Hi, this morning I started making preparations to treat the bees with a VMD approved oxalic acid preparation.
I have previously used Api bioxal (and still keep it in stock) but for the third year running I am using Oxybee as the preparation is simple and it has a very long shelf life so my leftovers can be shared with other beekeepers or kept for treating swarms in the summer.
One problem of treating with OA is that if you only have one or two colonies to treat you will have a lot left over. So top tip... get together and share a pack.
The first job today was to get the Oxybee out from store and record the batch numbers... being a bit lazy I just take a photo !
Then start the process of gently warming the containers to 30C.... i do it in my warming cabinet.... or in a bath of warm water.
Then it will be mixed.
Next job of the day will be to get the application equipment out and prep it....
Pictures in the next blog,
That is all for now !