# OAV shop towel treatments



## cavscout (Apr 21, 2015)

I searched the forum and could find very little information. I read the Scientific Bee keeping information and would like to know how many of you have tried it and the success rates. I'm also interested in how you did yours. Thanks!


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## Greeny (Jun 27, 2016)

Several folks were trying it, but results weren't that great:

http://www.beesource.com/forums/sho...-promising-stopgap-flyswatter&highlight=towel


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## JWChesnut (Jul 31, 2013)

I have towels on 80 hives as a test. They appear to be reducing (not eliminating) mites. No colony death that I can assign to the towels. The hives are entering a broodless period, and I will take them off about Nov. 1st. 

I have a "Treatment Free" test apiary (30 colonies on August 1st). Mites have exploded in those, and current colony count is 12 == that's correct, I lost 18 in the past 2 months. 15 deaths, and 3 I moved off the mountain to treat. Not all are directly mite deaths (robbing got started, as bees discovered the dead-outs and expanded to target weak (and not-so-weak) hives.

Tally -- 80 OA-glycerin-towel hives === 2 lost to robbing. 30 TF hives == 18 dead or removed. 60 Formic pad hives == 5 dead outs 5 over 5 nucs (from robbing or queenlessness) 40 ApiVar hives == no losses.

Why do people listen to the Treatment Free garbage?


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## cavscout (Apr 21, 2015)

JW, what was the formula you used on the towels. I agree treatment free is difficult. My bees are Bweaver, Feral and I continue to do treatments when the mite counts call for it. Its hard to watch them die when you can do something about it.


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## JWChesnut (Jul 31, 2013)

The standard Randy Oliver formulation
OA 336 g
glycerin 364 mL
water 140 mL

per 1/2 roll of blue shop towel.

I added a 'dollop' of thyme oil to the mix. 

The OA wood bleach packaging comes in 12 oz (or 340 g) making this mix as simple as opening the plastic tub. 

Heat the glycerin with the OA until the mix becomes water-clear. Add water to cool. Soak towels. Done. Note that the OA is corrosive enough to etch anything metal (including stainless pots). I make the mix outdoors on a hot-plate to reduce vapors.

I purchased the 10 lb sack of OA sold online for $25 https://www.amazon.com/OXALIC-Crystals-Cleaning-Removal-Remover/dp/B0147IFKBY
I purchased the gallon jug of vegetable glycerin for $24 https://www.amazon.com/Vegetable-Gl...D=41Y1NwgYZFL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=detail

Dosage cost for 25 full towels becomes
$2.30 Glycerin
$1.90 Oxalic
$1.00 Towels

$5.21 total investmen

Cost per full towel treatment
$0.21 / treatment


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## JRG13 (May 11, 2012)

JWChesnut said:


> I have towels on 80 hives as a test. They appear to be reducing (not eliminating) mites. No colony death that I can assign to the towels. The hives are entering a broodless period, and I will take them off about Nov. 1st.
> 
> I have a "Treatment Free" test apiary (30 colonies on August 1st). Mites have exploded in those, and current colony count is 12 == that's correct, I lost 18 in the past 2 months. 15 deaths, and 3 I moved off the mountain to treat. Not all are directly mite deaths (robbing got started, as bees discovered the dead-outs and expanded to target weak (and not-so-weak) hives.
> 
> ...


Not a bad start. Who knows, some of the mindset is boggling. Had one on FB arguing with me that EFB and PMS are never a related issue and PMS would never cause some EFB to be expressed. The shop towels sound interesting, I'm sticking to Apivar this year but need to figure a rotation but overall, mite issues seem lower this year except in some swarms I captured which 60% were getting crushed by mites.


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## Bee Arthur (Mar 21, 2015)

I used the towels in a few of my hives this year. I did a video showing how I made them based on Randy Oliver's original ABJ article (he's scaled up the recipe since then). https://youtu.be/rlgqEInjdXM

I'm not sold on its efficacy yet, though it's hard to say for sure because you never know how a hive would've performed without the towels once you put them in. I still ended up having to treat those three hives, with one of them having a very heavy mite load (possibly due to robbing out a neighbor's dead-out).

I'm planning to try it again next year, but if I don't see significant effects that'll probably be the last time I use the towels until they're worked out a little better.


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## Tim B (Apr 16, 2009)

cavscout said:


> I searched the forum and could find very little information. I read the Scientific Bee keeping information and would like to know how many of you have tried it and the success rates. I'm also interested in how you did yours. Thanks!


used in 50 plus hives during spring buildup. Did not provide adequate control.


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