# Single Hive Oxalic Acid Dribble Treatment Recipe



## Apismellifera (Oct 12, 2014)

A bit late for this year, but here it is anyway. 

For those that are math challenged. ;-) For those that are not math challenged, check my numbers, willya? ;-)

Taking original numbers from here:
scientificbeekeeping.com/oxalic-acid-treatment-table/

I come up with base units of:

oxalic acid .75 gram
water 10 grams
sugar 10 grams

And multiplying that by 3 gives us about 60 grams/ml of solution, so...

oxalic acid 2.25 grams
water 30 grams
sugar 30 grams

In a 60ml feeding syringe treats one hive.

I use a triple beam to measure out the ingredients, put the water in a covered glass custard dish and warm in the microwave, dissolve the sugar then the oa, stirring well, then suck it up into the syringe and cap it. I get set up at the hive and dribble about 5ml per seam, recapping the syringe between dribbles so that it doesn't get all over.

I've been using this recipe for a couple years with good results even though I always seem to treat later than I should. 

I'll be dribbling any swarms I get in the future a few days after they're hived, and if I do shaken splits with no brood I'll treat the workers before I put the queen in.

Knowing when to treat established hives is trickier. I don't yet have a handle on when nectar is plentiful here and when brood really slacks off, other than when the temps really start to dip which is right about now on the south coast of oregon. We do seem to get dearthy June/July for a few months but I'm not sure how that translates to brood... I have yet to get really rolling and none of the bees I've had seem to be able to put up sufficient stores in spring so I'm a bit baffled. We have plenty blackberry flower midsummer so I don't understand why there doesn't seem to be ample nectar in summer. Hmph.


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## Rusty Hills Farm (Mar 24, 2010)

I'm kinda scratching my head over your formula. Now, frankly, the whole gram/mL stuff is right over my head. Being TOTALLY old-fashioned, I still use oz. for my formulas. Mine is:
1.2 oz oxalic acid (I use Savogran Wood Bleach #10501)
16 oz warm distilled water
16 oz cane sugar

This makes 24 oz.--not 32--and that is what I am scratching my head over. How can yours make 60 grams when you are starting with 30 grams each of water and sugar? When I dissolve sugar into water it never comes out as double the amount. There is a scientific explanation for this, no doubt. I just don't know what it is. And I don't understand why you get double the amount but I don't.

Can somebody explain it to this poor country boy?

:scratch:

Rusty


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## Apismellifera (Oct 12, 2014)

Apismellifera said:


> about 60 grams/ml of solution


Mucho approximato.

You are absolutely correct that 30 ml of sugar and 30 ml of water does not make 60 ml of solution. Since the std dosage is 50ml of solution per hive it probably comes out closer to that, sorry to be so imprecise.

28 grams to the oz, any pothead knows that. Bwahahahaha.

I only have one or two hives to treat at a time, so I have no interest in mixing up a whole boatload of the stuff.

Yes, the savrogan is what we have around here also.


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## Rusty Hills Farm (Mar 24, 2010)

> We have plenty blackberry flower midsummer so I don't understand why there doesn't seem to be ample nectar in summer. Hmph.


One possible explanation: rain or lack there of. You have to have the flowers but you also have to have enough moisture for the flowers to produce nectar. My big nectar source right around then is sumac. I get a huge flow--unles it gets dry and then there is no nectar even though the trees are loaded with blooms. 

HTH

(and I will never "get" the mL/gram vs oz. thingy. Never. I can't even picture it.)


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## Apismellifera (Oct 12, 2014)

Well, this is the south coast of oregon, hard to believe there's not enough moisture. This year was a bit drier, but the bees not putting up enough stores has been a constant.

I guess I just need a bunch more years at this. ;-)


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## Rusty Hills Farm (Mar 24, 2010)

Sometimes too much rain is as bad as not enough.


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