Allen Wrote

>On my hives it almost always was, but lots of people scrape everything so
>that it looks new.  I always figured the bees like it a bit gummed up and
>left it pretty much that way.  If the equipment comes apart easily, why
>invert it?  Just lift the second aside and treat from the top.  I was
>assuming the case where separating the boxes could be difficult and
>disruptive

As Mats stated Allens solution to the glued up boxes is a good one, and I know it works well when done by beekeeper who is willing to learn to handle the boxes this way.

But I would like to point out a few things about treatment from above.

First, one should not   'Just lift the second aside and treat from the top' Its much easier just to loosen the upper box  ( if possible easily :)  ), take the injector ready to one hand, lift the box from the behind with the other hand, and treat.  This way there is no need to lift the box completely off. Much easier and faster.

I normally treat when temperature is around + 5 - 0 C. At this temperatures my bees don't fly much from the opening during the treatment because is done so fast. But I do have my veil on, because some bees do fly from some hives. And they seen to enjoy the warmth of my neck. Don't actually sting before they get stuck under the collar.

 Its important to treat late in the season, to be sure that there is no capped brood to get to efficacy to be around 95 %.

Also there is other way if one does not want to lift off the upper box. There is research data that it is enough to remove 4 frames from the upper box, just above the cluster and treat the lower box from this opening.  In my opinion this is too much work, but seems to be that some people have psychological problems in taking the two boxes apart.  In my eyes they should take Allens advice and treat from underside. But it's individual choice.

I agree with Mats that oxalic alone is normally not enough. But in the study we have had for 4 years now I have seen that oxalic combined with formic of thymol is quite enough. Formic or thymol is given in August after the honeyflow and oxalic later.

But looking at individual apiaries there is some that thrive with oxalic alone. This I know because in the experiment we test natural mite fall in august before the treatment with formic/ thymol. If it is lower than 1 mite / day we treat with only oxalic. At this fall about 30 % of hives and 20 % on apiaries ( all the hives had low amount)  had this little mites. And for many of them this was already second year.

Ari Seppälä

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