Wand-style Oxalic Acid Vaporizer Treatment//OAV Treatment//Varroa Mite Treatment 

I'm a relatively new beekeeper, 4th year, and I like the wand method but I don't put it in the front opening. You run a very high risk of killing a lot of bees with the high heat and I'm certain that one of the first hives I used a wand on, I killed the queen. When I realized there was no new eggs or brood coming, I requeened the hive but eventually it died out. When I dismantled the hive there were a couple of badly burned frame bottoms and I'm sure the queen just happened to be down there at the time. So, to prevent that potential disaster I built sturdy, hollow wooden boxes for the hives to set on. They are about 12" high. I cut a slot in the backside of the box for the wand to go into. This puts the wand and the intense heat about 6-8 inches below the bottom of the frames. I use screened bottom boards so the vapors go up into the hive from there. I haven't lost a hive since and I have two hives that are in their third summer - meaning I've gotten them through two very harsh Minnesota winters. And I've killed A LOT OF MITES!

Thank you for your video. It helped so much. I just did my treatment for the first time ever. my bees are in the hiveIQ and there were so many bees even after smoking them they were hanging down on the frames so far i couldnt get the tool all the way in there. Luckily the hiveIQ has a nice bottom board with vents so i had to let the vapor go in from there which actually worked our beautifully.. they were banging on the door to get out! Then some ghostly bees came out. But i must ask, what do the bees do in the wild where theres no humans to do mite treatment

What do you do for circulation with ventilation and moisture when overwintering. What’s your setup like thanks for the help.

1) if its not safe for us to breathe, will it harm the bees or honey? 2) “Bearding”…a technical term?? 🤔😆