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varroa question. NEED HELP

4K views 11 replies 8 participants last post by  Ucmd 
#1 ·
OK, i am a newbie and my two hives made it through the winter. we live in cincinnati ohio and we are still a few weeks from nectar flow. I was going through the hive for the first time this year and picked up some comb to look through. I have two deep boxes FULL of bees in both hives. Bees are active and taking sugar water. When I opened cells I was able to see VM on the larvae.

CAN A FEW PEOPLE CHIME IN AND LET ME KNOW WHAT TO DO. I HAVE NOT DONE A COUNT BUT AM QUITE SURE I HAVE A VM PROBLEM ON THE WAY.
 
#8 ·
No, OAD is basically a one shot application in the fall during the broodless period. Reason being, that the bees ingest the OA in the syrup and it does set them back. You don't want to do multiple treatments of OAD on the SAME bees.
Now you could do multiple applications of OAV to kill the phoretic mites and those mites that emerge with the brood as OAV does not harm the bees, but I believe with the temperature range that we're experiencing now (50-85) MAQS is the better treatment. Up to you.
 
#4 ·
Are you asking if you can use the Oxalic Dribble now? I would say not as a single treatment -- Oxalic acid is mainly used during broodless periods when the mites are not inside the cells as OA doesn't penetrate the cells. Having said that, there are some techniques where multiple treatments are rendered every 5 to 7 days for 3 weeks when there is active brood rearing going on.

A better choice this time of year might be the MAQs. It can be used in 2 different ways. One is to apply the 2 strips at the same time and leave them in for 7 days. The other method is to use only one strip for a week and then a second strip for a second week ----this might be easier on your queen. Go to the NODS.com web site (they are the makers of MAQS) for directions.
 
#5 ·
I HAVE NOT DONE A COUNT BUT AM QUITE SURE I HAVE A VM PROBLEM ON THE WAY.
You are not sure, you are scared, do a count so you’re sure, and you know how bad
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewqWVguGRvc
i am a little nervous about mite away quick strips. i have used OA dribble. Any chance this is ok for now (spring).
SNL sells OA vaporizers, if he is saying a different product is needed this time of year, you can be darn sure OA is the wrong way to go!
 
#10 ·
You are not sure, you are scared, do a count so you’re sure, and you know how bad
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewqWVguGRvc

SNL sells OA vaporizers, if he is saying a different product is needed this time of year, you can be darn sure OA is the wrong way to go!


How big of measuring cup is randy using? Is this alcohol method better than the sugar shake method?
 
#6 · (Edited)
No, Snl is not saying that OA is the wrong way to go. He's presenting another option to treat your hives. If there is other
less expensive way to deliver the oa into the hive do you think there will be a market for the oav unit for long. There are different
oa delivery methods that I'm using should there be a need to treat. Using OA you have to do it at the right time for it
to be more effective otherwise it will not work that well. Randy Oliver is also perfecting his shop towels + glycerine + OA method.
And I'm perfecting my homemade oav gadget under the hive method of delivery. Whatever method we use make sure to properly protect yourself before treating.
There is a post here about Randy Oliver's shop towels OA method and on his updated website too. Do a search to find out more about it.
 
#7 ·
My interpretation of snl's advice is that immediate mite control is needed. Using oxalic acid (either dribble or vaporization) is not as immediate as MAQS in the sense that oxalic acid does not kill the mites inside capped cells, while MAQS does kill mites inside those capped cells.

http://nodglobal.com/faq-maqs/

With oxalic acid vaporization, several applications approximately 7 days apart are needed to treat the varroa that are inside capped cells at the time of that treatment. The idea is that varroa that are protected by the cell caps on the first treatment are likely to be exposed and vulnerable on the 2nd or 3rd treatment.

Both oxalic acid and MAQS kill varroa, and both may end up with the same percentage of dead mites, but MAQS has a higher percentage of 'upfront' varroa kills due to its ability to penetrate brood cell caps.
 
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