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effects on the longevity and prolificacy of queens in hives submitted to OAV

1K views 7 replies 6 participants last post by  mac 
#1 ·
I am looking for information / studies on possible negative effects on the longevity and prolificacy of queens in hives submitted to successive treatments with OAV. I have not yet found information focused on this aspect. Thank you for your help.
 
#3 ·
I already google and found nothing focused on this subject. My attention to this aspect emerged after reading this: "As the use of acids has increased so far, there are major events now, especially among the acid vaporizing crowd. There is a big reason most commercial operations requeen 60% or more of their apiary in any year…" in one of the comments of this post https://honeybeesuite.com/using-oxalic-acid-vaporization-when-brood-is-present/. From what I have read so far I have seen nothing to support this opinion but may have escaped relevant information.
 
#4 ·
I already google and found nothing focused on this subject.
Perhaps because it isn't a issue ?

My attention to this aspect emerged after reading this: "As the use of acids has increased so far, there are major events now, especially among the acid vaporizing crowd. There is a big reason most commercial operations requeen 60% or more of their apiary in any year…" in one of the comments of this post https://honeybeesuite.com/using-oxalic-acid-vaporization-when-brood-is-present/. From what I have read so far I have seen nothing to support this opinion but may have escaped relevant information.
I'm surprised you took so much notice of that particular TF rant, which he starts off by stating: "As the use of acids has increased so have queen events" - without a shred of evidence to support this. Even if this should be true - correlation ought never to be confused with causation.

I've been using VOA for well over 10 years now and many of my breeder queens live for 4 or 5 years - but then, they only head the smallest of colonies. In contrast, commercial operators tend to run very large colonies, and so it ought not to come as a surprise that their production queens need replacing frequently. But this won't be of any interest to a TF beekeeper who has already decided to discredit Oxalic Acid Vapourisation at every possible opportunity.
LJ
 
#5 ·
I'm getting 3 or 4 years from my queens, and I have been using OAV since at least 2016, I'm not seeing any issues. Better than losing a hive to mites, and what I've read about strips, particularly in the high temps we have here, I'm not changing my methods
 
#6 ·
We know that the ingestion of oxalic acid by bees has negative effects on their longevity. I know that OAV does not promote acid intake. However successive OAV treatments are likely to increase the acidity and presence of oxalic acid in honey and nectar present inside the hive. The bees will feed the queen with this raw material. Can the ingestion of this more acidified food over several months by the queen have any negative effect on its longevity, similar to what happens in a faster and more visible way in the bees when they are treated by the OAD technique? This question "side effects of OA" was put to me by some readers of my blog and I have no answer for it. In my research I found the observation that I quoted, but which also seemed to me ideologically despised. I thought it would be best to put this question in BS and that's what I did. Thank you for the input of everyone so far and for any others that may arise.
 
#7 ·
Eduardo, I can tell you that I treat my hives with OAV around 12 times a year and sure I will lose a queen here and there but show me any apiaries that do not. I also have had a 3 year old queen in an observation hive who has had about 36 treatments. She has just been superceded so I guess we will have some say it was because of OA, funny thing there were 2 queens in the observation hive for about 2 months before I found the old lady in front of the entrance.
Johno
 
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