Study on the effectiveness of oxalic acid vapour to control varroa mites

[Alastair]

Experimental A. mellifera colonies were established in the summer months of 2019 & 2020 and maintained in two deep Langstroth hives on research lands maintained by the University of Georgia (UGA) Bee Lab in Watkinsville, GA and the Auburn University Bee Lab in Auburn, AL. Queens, with no specific genotype, were purchased from a commercial operation in North Georgia. Prior to the beginning of the experiment, colonies were assessed and only those that were healthy with productive queens were included. Colonies were not manipulated to be ‘standardized’ in size or brood area beyond all being maintained with equal hive space, so as to accurately capture the variation in colony metrics observed in real apiaries.

Assessing Repeated Oxalic Acid Vaporization in Honey Bee (Hymenoptera: Apidae) Colonies for Control of the Ectoparasitic Mite Varroa destructor

Abstract. The American beekeeping industry continually experiences colony mortality with annual losses as high as 43%. A leading cause of this is the exotic, ec

academic.oup.com

 

[Mummzie]

Its always good to see examination of concepts.
My take on this is that the legal dosage of vaporised OA in the USA is too small to be any use. Is that how others see it?

 

[Alastair]

They dosed at 1 gram per super per dose. That is the standard dosage worldwide for oxalic vaporization.

I have experimented with up to 4 times that dose rate and did not get any significant increase in kill of phoretic mites.

 

[CHCHPaul]

They dosed at 1 gram per super per dose. That is the standard dosage worldwide for oxalic vaporization.

I have experimented with up to 4 times that dose rate and did not get any significant increase in kill of phoretic mites.

I thought the latest research from the UoG indicates that 4g OAV for a double deep is now the recommended dose…?

 

[Alastair]

You may be right, perhaps I am not up with the latest research from the UoG. Whatever that is.

 

[Mummzie]

Whatever that is.

University of Guelph

 

[AdamD]

Thanks for the report, repeated vaping is something that some UK beekeepers use. Maybe its not so effective as they think!