Datant Sucrose Octanoate

[Axtmann]

Datant Sucrose Octanoate

The octanoate acid Datant is testing in Florida is not a new discovery. This acid is in plants like tobacco and has to be added to preserve food; it is a natural acid like oxalic acid that is in most of the vegetables.
It also destroyed the miteÂ’s body from the outside (contact). This acid has been tested in a German beekeeping institute approx 12 years ago like the other natural acids (lactic acid, formic acid, oxalic acid).
Octanoate acid is not penetrating the wax and canÂ’t kill the Varroa inside the closed cells like oxalic acid. The different is, octanoate acid is liquid brown acid and not a crystal.
To kill Varroa mites with octanoate acid you have to spray each frame site, 3 or 4 times 7 day apart.
A similar treatment like oxalic acid but the different is you can vaporize OA crystals during the summer and in the brood free wintertime. There is no hive opening and frame moving necessary.
I think it is not possible to treat the colonies with octanoate during the brood free time, who wants to open a hive and moving frames when bees sitting in a cluster?
I think you canÂ’t buy the octanoate acid in a hardware store as a good wood cleaner like oxalic acid and this is very good for the Company!
IÂ’m almost sure the price for octanoate is high and you canÂ’t get it for approx 2 cent per treatment.

[denise_ky]

I was sent a sample of this after talking to Jerry Hayes , who works for Dadant. This formula is also meant to kill the tracheal mite, as I understand it. Part of the compound,small enough not to hurt the bee, is breathed in by the bee and suffocates the tracheal mite.
I haven't used the sample yet. It is labor intensive and I believe it is meant more for the hobbyist than the commercial beekeeper.
Denise

[AstroBee]

If you would, please tell us more, like why is it so labor intensive to apply? How is it applied? What form is it applied in (liquid, powder, etc)? I'm very curious about this possible solution to our mite problems.

[Axtmann]

<<<<<<<<If you would, please tell us more, like why is it so labor intensive to apply? How is it applied? What form is it applied in (liquid, powder, etc)? I'm very curious about this possible solution to our mite problems.>>>>>>

AstroBee please read my article and you will find ALL answers!

[AstroBee]

My appologies!! I'm having a brain-dead day.

[denise_ky]

Another alternative, instead of buyingwaiting for this when it's available, is to use wintergreen oil in sugar water. A fellow beekeeper in Louisiana uses this method for varroa. He sprays each frame of bees with a light mist, 3 times at 7 day intervals. The only thing is I don't know if or how it affects the tracheal mite. i wonder if you could use a blender to blend in a bit of olive oil and then mist it? The key is to have that lipid (fat/oil) to suffocate the TM. This sounds like something we should get Daisy to try and report back!
Denise

[Michael Bush]

>Another alternative, instead of buying waiting for this when it's available, is to use wintergreen oil in sugar water. A fellow beekeeper in Louisiana uses this method for varroa. He sprays each frame of bees with a light mist, 3 times at 7 day intervals. The only thing is I don't know if or how it affects the tracheal mite. i wonder if you could use a blender to blend in a bit of olive oil and then mist it? The key is to have that lipid (fat/oil) to suffocate the TM. This sounds like something we should get Daisy to try and report back!

Sounds like too much work to me. Why not add the wintergreen to FGMO and fog it? Taking every frame of brood out every seven days sounds like way too much work.