oxalic acid treatment

[Jon]

The acetic acid is to kill nosema spores on comb I want to reuse.
The virkon is a general disinfectant which gets rid of bacteria and virus in general beekeeping equipment.

I just get rid of very old black comb. Not much wax to be had from it anyway. You get more from the cappings.

Old comb gets too small for the brood after heavy usage

Not sure about that. I know the entrance to the cells gets smaller and more rounded but I don't think the actual cell gets much smaller.
There were some studies about this. I'll have a look later.

EDIT
Here's something from Dave Cushman's site.

http://www.dave-cushman.net/bee/smalboldcomb.html

[Calum]

Hi Jon,
fair enough on the link but pesticide accumulation can still be an issue.

If you use steamer you will get quite a bit of lovely golden wax out of old combs.
I fill a brood box or two with old comb place that over a queen excluder and place a binbag in a brood box underneath to catch the water and wax.
I use a wallpaper stripper to generate the steam (just stuff the pipe in under the lid).

[EmsE]

Hi EmsE
Eric wrote:
Consider 7, “between frame” spaces occupied by bees; each space received 5mls of solution; a total of 35 mls of solution is delivered. A quick calculation of the amount of active ingredient delivered indicates that only 2.23/50 x 35 = 1.56 g of active ingredient is delivered. This is quite a short fall.
Take note of what Calum has written - and use what I wrote and his experience wisely -as and when! Talk to Ian Craig!
In the case mooted the colony will be under dosed, regardless! Look at the weight of active ingredient relative to the volume, 2.32 g is the 10 comb dosage!

Eric

Hi Eric,
What I'm trying to say it that if my 10,000 winter bees occupy 7 seams in 1 brood chamber then I would apply 1 x 5ml to each seam.

However, if I didn't feed enough and my 10,000 bees are spanning the 2 brood chambers (still occupying the same seams) at mid December, then I would still only be wanting to apply the same amount over these 10,000 bees?

If we were discussing a summer treatment where some colonies do truly occupy 2 brood boxes where others just occupy the 1, then I can understand that the treatment is increased proportionally to account for this.

[Eric McArthur]

Hi EmsE
Consider Ian Craig’s method where he has very populous colonies, which he reduces to being over-wintered on 16 frame. According to conversations with Ian the colonies occupy 14 bee spaces even in December. Trickling the recommended 5 mls per occupied space the bees only receive 35 mls (1.56g active ingredient).
Approach the exercise from another direction and all becomes clear. Consider Ian’s procedure of reducing each brood box to 8 frames. After the bees have sorted themselves out the two boxes are separated and the queenless box is given a floor, crown board, roof and a new queen and moved from the apiary (for obvious reasons!). What would he do by way of treatment?
As an aside Ian no longer uses the trickle method. He has move on to using my “short pipe” oxalic acid fumigation method, which is much more flexible than the trickle and can be used multiple times if necessary if the monitoring insert indicates that there is a heavier mite fall of more than one mite every 2 days at a particular interval after a treatment cycle!
Eric

[Eric McArthur]

Hi All
Sadly Dave died yesterday!

I am sure that all his friends will be sad to hear. He had been ill for some time.

Eric