Since my hives are almost broodless, last week I did their annual 3.5% OA dribble treatment and installed moisture blankets to prep for the incoming cold from. Seeing excellent drop (average 300-600 mites) the last 4 days and minimal bee mortality. Every year I do this treatment, I realize I very much prefer this OA dribble over the vaporization, as long as the bees can get out and purge for a day after the dribble to prevent OA crystals from building up in their guts. Average size colony gets 50cc of OA solution - about 5cc per "seam" between frames directly on the bees in the brood chamber. This treatment is only given one time per year to prevent damage to bees and also further possibility of mite resistance. #bees #beekeeping #varroamite #mitetreatment #oxalicacid #killkillkill #barkeepersfriend ... or ... #beekeepersfriend #weatherchanneljunkie (at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)
