Dangerous. Ask Murray.
PH
Dangerous. Ask Murray.
PH
I wouldn't be confident about that unless I'd seen the primary data OA testing in honey isn't straightforward due to a) the methods used (there's an enzymatic kit and Mass Spec methods) and b) the natural variation in OA content of honey (which is published). The article by Randy uses the word "substantially" which definitely needs qualifying.
Encouraging that he's applying for EPA approval ... they'd presumably ask for precisely this sort of information. It's about time it was properly measured to stop some of the vapaholics assuring that it was perfectly OK to treat when the supers are on (or prove that it is).
We really could do with an 'official' line on treatments and their safety. Over the last couple of years, I've changed my IPM approach to include OAV but I carry this out when supers are off.
The Oxalic/Glycerine strips are an interesting concept as a 'slow release' in situ supplemental treatment and from what I've seen, the results are pretty conclusive that it definitely keeps the mite numbers down. Would be nice to get a thumbs up for this method, I'd tweak my IPM again.
There's no need for amateur homebrewed oxalic treatments and in the long run they will probably do more harm than good
Long exposure at low levels is the reason that Apistan resistance developed
In general long exposure at a lower level is the least sensible approach to treating any pest be it rats or varroa
Just treat once in the Winter (or twice if you must) with oxalic acid its scientifically proven and well researched
If you need a summer treatment there are plenty available
Regards thymol treatment forget making your own brew if you have 10 or less hives just buy the legally approved api-life var or apiguard
You won't save that much money trying your own recipe and there is a possibility of harming the colony and also prosecution
Sorry to seem like a Grinch but I have an issue with people advocating 5 oxalic treatments in short order during Summer etc while that might kill varroa but its not necessary when just puting on apilife-var is perfectly adequate, just as effective, takes a tenth of the effort, is legal, approved and scientifically researched
What's wrong with beekeepers that they can't just accept the tools they have at their disposal you don't read gardening forums and find people concocting their own fungicides and chemical treatments.
If there are amateur researchers out there who want to experiment, try coming up with a chalkbrood remedy and leave varroa treatment alone that problem is already solved
Moan... Moan....moan.. .........
Each to their own.
Meekly sitting back and waiting for the authorities to provide solutions has always worked in the past,,,,,,,,oh wait! no, that's wrong, innovation in beekeeping is almost always driven by beekeepers and the authorities lag behind and only move to change anything if they'd get egg on their face from continuing with the status quo of doing nothing.
.....
Determining the maximum residue level (MRL) for oxalic acid in honeyAccording to European honey standards, honey may have up to 50 milliequivalents of free acids. If higher residues of oxalic or other acids are produced, this limit is soon exceeded, and the beekeeper risks having problems if his honey is checked by authorities. If oxalic acid is used properly, there is absolutely no risk of problems with the honey.
Anton Imdorf1 and Eva Rademacher2 European Working Group for Integrated Varroa Control 1 Agroscope Liebefeld-Posieux, SwissBee Research Center, CH-3003 Bern 2 Freie Universität Berlin, Institut für Biologie/Neurobiologie, Königin-Luise-Strasse 28-30, DE-14159 Berlin
Last edited by Pete L; 16-11-2017 at 05:32 PM.
Not sure if that's the article I'm aware of or not ... it's a summary of what was done and the conclusions, but contains no details of the OA levels or residuals.
Most of the studies I've seen - for example this one http://www.refdoc.fr/Detailnotice?cpsidt=14942975 - apply the OA one year and test for it the next.
The application of oxalic acid based solutions (Bienenwohl or a self-prepared oxalic acid solution with sugar) to control Varroa destructor resulted in no relevant changes in the oxalic acid content of honey produced the following year, compared with honey samples from untreated colonies from the same location. The range of oxalic acid content in honey was 5-68 mg/kg in oxalic acid treated and 5-65 mg/kg in untreated colonies.
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