Oxalic acid treatment for the bees

I treated the hives at home for varroea with the vaporiser this evening. It takes around 20 minutes per hive from start to finish. The entrance block is removed from the hive and the vaporiser is loaded with 2 grams of oxalic acid and carefully placed into the hive.

 

The entrance is then blocked up with some damp clothes and the terminals are connected to the battery. After around 30 seconds you start to see the vaporised oxalic acid pouring out through all the cracks. This is left connected to the battery for 2 minutes 30 seconds, then the battery is disconnected and left a further 2 minutes. After this the vaporiser is removed and the cloth is left in place for another 10 minutes, then the cloth is removed and the entrance block restored in its original position.

Hopefully at this time of the year there is no brood in the hive and the oxalic acid will kill all the mites in the hive. I out the removable floors back in the base of the hives so I can check in a few days and see if there is muck of a mite drop.

The video shows the vaporised oxalic acid gas leaking out through the hive.