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Author Topic: Oxalic acid and bleaching frames  (Read 6130 times)

Offline Cindi

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Oxalic acid and bleaching frames
« on: November 03, 2007, 11:46:16 am »
OK, sound I am hearing that people are using O.A. to bleach their hives' frames.  I really have to wonder this, and cannot wrap my head around this for even a moment.  WHY?  What on earth is the purpose of bleaching the frames?  Is it for the human eye?  To make the frames look nicer?  I don't get it, would someone please enlighten me? I really need to know.

If it is for the purpose of making the frames look nicer, well, I would have to say, why bother.  Wouldn't it be better for the frames to remain a darker colour within the colony?  I think that darker colours retain more heat and every bit of heat that the bees can have in their hive helps them out (of course except in the hottest of hot summers in the hotter parts of the world).

Anyways, I am eager to hear some responses, because this bleaching makes absolutely no sense to me whatsover.  I have been meaning to ask this question many times, but keep forgetting.  Have a wonderful and beautiful day on this greatest of planets, Earth.  Cindi
There are strange things done in the midnight sun by the men who moil for gold.  The Arctic trails have their secret tales that would make your blood run cold.  The Northern Lights have seen queer sights, but the queerest they ever did see, what the night on the marge of Lake Lebarge, I cremated Sam McGee.  Robert Service

Offline Finsky

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Re: Oxalic acid and bleaching frames
« Reply #1 on: November 03, 2007, 11:57:41 am »

 I really need to know....on this greatest of planets, Earth.  Cindi

It was a joke. Beekeepers ave not even heard oxalic acid before varroa came in. But if oxalic is illegal, it is better to limit so close to mite as possible and it is a frame.

It is like an old man in Sweden. He went to shop  and asked good sausage  with 5 cents.  Shopkeeper got nervours that joke  and answered that you cannot get sausage with 5 cents.  OK, said old man, is it possible to cut so near by as possible?

Offline Cindi

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Re: Oxalic acid and bleaching frames
« Reply #2 on: November 03, 2007, 12:00:37 pm »
Finsky, I don't believe that it is a joke.  Maybe I am wrong.  I think that some beekeepers must be bleaching their frames. 

Unless, I am so kniave that I believe anything, and I don't think I am (well, maybe I am, but don't know it  :roll: :( ;) :)).  Have a wonderful and great day on this greatest place, Earth.  Cindi
There are strange things done in the midnight sun by the men who moil for gold.  The Arctic trails have their secret tales that would make your blood run cold.  The Northern Lights have seen queer sights, but the queerest they ever did see, what the night on the marge of Lake Lebarge, I cremated Sam McGee.  Robert Service

Offline Jerrymac

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Re: Oxalic acid and bleaching frames
« Reply #3 on: November 03, 2007, 12:08:00 pm »
Here in the USofA it is a wee bit illegal to use anything for pesticide if it hasn't been approved by some branch of the government to use it as such. Throwing gas on a hornets nest would be illegal unless it is labeled as something one could do and the said person follows the instructions to the letter. So yes it is just a joke. Saying you are using the "wood bleach" for what it was intended for, bleaching wood, perfectly legal. While using it as a pesticide is illegal.

Did that clear it up?
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Offline Cindi

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Re: Oxalic acid and bleaching frames
« Reply #4 on: November 03, 2007, 12:19:14 pm »
Jerry, uh huh, uh huh, uh huh.  But......still questions in my mind.  Are there beekeepers that may have missed the cue and are actually bleaching their frames?  Wondering, wondering.  Cindi
There are strange things done in the midnight sun by the men who moil for gold.  The Arctic trails have their secret tales that would make your blood run cold.  The Northern Lights have seen queer sights, but the queerest they ever did see, what the night on the marge of Lake Lebarge, I cremated Sam McGee.  Robert Service

Offline Michael Bush

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Re: Oxalic acid and bleaching frames
« Reply #5 on: November 03, 2007, 12:45:01 pm »
Some people who have fruit trees wash them with soapy water too.  Of course it's just because the trees are dirty.  Using soap for a pesticide would be illegal too.

Some people feed powdered sugar to their bees by dumping it on the top bars and knocking it down through the hive too.  It's not their fault of some Varroa fall off.

Some people use sumac for their smokers.  It's not their fault if some Varroa die because of it.

And then some people vaporize oxalic acid wood bleach to bleach their frames or dribble oxalic acid solution on them.  It's too much work to take the bees out first. ;)
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Offline Cindi

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Re: Oxalic acid and bleaching frames
« Reply #6 on: November 03, 2007, 01:57:43 pm »
Oh brother, guess I have to keep guessing  :) :) ;) :(

I use dried sumac flower stumps (Staghorn Sumac to be exact) for my smoker fuel.  I am on to find polypores now......remember that big long post with all the pictures of the cool polypores....what a name....polypores.  I know I have lots everywhere, it is just a matter of getting out and catching them, they go fast and then drying them to resurrect for next year  :) ;) :)  Have a wonderful and greatest of this day.  Cindi
There are strange things done in the midnight sun by the men who moil for gold.  The Arctic trails have their secret tales that would make your blood run cold.  The Northern Lights have seen queer sights, but the queerest they ever did see, what the night on the marge of Lake Lebarge, I cremated Sam McGee.  Robert Service

Offline Finsky

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Re: Oxalic acid and bleaching frames
« Reply #7 on: November 03, 2007, 02:01:35 pm »
Here in the USofA it is a wee bit illegal to use anything for pesticide if it hasn't been approved by some branch of the government to use it as such. ....

Did that clear it up?

Totally clear, and up too  http://www.disastercenter.com/crime/uscrime.htm

One German told that it is illegal to play with live fish. I asked is it illegal to hit wife? - No, off course not!.

In Finland everything is allowed if you do not reveal yourself or you don't ask permission.. 

Offline Jerrymac

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Re: Oxalic acid and bleaching frames
« Reply #8 on: November 03, 2007, 02:19:35 pm »
In Finland everything is allowed if you do not reveal yourself or you don't ask permission.. 

Stealing a car is allowed?
Breaking into a house is allowed?

I guess the way you put it, everything is also allowed here as long as you don't get caught.
:rainbowflower:  Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.   :rainbowflower:

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Offline reinbeau

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Re: Oxalic acid and bleaching frames
« Reply #9 on: November 03, 2007, 07:40:56 pm »
Oh brother, guess I have to keep guessing  :) :) ;) :(
Cindi, I think you have to take it that they're saying they're bleaching their frames but using the oa for the same purposes you are.  Just an excuse.

Quote
I use dried sumac flower stumps (Staghorn Sumac to be exact) for my smoker fuel.  I am on to find polypores now......remember that big long post with all the pictures of the cool polypores....what a name....polypores.  I know I have lots everywhere, it is just a matter of getting out and catching them, they go fast and then drying them to resurrect for next year  :) ;) :)  Have a wonderful and greatest of this day.  Cindi
Look for birch trees, birch polypores - we learned in Boy Scouts (yes, I was in Boy Scouts for 12 years with my boys!) that birch polypores are great to keep in a kindling kit, as both they and birch bark will light even when wet.  I dunno about using them in a smoker, that's interesting, where did you hear that?

Offline Cindi

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Re: Oxalic acid and bleaching frames
« Reply #10 on: November 05, 2007, 12:25:08 am »
Ann, cool Boy Scouts eh?  Funny things that Mothers do with their kids eh?  I had girls so I didn't get to go to Boy Scouts, too bad though.  I don't think that we have any birch nearby to us.  A tree I am not familiar with.

About the polypores, there was a discussion on methods of putting out smokers in the forum.  I remember Finsky talking about the polypores and so did BEE C.  I did a search on Finsky's profile to find that post (I remember the strangest things sometimes, so I could remember it was him talking about it) and I copied the post, it follows below:


Re: Putting out a Smoker
« Reply #28 on: January 26, 2007, 01:07:31 AM »
   Reply with quoteQuote
Quote from: Apis629 on January 25, 2007, 11:29:19 PM
If you're away from the house, potable water would be better used for hydration, than extinguising your smoker.

Finsky's reply:
Yes, somethimes I must piss on cinder that forest will not catch fire.

I use this polyporus in my smoker to keep small smoke. It needs thump size piece and it burns one hour.
It is valubale because it is hard to find enough.  I may take fire to it from car's tobaco plug.
This stuff makes fire when you roll wood stick in the hole of dry polyporus
This makes tar at all and burn up to white ash.

http://www.pfc.cfs.nrcan.gc.ca/diseases/ctd/Group/Canker/canker6_e.html


I haven't quite got the knack of how I see other forum members can get the actual "post" topic to be embedded in their replies.  Don't know if that makes any sense.  But does anyone know how to do this?  It has something to do with highlighting the topic and copying it or something like that.  Have a wonderful and great day, Cindi


There are strange things done in the midnight sun by the men who moil for gold.  The Arctic trails have their secret tales that would make your blood run cold.  The Northern Lights have seen queer sights, but the queerest they ever did see, what the night on the marge of Lake Lebarge, I cremated Sam McGee.  Robert Service

Offline abejaruco

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Re: Oxalic acid and bleaching frames
« Reply #11 on: November 05, 2007, 12:55:32 am »
Quote
It is like an old man in Sweden. He went to shop  and asked good sausage  with 5 cents.  Shopkeeper got nervours that joke  and answered that you cannot get sausage with 5 cents.  OK, said old man, is it possible to cut so near by as possible?

Shopkeeper said: "You can lick the knife".

Offline reinbeau

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Re: Oxalic acid and bleaching frames
« Reply #12 on: November 05, 2007, 08:01:30 am »
Ann, cool Boy Scouts eh?  Funny things that Mothers do with their kids eh?  I had girls so I didn't get to go to Boy Scouts, too bad though.  I don't think that we have any birch nearby to us.  A tree I am not familiar with.
Funny, I would think there were birches near you.  Are you east of the mountains?  Paper birches are all over BC per this page.  A goggle search on 'birches in British Columbia brings up more links if you want to poke around  :)


Quote
I haven't quite got the knack of how I see other forum members can get the actual "post" topic to be embedded in their replies.  Don't know if that makes any sense.  But does anyone know how to do this?  It has something to do with highlighting the topic and copying it or something like that.  Have a wonderful and great day, Cindi
You need to put the quote tags around it.  they look like this [ quote] [ /quote] (without the spaces, I had to put them there so they would show up.  The first [ quote] starts the quoted message, the end quote tage [ /quote] closes it.

Offline BMAC

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Re: Oxalic acid and bleaching frames
« Reply #13 on: November 06, 2007, 11:43:04 am »
speaking of bleaching the frames with OA.  I bought some gear to be able to measure the exact amount of OA for each frame.  Along with 2+lbs of lab grade AO.  I was going to bleach my frames with it  ;), but since have changed my mind.  I am now thinking about selling it for what I paid.  Non of it has been used.  It is still in its original box. 

So Keep an eye out at the trading post for it.  I have to give it some more consideration, but as I see it now I will not bleach my frames. ;)
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Offline Cindi

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Re: Oxalic acid and bleaching frames
« Reply #14 on: November 07, 2007, 12:34:14 am »
Quote
Funny, I would think there were birches near you.  Are you east of the mountains?  Paper birches are all over BC per this page.  A goggle search on 'birches in British Columbia brings up more links if you want to poke around  Smiley

I think that there are birches probably all over the place around here, but none on my property, I know that for sure.

I am not east of the mountains, I guess that depends on what mountains you are speaking about.  I have lots of mountains all around me.  I presume you were speaking of east of the Rocky Mountains?  I live in the southwest corner of British Columbia, just above the northwest corner of Washington, hee, hee.

I think that BEE C talked about birch trees and he only lives about 10 minutes from me, I should ask him to show me some polypores on the birches.  Have a great and wonderful day, Cindi


There are strange things done in the midnight sun by the men who moil for gold.  The Arctic trails have their secret tales that would make your blood run cold.  The Northern Lights have seen queer sights, but the queerest they ever did see, what the night on the marge of Lake Lebarge, I cremated Sam McGee.  Robert Service

Offline Finsky

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Re: Oxalic acid and bleaching frames
« Reply #15 on: November 07, 2007, 12:52:14 am »
.

It is worth to try all rotten leave trees how they work in smoker. Avoid those which generate tar and clue tightly the smoker.

You may dry up piece of wood in micro wave oven. When you find a good rotten trunk, use it.
Just now I am short of polypores.  Biggest polypores are head size.

From this picture I may get smoke stuff for long time. Common Name: Clinker Polypore, 
Read more http://www.mwrop.org/W_Needham/ClinkerPolypore_Chaga_051216.htm








Offline Cindi

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Re: Oxalic acid and bleaching frames
« Reply #16 on: November 07, 2007, 12:55:22 am »
Finsky, oooh, what a cool picture of a polypore.  I am sure that I may have seen this type on a tree on my property,

clinker polypore, cool name.  Have a wonderful and great day.  Cindi
There are strange things done in the midnight sun by the men who moil for gold.  The Arctic trails have their secret tales that would make your blood run cold.  The Northern Lights have seen queer sights, but the queerest they ever did see, what the night on the marge of Lake Lebarge, I cremated Sam McGee.  Robert Service

 

anything