OAV Oxalic Acid Vaporization Mite Control Demonstration, Honey Bee Reaction Inside The Hive

How do bees react to OA Vapor introduction? Watch and see. This video will not be well received by some beekeepers. We all want to have survivor stock that is naturally resistant, through genetic selection, to varroa destructor without any treatment - AKA "Treatment Free". I'm a personal fan of that approach. YES! in response to those generous viewers who have asked how they can support my work, please follow this link: Patreon: 3494368 However, I have changed my tune this year as I have noticed the bees struggling with increasing varroa destructor numbers. I shared about, and installed three packages of Saskatraz honey bees this year and have been observing them explode in numbers and are demonstrating fantastic foraging and honey producing traits. What they are not doing very well, is handling varroa mite loads on their own. I consider it to be my responsibility as a beekeeper to observe closely and when appropriate, take corrective action when and where there is a problem. There is a mite problem an in this video, I demonstrate how I am dealing with it. The post treatment results (one treatment down, two more to go) have demonstrated immediate improvement in all colonies. The landing boards are clean and the bees are keeping up. It's my opinion, that it's critical to intervene with varroa early, so the bees have time to recoup their losses while nectar and pollen resources continue in abundance. Recovery now, strengthens the colony and vastly improves their wintering survival. My ProVap 110 explanation: Oxalic Acid Vaporizer BeeKeeping Questions... Oxalic Acid Vaporization wands and how I use them: Oxalic Acid Vaporization for Varroa Mite C... In this video, I use the ProVap 110 by Oxavap and find that it's the most versatile and effective method for delivering Oxalic Acid Vapor. If you are interested in reading reviews or purchasing one for your backyard apiary, here is the link: https://amzn.to/2NdIWaO If you don't want to get one from Amazon, here is another seller that I completely endorse: Tell them that Fred Sent You! :) https://blythewoodbeecompany.com/prod... Wear respiratory protection: https://amzn.to/2ZXj1uJ Filters for your respirator: https://amzn.to/2KwC8Fq I highly recommend that you get properly labeled Oxalic Acid: https://www.betterbee.com/medicine-an... **It is not legal to use any oxalic acid that is not specifically labeled for use as a miticide for honey bees** I have a responsibility to share that information. Please adhere to the research that has gone into gaining approval for this varroa mite treatment. Many of you have questions regarding varying doses and use of Api-Bioxal, I don't personally have the authority to suggest using it in a way, or at a dose that was not part of the approval process. You can read more here: https://www.ars.usda.gov/northeast-ar... Count your mites before treatment to make sure you're only treating as needed, AND, do a follow-up mite count. After use, you can clean up with hot water and a toothbrush. OA crystals rinse off very easily. I wear nitrile gloves by Curad: Bees ignore light blue or white: https://amzn.to/2LSAomv Get a $50.00 discount on a Flow Hive Here: https://www.fredsfinefowl.com/flowhiv... As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases Provap Instructions: Connect the vaporizer to your 110 volt power source. It will take approximately 2 minutes to reach operating temperature. The red sequence readout will display 230 when ready. In the white Teflon lids (recess side up) place the appropriate amount of OA. Do NOT pack the OA in the lid; rather place it loosely. Use one gram per brood chamber no matter the size be it mediums or deeps, eight or ten frame. Use a 1/8 gram on a nuc. One gram is almost ¼ teaspoon, so on a two brood chamber hive; you would use ½ a teaspoon. Invert the vaporizer. Take the white Teflon lid containing the OA and push it onto the bowl (be careful the vaporizer bowl is very HOT!) Place the still inverted vaporizer stem (with lid attached) into the drilled hole then turn the vaporizer right side up and tap the lid. The acid will fall into the bowl and start to vaporize. This will cause the temperature to drop to approximately 210-215 then very quickly start to rise. When it again reaches 230, it is finished vaporizing and you can move on to the next hive. This will take approximately 20 seconds! You need to seal any openings during and 10 minutes after vaporization. It is not unusual to see the temperature rise above 230 to 250 during treatments. This is normal and well within tolerances. The temperature is preset for 230 C. This is the correct setting for the bowl of this vaporizer. However, you can change it as follows: https://oxavap.com/product/provap-110...