[Bee Arthur]

I thought an instructional video would be useful to any beeks wanting to try the latest Oxalic Acid method. I've had the towels in my hives for about a month, but I won't really know how well they're working until I start testing for mites again in early June.

//DELETED ORIGINAL VIDEO//

Updated video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rlgqEInjdXM

 

[Tardball]

Thanks for the video. I was going to give it a try this year once spring shows up here. One question for you, your instructions said 25 ml (which is a volume measurement) but you used the scale for it (mass). 25 ml doesn't equal 25 grams. You would also need a graduated cylinder or to know the specific gravity of glycerin.

 

[Bee Arthur]

You are right, thanks for pointing that out. Correct me if I'm wrong, but 31 grams of glycerin is about 25ml (based on SG of 1.263), right?

I put a new annotation in the video to (hopefully) make that clear.

 

[FlowerPlanter]

Here's more on the subject;

http://scientificbeekeeping.com/oxalic-shop-towel-updates/

 

[Tom1617]

Thanks so much for doing this... I love that you did it on a small scale... once more people have results I will give it a try... so is it 25 ml or grams.. I will wait for the discussion to sort that out.

 

[Richard Cryberg]

Chances are very high that anyone trying to follow these directions will make towels that do not work. Temperature control when you dissolve the oxalic acid is very critical and as shown there is no temperature control. The energy out put of microwaves is all over the map so just giving a time is pretty meaningless. With such small batches even a few seconds extra heating can do major damage to the solution. Much better to not use a microwave at all to heat and measure temp with a thermometer and make sure you do not go over 60 deg C.

 

[crofter]

I mixed just enough ingredients to give 25 grams of the mix per towel. I put the ten towels in a large zip lock and poured the warm mix in and sealed bag. I had a preheated stoneware pan to 150 F and placed the bag on that and squeegied the ingredients around using a dry paint roller. It spread quite uniformly and there was no guessing about how much to squeeze out. 150 F. is plenty hot enough to dissolve the OA and it flows well at this temperature.

If you are not familiar with working with metric measurements and aware of temperature limitations there are more than a few ways to screw up. Mr. Cryberg's caveat is for real! That is the reason that there will never be official blessing on any home brew treatment. When approval comes it will be for a finished product with all instructions for use and associated safety concerns, disposal of waste etc., etc. Just the way it has to be in attempt to protect everyone from themselves.

 

[Cuttingedgelandinc]

Very interesting. This is the first that I have heard of this. Does anyone have any documentation regarding its effectiveness vs dribble or vaporization?

 

[gww]

Cutting.......
http://scientificbeekeeping.com/scibeeimages/2016-Beyond-Taktic-pdf.pdf
cheers
gww

 

[Bee Arthur]

Thanks for the feedback, everyone. I took down the video to make sure I've got the kinks worked out so I don't spread misinformation.

 

[Tom1617]

Thanks for the feedback, everyone. I took down the video to make sure I've got the kinks worked out so I don't misinformation.

Put it back when you get it fixed... thanks

 

[Gumpy]

Put it back when you get it fixed... thanks

I agree with Tom. This is a good thread because it's finally showing various techniques being tried to produce and introduce this very new concept, as well as the varied opinions why it will or will not work. I hope you will also be recording mite drops and sugar/alcohol tests while using your shop towels, and posting them so we can compare the various methods. Over time, we will find the best ways to make and use these, and what expected results should be.

 

[Bee Arthur]

Okay, I'll re-post when it's available. I'm actually rendering an updated video now, but was planning to keep it private just so I'd have it as a personal reference. But if you guys want it available, I'll make it public.

Despite beekeepers' reflex to get defensive about something like this, I genuinely appreciate the feedback. I'd hate to spend the next 10 years using a flawed technique and wondering why it doesn't work.

 

[gww]

Please post your new vidio here when you do it. I really liked your method of conveying info.
gww

 

[Bee Arthur]

Okay, so I actually re-made a couple batches of towels today, taking temperatures during the process to make sure I wasn't getting things too hot. This video reflects that, along with a couple other changes (including an attempt to remedy the ml-to-g debacle).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rlgqEInjdXM

I'm not above re-doing this again or deleting it altogether if anyone sees more dealbreaking flaws. I did this in the first place because I thought there was a need for an easy, step-by-step guide for hobby beekeepers; I don't want to negate my effort by publishing a BS video.

crofter - I liked your idea of just dumping the solution and towels directly into the plastic bag and saturating them that way. I actually did it that way today when I was re-making the towels. If I were going to re-film this (which I won't), I'd demonstrate it that way instead of pouring it onto the cookie sheet.

 

[Tenpin]

When I did mine I made a small batch - only needed 5 towels. I placed my solution in large disposable plastic container (Glad Freezer Container) and then put the towels in. Sealed it and shook it around until all the solution had been absorbed.

 

[Gumpy]

Okay, so I actually re-made a couple batches of towels today, taking temperatures during the process to make sure I wasn't getting things too hot. This video reflects that, along with a couple other changes (including an attempt to remedy the ml-to-g debacle).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rlgqEInjdXM

I'm not above re-doing this again or deleting it altogether if anyone sees more dealbreaking flaws. I did this in the first place because I thought there was a need for an easy, step-by-step guide for hobby beekeepers; I don't want to negate my effort by publishing a BS video.

crofter - I liked your idea of just dumping the solution and towels directly into the plastic bag and saturating them that way. I actually did it that way today when I was re-making the towels. If I were going to re-film this (which I won't), I'd demonstrate it that way instead of pouring it onto the cookie sheet.

Good job. I'm looking forward to your testing results later this year.

Also interested in Crofter's method of saturation. Seems very simple and un-messy.

 

[MT204]

Here is the most current info for the shop towels mix.
http://scientificbeekeeping.com/oxalic-shop-towel-updates/

 

[gww]

Randys test was done with what arthurs vidio showed and he did get good mite control with it.

gww

 

[crofter]

Bee Arthur;

I really liked your video; very logical presentation with no empty space and no silly loud music!

The large ziplock bag, and just the right amount of liquid mixture worked good. I was not sure how quickly the mixture would stiffen as it cooled but with the heated stoneware cookie sheet to roll the bag and contents on it seemed a non issue.

I think Randy's last modification of adding some water will make dispersal into the towels even easier. It certainly appears it would if you were trying to get half a roll of paper towels to lick it up!