the acid, while others take a little longer. Since you don’t have to open the colony in order to treat, this seems to be the easier of the two methods to implement, especially on cold, rainy days.”
Spray / Misting method:
“You can also spray (mist) packages or swarms. Over the last few years, we’ve followed this protocol to ensure that we’re starting our research projects with mite-free bees. Once the packages arrived, we placed them in a cool, dark location in the lab for 24 hours to cluster the bees.
Several hours prior to applying the oxalic solution, we spray the bees with a 1:1 sugar solution to fill their honey stomachs and reduce ingestion of the upcoming oxalic treatment. Next, we mix the oxalic acid in a 1:1 sugar water solution and evenly apply the solution to the bees.”
For the full text of the above quotes see Jennifer Berry’s article in Bee Culture, May 25, 2015.
