[calkal]

I am planning on doing the oxalic acid with Glycerin dribble per Randy Oliver to my new nucleus colonies at the appropriate time when there is no cap brood. I would like to hear from anybody who has done this.

 

[Steve in PA]

The appropriate time when no capped brood would be this winter when the queen shuts down unless you are planning on caging the queen or something. If you wait that long you will probably have issues making it through the winter.

Why not the 3x plan now or August?

I did regular OA dribble last winter and this spring with great results. I have glycerine sitting on my table to experiment with in August.

 

[calkal]

Hi Steve, After making up a nucleus colony and placing a ripe Queen cell in it there comes a perfect time to do an oxalic acid dribble. Because the brood that was used to make up the nucleus colony will be all emerged and the new queens larva will not yet be capped, So the varroa mites have no place to hide. The timing for me is about 20-21 days after making the nuc and about 16-17 days after queen emergence.

 

[Vectorjet]

I do this also with all my nucs, swarms and splits with great results. Any time a hive has no capped brood and a mated laying queen I give them the oxalic bomb. Sometimes I use the dribble and sometimes I use vapor. Results are the same, a virtually mite free hive for the moment.

 

[Steve in PA]

In my earlier reply I didn't realize that you had a handle on the broodless/capped brood situation. I falsely assumed you to be new to beekeeping and was trying to warn to not wait until winter.

My mistake.

 

[calkal]

No problem at all Steve.

Vectorjet, When doing the dribble do you mix the oxalic with sugar syrup or with glycerin?

 

[Vectorjet]

glycerin

 

[LAlldredge]

I don't recommend an OAD series with brood. Ever. I didn't want to spend the money on a wand and the OAD series led to the death of my first two colonies. There was a big population decline.

I would invest in a wand or borrow one. Performing an OAV series had a very different outcome. At year 2 I had 100% overwintering success.

 

[calkal]

I know what you're saying, some of these treatments are a bit scary that's why I'm trying to find out all I can before I try it. I don't need another episode like I had with formic pro 😞
But on a brighter note Randy Oliver had several articles regarding oxalic acid dribble and recommends it for new nucleus colonies, I think he referred to it as clean nucleus colonies indicating if you get it at the right moment almost all the mites would be gone with one treatment.

 

[LAlldredge]

Those are the articles I read when I decided to try it. As much as I like and respect Randy Oliver, I think he's dead wrong on this one.

 

[Robert Holcombe]

My two cents: I suggest you read the EPA approved label for applying the dribble method. I do not remember glycerin being specified or approved by the EPA. I believe Randy Oliver used glycerin in his efforts to get the slow-release Blue Towel method tested and approved - no approval that I know of. Oxalic acid and sugar syrup dribble is hard enough on them.

 

[Peterthebeekeeper]

I am planning on doing the oxalic acid with Glycerin dribble per Randy Oliver to my new nucleus colonies at the appropriate time when there is no cap brood. I would like to hear from anybody who has done this.

Hello to everyone!


Since 2018 I'm testing OA/GLY dribbling on/in all of my beehives. So, not just on/in nucleus. The results are just excellent.
The formula I use is the following:
35 grams OA + 600 grams warm H2O + 504 grams GLY. Note: this is the weight formula in case you're used to use a [decent] [kitchen] scale.
In case you're used to use a [decent] measuring cup the volume formula goes like this: 35 grams OA + 600 ml warm H2O + 400 ml GLY.

Note that Randy Oliver suggest 45 grams of OA. And there is nothing wrong with that. 45 grams of OA in the United States is seen as a mild or a medium dose; 35 grams is seen as a weak dosis. In the beginning I've tested both doses but I couldn't find any diferances regarding more or less efficacy. This season I use 45 grams of OA in the OA/GLY formula, next year it might be the 35 grams again.

The OA/GLY solution has an indefinite shelf life (at least in my opinion) as there is also no HMF formed as it does in case of an OA/sugar water solution. Keeping out of direct sunlight and heat is no wrong however.

Can be used throughout the bee season, only in the brood chamber(s) and not in the honey supers because far most of the varroa population is around in the brood area.

This formula gives you also the possibility of more than one winter cluster treatment, if necesarry.

To my knowledge a migration to or a contamination of the stored honey and/or to the beeswax by such an administered /dribbled OA/GLY solution has not been determined yet in honey samples and/or in bee wax samples.

Dose: 5 ml per comb space of bees, meaning: per populated bee corridor/alley in the brood chamber.

Frequentie: during the bee season I dribble OA/GLY once a week, from the 1st of July on. And I go on with it as long as possible. That means, for me, in Belgium: until the end of October.

If you are faced with a heavy varroa infestion I'd like to recommend a block treatment: you dribble each 4th day during a complete brood cyclus (21 to 24 days). That means 6 times dribbling when only workers brood is present (a 21 days cyclus), 7 dribblings when drone brood is present (a 24 days cyclus).

Finally: dripping an OA/GLY solution is ideal for treating nucleus as well as honey and/or pollinator colonies...as long as if there aren't too many colonies to do! It must all remain workable! In other words: dribbling is just fine for the hobby beekeeper I think. If you are a professional beekeeper then I'd recommand PTM - the Paper Towel Method - to keep the varroa infestation under controle. In short it comes down to this: an extended-release of OA in the beecolony through an OA/GLY sollution, stored within a paper towel (as carrier) and kept on top of the frames in the brood chamber during 6 to 7 weeks at least.
For professional beekeepers this PTM offers an incredible way out to control varroa in an adequate way with very low labor and very low costs when applied/ implemented proactively.
So, when PTM fits you more, please have a look at Randy Oliver's website or at least take a look at this page.

Well, that's it for now. Greetings from Belgium!

Peter