Hi Ari:
Is there a temperature range during which oxalic acid vaporizer can be used?
The tool that we bought from you last year (Which worked Great) to vaporize the oxalic acid says in its abbreviated instructions to use a 12 V 12 amp automobile battery. All the batteries that I know of in automobiles are considerably higher amperage. What should a good man do? The alternative that isn't: I haven't been able to find one of those jump starters that will actually work with the oxalic acid vaporizer. . . all the ones I've seen detect that they're not being hooked to a car battery and refuse to charge. What are your thoughts here?
Hi Dan,
1- There are no temperature restrictions for Oxalic Acid. That being said, we'd recommend doing it on a day that they can get out of the hive and have time to recover and re-settle in the hive. If it was so cold that they're clustered together, it could be dangerous having them break cluster and you could lose some bees while they cluster back. As long as you see activity (in and out) the hive, it should be safe to do oxalic.
2- The power description means that it will take a 12 Volt power supply that can provide 12 Amps. If the power supply is 12 V but lower amperage, it won't have enough current to heat up the element to the point the oxalic acid sublimates. Any car battery will work. If you connect the vaporizer to a 12 V 1,000 Amps battery, the vaporizer will only take 12 Amps (it's serf regulating). So, any battery that can provide 12 V and supply more than 12 Amps will work.
Hi Ari,
What is the moral equivalent of batting 1000 in your native tongue? You are thank you so much for your careful and thorough guidance once again.
Dan
Hi Ari,
I thought that treating in the late evening might be best so that more of the mites would receive the treatment and go to heaven or wherever it is they go. What does happen to the mites that are on the Field bees if you treat during the day?
What time of the day might be best in order to allow that reconstituting of the hive? Since I'm a hobbyist I can pretty much do it anytime of the day.
Dan
Hi Dan,
Oxalic acid requires between 2 to 3 treatment, one week to 10 days appart.
In the cases with no or low brood levels, 2 treatment would be OK to hit most mites.
If there was brood there, you'd need at least 3 treatments.
As you are doing more than one treatment, we recommend doing it on a day they are moving around. If it's raining or too cold, you could end up with more dead bees as they try to get away from the oxalic acid. If they're free to move around and you see some activity on the entrance, that would be a good time (time of day vary from day to day, as we have different temperatures or weather).
Thank you again, Ari
Dan