Vmblaster4/27/2021
But the whole point of applying oxalic acid in winter is to use the broodless window to kill the most mites.Debbie, a newer beekeeper who reported the incident to me, explained that she accompanied a seasoned beekeeper to his apiary to learn about applying oxalic acid with a vaporizer.It was hectic trying to get the boxes apart and watering the hive down to stop the flames.He would not permit me to clean up the hive; he just put the hive back together, dead bees and all, and said the bees will fix the hive.
If it was my hive, I would have cleaned it out, checked to see if the queen was still alive, etc. I would not just shut it up and leave the bees devastated as they were. The bees actually attack the rod when its hot, touch it, and the end just burns them up. I even asked the guy about why he thought the bees would attack something so hot. The one guy I went with got a good whiff, and I had to catch him; he almost fell over. I think one is supposed to wear a respirator, as breathing in these fumes causes one to cough and gag, and inside it probably does more harm to the lungs. I tried to watch the way the wind was blowing and then stand on the other side. In addition, many who dont actually ignite the hive manage to scorch the frames and burn some bees. It seems that burr comb hanging down below the frames is the main problem. Such wax is easily lit by the hot metal vaporizer and explodes into flame. This reduces the fire danger because there is no wax comb above the hot plate. It is so man-like to want big, powerful, macho equipment to do a wee little job. ![]() More hazards. Yay One guy told me, Some catch fire. Vmblaster How To Do ItBefore my first application, I stalled around forever, obsessing over how to do it properly. Then I saw the video of Margaret Cowley of Bee Craft Magazine applying an oxalic acid dribble to her bees. She made it so drop-dead simple that all my hesitation disappeared. The biggest drawback, apparently, is that it doesnt look very macho. The dribble method works because bees communicate and groom by touching each other. The latest research I read suggests that vapor may be slightly more efficacious. But my opinion is the slight benefit is offset by the many negatives. That means you need to apply it in the dead of winter when its too cold to open the hives. But with a few exceptions for particularly cold places, I dont see much problem with opening a hive for a couple of minutes in winter.
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