Oxalic acid problem

Ivan · February 29, 2008, 05:33:09 PM

I bought a 12v evaporizer from canada. I like it, but after evaporizing the acid, it dries or sprinkles on the bottom bars of the frames above the avaporizer. Is that dengeroes to bees? How can i avoid it?
Thank you!

Angi_H · March 01, 2008, 01:05:07 AM

Hmmm I have no clue to your question. But to me that dont look good. I would try to wipe it off or get it off the best you can. As it certainly can not be all that great for the bees to be walking over that stuff. It is an acid.

Angi

reinbeau · March 01, 2008, 09:00:07 AM

I'm sorry to have no answers for you, but I've never used oxalic acid. I know just a few here have, hopefully someone will come by and help you.

Cindi · March 01, 2008, 12:02:02 PM

Ivan, I have the vapourizer, and I have used it. I was impressed with the fast death of mites. It killed hundreds of mites, I did sticky board tests to test numbers.

I know that when O.A. is vapourized there are a certain amount of the crystals that reform once evaporated, but the amounts were teeny. I did some research on the vapourizing (lots of research) before I purchased the apparatus. I will be honest. I did not check to see if there was crystals reformed in the colonies or not.

Did you follow the instructions implicitly about the amount of oxalic acid crystals to use?

Another queery that I may present is: are the Oxalic Acid crystals purchased in the U.S. the same as what is purchased in Canada? I do not have my O.A. crystals here, as another beeekeeper borrowed the system, so I cannot check to see if the crystals are the same. That would be my quandry.

Robo has the vapourizer for the O.A. and swears by it. He really likes the method and he may chime in here. This post will have more information coming into it as people read it. Have a wonderful and beautiful day, love our life. Cindi

Michael Bush · March 01, 2008, 06:10:27 PM

The bees will clear up the crystals in short oder. I wouldn't worry about them.

Cindi · March 02, 2008, 01:17:40 PM

Michael, beautiful, the words from the wise. I think that has put a little comfort zone into some minds that needed some ease. The bees are amazing cleaning machines for sure. Have a beautifully wonderful day, love our lives we lead. Cindi

Robo · March 02, 2008, 07:43:31 PM

I have the same vaporizer and experience the same results. I have no problems with it and do nothing about it. As Michael explained, the bees will clean it.

Trot · March 02, 2008, 07:53:56 PM

They will probably clean it and die doing it. . . ?

Michael Bush · March 02, 2008, 09:39:53 PM

>They will probably clean it and die doing it. . . ?

I never noticed any ill effects from vaporizing the oxalic. That doesn't mean there weren't any, but there were no noticeable effects.

Robo · March 03, 2008, 11:01:17 AM

Quote from: Michael Bush on March 02, 2008, 09:39:53 PM
I never noticed any ill effects from vaporizing the oxalic. That doesn't mean there weren't any, but there were no noticeable effects.

ditto.

Trot · March 03, 2008, 12:07:50 PM

Since it is not harmful and not approved for use in US, (as of last time I checked?)
don't be shy, go touch it with bare hand?
Breath some in. . . .
Do as the bees do - put some in your mouth, but first have somebody stand by to report it back to us. . . .

Robo · March 03, 2008, 02:14:37 PM

Sure thing, right after you wear an apistan strip around your neck for 8 weeks.....

Ivan · March 04, 2008, 03:00:20 AM

Thanks for all the help! After evaporizing the acid i found hundreds of mites on the bottom board. So it works realy good. The reason i asked the question is because when i was clening it off, i inhaled some and it smelled just like the acid before evaporization.
Maybe i should use less acid or use 6v or 9v battery so it evaporizes slower?
Thanks again!

Michael Bush · March 04, 2008, 08:55:22 AM

>Since it is not harmful and not approved for use in US, (as of last time I checked?)
don't be shy, go touch it with bare hand?

Done that. No effect.

>Breath some in. . . .

Done that. A lot of coughing. Not recommended.

>Do as the bees do - put some in your mouth, but first have somebody stand by to report it back to us. . . .

Done that when I burned my finger and stuck it in my mouth. Sour.

You'd get more oxalic than I did by eating a piece of rhubarb pie.

But I prefer not to need treatments.

Cindi · March 04, 2008, 09:29:14 AM

Oxalic acid, found in so many foods that we ingest. Rhubarb, that is what gives rhubarb that bitter, bitter taste. Can't stand that taste, glad I never got Oxalic Acid on my fingers and then put it in my mouth for sure, have a beautiful and awesomely wonderful day, Cindi