amazingly stoopid mistake; so, can I kiss my honey super's harvest adieu?!

1676 Views 14 Replies 9 Participants Last post by crofter, Apr 4, 2020

mlanden

Discussion Starter · Mar 30, 2020

Before working with my 2 strong hives and 2 splits today, I'd made a list of what I needed to do for each (OAD-treat most, feed most, check for swarm cells, etc). Especially, I was to not OAD-treat my 1 hive with a honey super. Fine.

Maybe it was the heat, maybe the maddening several pissed-off guards that kept coming after me, whatever, but .... I treated the bottom 2 boxes of my honey-supered hive (the super is above box #3).

I then realized my mistake, cussed some [at myself], and closed up that shop.

So: should I now write off that super? The hive's been oxalic acid-treated, so from what I hear, you can't really harvest from a treated hive.

Anybody aware of any (legal) alternatives -- other than just staying focused next time [if there is a next time]? :s

That was just 1 of several really amoeba-brained errors I made with The Girls today. I know they were glad to see me leave. Hell, even I was.

Mitch

1 - 15 of 15 Posts

JWPalmer

· #2 · Mar 30, 2020

Mitch, to be clear, you did an OA dribble on a hive that has a honey super and you only dribbled the seams of the brood chamber? Take the super off for a day or two and then put it back on. It will be fine. I assume this is for personal consumption only? Let's not open up the oa in honey safety debate again folks. Well hashed out already.

crofter

· #3 · Mar 30, 2020

I would consider oa drizzle to cast more shade on the honey than a vaporization treatment would. Either way against the letter of the law for the approval process on this continent. I think JWP advice would be safe.

There are moves afoot to change regulations to bring them in line with Europe and others but you can be sure nothing will happen in that regard till the corona virus is in the rear view mirror.

Kamon A. Reynolds

· #4 · Mar 30, 2020

I wouldn't sell it but I would totally eat it myself. I eat tons of Oxalic acid everyday in my green drink and smoothies

msl

· #5 · Mar 30, 2020

JWPalmer said:
Mitch, to be clear, you did an OA dribble on a hive that has a honey super and you only dribbled the seams of the brood chamber? Take the super off for a day or two and then put it back on.

at this point its pointless to take it off, and if you do you need to keep it off for at least 2 weeks... dribble is in most places in 10 min and coats EVERYTHING in the hive in about 30 min and is still present in the hive at strong levels and killing mites 14 days later
Rademacher EtAl 2017 https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/8/3/84/pdf

bushpilot

· #6 · Mar 30, 2020

If you did anything other than dribble directly into the super, I would not lose any sleep over havesting the honey for my own use.

mlanden

Discussion Starter · #7 · Mar 30, 2020

JWPalmer said:
Mitch, to be clear, you did an OA dribble on a hive that has a honey super and you only dribbled the seams of the brood chamber? Take the super off for a day or two and then put it back on. It will be fine. I assume this is for personal consumption only? Let's not open up the oa in honey safety debate again folks. Well hashed out already.

I don't recall ever reading any posts about OA in honey; maybe I missed some big deposition on it? Out of curiosity, where would specific posts [with proven data] on that be seen in this Forum? If I enter "OA" in this website, it'll give me a zillion posts, and plenty'll not really be useful for what I'd want to know.Thx mucho ....

Mitch

crofter

· #8 · Mar 30, 2020

Do a google search on Oxalic acid levels in honey after treatment. You may have to try a few variations in wording. One article I have seen was in either sweden or switzerland which seemed quite authentic.

I have no doubt that after drizzle treatment the dispersion on hive surfaces is quite profound and resulting ph levels at the surface will be low. I have seen calculations done on the actual total amount of OA typically used divided into the weight of the honey beneath that surface area, and the resulting percentag levels will be quite negligible in relation to background levels of oxalic acid in most any honey.

mlanden

Discussion Starter · #9 · Mar 30, 2020

much obliged, croft!

Gray Goose

· #10 · Apr 3, 2020

mlanden said:
Before working with my 2 strong hives and 2 splits today, I'd made a list of what I needed to do for each (OAD-treat most, feed most, check for swarm cells, etc). Especially, I was to not OAD-treat my 1 hive with a honey super. Fine.

Maybe it was the heat, maybe the maddening several pissed-off guards that kept coming after me, whatever, but .... I treated the bottom 2 boxes of my honey-supered hive (the super is above box #3). I then realized my mistake, cussed some [at myself], and closed up that shop.

So: should I now write off that super? The hive's been oxalic acid-treated, so from what I hear, you can't really harvest from a treated hive.

Anybody aware of any (legal) alternatives -- other than just staying focused next time [if there is a next time]? :s

That was just 1 of several really amoeba-brained errors I made with The Girls today. I know they were glad to see me leave. Hell, even I was.

Mitch

Mark the super, leave it for winter feed, if you are worried. You dribbled box 1 and box 2 this is box 4 correct?? once you realized , why did you put it back on. Left off it would be untreated correct? Shake the bees out of it store for a week or 2 add it back on.

GG

Tigger19687

· #11 · Apr 3, 2020

mlanden said:
Anybody aware of any (legal) alternatives -- other than just staying focused next time [if there is a next time]? :s

I was.

Mitch

My son has ADD, he says a few "tokes" before what he needs to do helps him SUPER Focus. Course we are in MASS so it is, legal...

mlanden

Discussion Starter · #12 · Apr 4, 2020

Tigger19687 said:
My son has ADD, he says a few "tokes" before what he needs to do helps him SUPER Focus. Course we are in MASS so it is, legal...

Funny -- but I doubt I could get away with that here (NC). Maybe if I chug a btl of my home-made limoncello next time before visiting The Girls......

Tigger19687

· #13 · Apr 4, 2020

:lpf:

jonsl

· #14 · Apr 4, 2020

mlanden said:
Funny -- but I doubt I could get away with that here (NC). Maybe if I chug a btl of my home-made limoncello next time before visiting The Girls......

If I did that I think I would develop the dropsies with the frames..

crofter

· #15 · Apr 4, 2020

The little bit I sampled of that mexican alfalfa sure didn't improve my concentration!

1 - 15 of 15 Posts

This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.