Oxalic Mite Treatment Equipment - What I Use
Oxalic Acid Mite Treatment Equipment
Having an aggressive and managed plan for varroa mite treatment is essential for the survival of your bees. If you do not treat for mites, you will lose your bees, plain and simple.
I get asked a lot what equipment use, so will outline this below.
OXALIC WAND
I tried several different wands before landing on the Varrox wand. The reason is that it seems to dissipate the heat nicely and consistently. The benefit of this is that less time is spent heating the wand, and the knowledge that all the oxalic acid will be turned to vapor.
These run around $175, which is expensive when compared to others, but this is something you will use all year so the better quality is a good idea.
BUYING
RECOMMENDED: Varrox Oxalic Acid Wand ($175)
BUDGET: 12v wand ($30)
BATTERY
You will need a power source for the wand, and something that you can carry into the bee yard with you. There are plenty of options out there, but be sure you get a 12v battery. A car, lawnmower, motorcycle battery will all work.
TIP: Harbor Freight ALWAYS has some form of a sale. I have never paid full price for a battery from them. Do a quick search for coupons before purchasing.
BUYING
RECOMMENDED: Harbor Freight Battery ($45)
ALTERNATE: Chrome Battery ($70)
TRICKLE CHARGER
You will need a way to keep your battery charged. I use a basic trickle charger that I leave the battery on while not using. You do not need the top of the line, just one that does the job. The Harbor Freight ones have worked perfectly for me for years.
BUYING
RECOMMENDED: Harbor Freight ($10)
ALTERNATE: Battery Tender ($30)
OXALIC ACID
Oxalic Acid is a common item available at most hardwood stores. It is typically packaged as “wood bleach” or something similar. This will work, but the acid purity is typically not great. This means that there may be impurities in the acid that wouldn’t hurt wood, but may affect bees.
As such, I purchase my oxalic acid from Amazon which is 99.6% pure, so very low impurities.
BUYING
RECOMMENDED: Florida Laboratories ($14)
ALTERNATIVE: Wood Bleach ($15)
RESPIRATOR MASK
Oxalic acid vapors should not be inhaled as it can cause serious damage to your lungs. As such, I also use the following safety related gear when performing oxalic treatments
BUYING
3M Respirator: Amazon ($24)
GAS RATED CARTRIDGES
You will need to get acid rated respirator cartridges. It is very important to get the correct ones. Typically proper cartridges are color coded, so be sure to get the PINK ones.
BUYING
Gas Rated Filter: 3M Filer ($21)
SAFETY GOGGLES
It is important to protect your eyes during this process. A lot of times it is windy when doing treatments, many times the wind brings the acid vapors back to you (think campfire smoke). Googles are very important.
BUYING:
Goggles: Gas Rated Safety Goggles ($20)
CURATED LIST
Oxalic Wand: Varrox Oxalic Acid Wand ($175)
Battery: Harbor Freight Battery ($45)
Trickle Charger: Harbor Freight ($10)
Oxalic Acid: Harbor Freight ($10)
Respirator: Amazon ($24)
Gas Rated Filters: 3M Filer ($21)
Goggles: Gas Rated Safety Goggles ($20)
HERE TO HELP!
If you have any questions, please CONTACT me.
- Jason (owner/beekeeper)