Varroa Issues & Solutions with Oxalic Acid

Join us as we run through some updates & tips about Varroa control and the use of Oxalic Acid in the beehive.
Want to find out more? Call us 03 528 9404 or go to our website and drop us a message: www.beequip.nz
Check out our kits to get started with OA on our website: beequip.nz/col...
We did a video on RobberGards too:
• RobberGard - Stop Bees...
You can find the following resources at these locations:
Colony loss survey: www.mpi.govt.n...
Randy Olivers Website: scientificbeek...
Randy Olivers test with our Strips: scientificbeek...
Dr Dennis vanEngelsdorp's Presentation at the ApiNZ 21 conference: • ApiNZ Conference 2021:...

[@dejandejan8608]

Can use OA in summer? because all know mites is brood

[@beequipnz6442]

The Oxalic strips work great in summer. They can be used any time of the year, if it is warm enough for the bees to have brood frames.

[@BulkyPen]

Have you measured any resistance development by the mites by constant and frequent OA usage?

[@beequipnz6442]

There have been no reports of any signs of varroa resistance to OA from any of our many beekeeper clients in NZ. We still get the same excellent mite drop with OAE strips in our hives now, as we did 4 years ago. Some scientists say that they don’t believe it is possible for the mites to get resistant to OA.

[@danielweston9188]

How much OA is left in the strips when removed and how do they handle water absorption from the air?

[@beequipnz6442]

Hello Daniel, good questions. A key point to remember is that honeybees maintain the brood nest at 54 to 60% humidity and the temperature stays close to 34°C. The bees are very fussy about this. If the strips are placed in the brood nest correctly, then they are not exposed to excess moisture in the atmosphere. It is not a problem. If the strip is not in the brood nest and is exposed to atmospheric conditions, it can absorb water. We haven’t measured exactly how much OA is left in the strip at 7 or 8 weeks but what we do know is that most of the useable OA has been dispensed in the hive at that point.

[@christis7414]

Does the OA build up in the wax over time or make the wax unusable as a secondary product (lip balms, candles, etc.) in any way?

[@beequipnz6442]

We can find no evidence of OA building up in the beeswax. All honey has OA in it already so it is highly unlikely.

[@neildavidson8097]

are the strips dry or wet when you put them in and do you notice a difference between the two

[@beequipnz6442]

The strips are wet when soaked properly. But they shouldn’t be so wet that they dribble when picked up from the storage bin or rack. Each strip holds 23 grams of solution so there would be something wrong if it appeared dry. If the varroa mite levels are kept under control, bee mortality is very low when the wet strips are added.

[@Brigidz]

The background music is really annoying. I'm not wanting listen to music I information on varroa control. Only