In December we were joined by Paul Anderson from TVBA for an oxalic acid dribble demonstration. December might not seem like a good time to open your hives, however it is an ideal time to use OA to treat for varroa mites because of the absence of brood. It is an effective, affordable and easy to apply treatment. We purchased our treatment kit from Brushy Mountain Bees.
We returned in January to check the mite drop levels. We were not able to install the sticky boards until 2 weeks after OA application, so we missed out on the bulk of the mite drop. Here are our findings:
Hive 1 – 5
Hive 2 – 83
Hive 3 – 60
Hive 4 – solid bottom board, unable to count
Hive 5 – dead (died prior to OA dribble day)
Hive 6 – 160
Hive 7 – solid bottom board, unable to count
Hive 8 – control hive no OA treatment, dead
To learn more about the oxalic acid dribble method click here: http://scientificbeekeeping.com/oxalic-dribble-tips/