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Randy,s Posts

A Comparative Trial of the Pollen Subs 2020: Part 3

A COMPARATIVE TRIAL OF THE POLLEN SUBS 2020 Part 3 Beekeeper-Funded Research First published in ABJ September 2021 Randy Oliver ScientificBeekeeping.com   Some research institutions avoid the testing of name-brand products for obvious reasons, and some trade magazines won’t publish articles that might offend their advertisers. We beekeepers are fortunate that Dadant & Sons and...

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Observations on Pollen Subs: Part 2 — Why Didn’t My Test Hives Grow?

Observations on Pollen Subs Part 2 Why Didn’t My Test Hives Grow? First published in ABJ September 2021 Randy Oliver ScientificBeekeeping.com   After the first of July we find it difficult to get nucs to grow, despite continual feeding. Is the lack of response to feeding due to the heat, the day length, the lack...

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Glyphosate fact checking

This is a very contentious subject, but how much of the media alarm over glyphosate is based upon actual risk assessment? Having run my garden and orchard organically for many years, I was faced with invasive Vinca major and Himalaya blackberries that were taking an  excessive amount of my time to control.  Weed whacking, horticultural vinegar,...

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Observations on Pollen Subs: Part 3–Placement of the Pollen

Observations on Pollen Subs: Part 3 Placement of the Pollen Patty First published in ABJ October 2021 Randy Oliver ScientificBeekeeping.com There doesn’t appear to be a benefit from feeding pollen sub when there’s already a substantial natural pollen flow going on. On the other hand, during a dearth, pollen subs may perform better when the...

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A Comparative Trial of the Pollen Subs: Part 4–Why did some Subs Outperform Others

A COMPARATIVE TRIAL OF THE POLLEN SUBS Part 4: Why did some Subs Outperform Others? Beekeeper-Funded Research Randy Oliver ScientificBeekeeping.com   Contents Back to my 2020 california trial Have we been focusing on the wrong suspects? Protein in Animal feed formulations Mixing of protein sources Crude Protein and Amino Acids EAAs as percent of crude...

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A Comparative Trial of the Pollen Subs: Part 5– Revisiting de Groot

   Contents Diving into de groot Understanding what De Groot did The problem with normalizing to tryptophan Re-interpreting de groot’s findings Protein conversion — Patty into bees Justus von Liebig’s Law of the Minimum and essential amino acids My diet calculator So how about the tested diets? The homebrew formulation Not yet done … References...

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A Comparative Trial of the Pollen Subs: Part 6- Do We Need to Revise De Groot?

A COMPARATIVE TRIAL OF THE POLLEN SUBS Part 6: DO WE NEED TO REVISE DE GROOT? Beekeeper-Funded Research First Published in ABJ December 2021 Randy Oliver ScientificBeekeeping.com Bee nutritionists have long cited the essential amino acid ratios suggested by de Groot in 1953. But he himself pointed out the shortcomings of his methods and qualified...

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Observations on Pollen Subs: Part 4- Nectar, Water, and Humidity

Observations on Pollen Subs:  Part 4 Nectar, Water, and Humidity First published in ABJ January 2022 Randy Oliver ScientificBeekeeping.com   Last month I pointed out that there is something about even a light natural pollen flow that seems to increase a colony’s response to fed pollen sub. But a light pollen flow is often also...

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Hopguard 3 as a Summer Treatment

HOPGUARD 3 AS A SUMMER TREATMENT Beekeeper-Funded Research Randy Oliver, with collaboration by Aris Roberts First published in ABJ February 2022   In the summer of 2020, I tested using Hopguard 3 to control varroa. Unfortunately, the label was not clear, and I didn’t realize that for summer treatment I was allowed to repeat the...

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An Online Model for Varroa Management

An Online Model for Varroa Management Randy Oliver and Trish Harness First published in ABJ February 2022   Beekeepers worldwide have been using Randy’s Varroa Model with great success since its release in 2017.  But there has been a demand for an online version that did not require Excel, and could be used on a...

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2022 Extended-Release Oxalic Update: Part 1

2022 Extended-Release Oxalic Update Part 1 Randy Oliver ScientificBeekeeping.com First published in ABJ March 2022   As more and more beekeepers try to wean themselves off amitraz, there is great interest in oxalic acid.  Unfortunately, a dose of OA by any of the currently-approved application methods exhibits little residual action, so has limited efficacy if...

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Instructions for extended-release oxalic acid (updated 7/22/25)

Extended-release oxalic acid for varroa management Updated 6 June 2025 Legality of use Understand that the EPA doesn’t give “approval to” any pesticide — it only grants registrations for applicants to distribute and sell specific formulated products for which the EPA has approved the label.  That said, the EPA’s mandate for regulation comes from FIFRA...

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The varroa incursion in Australia 4 July 2022

I’ve been speaking on a daily basis with one of the two beekeepers whose operations are infested, as well as others in the industry. So far, over 1000 of their colonies have been euthanized, with many more planned to be burned.  As you can imagine, this is very emotional for those beekeepers, who have also been prevented from...

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2022 Extended-release Oxalic (OAE) Update Part 2

Contents An additional test of matrices and OA:gly ratios. 1 Cardboard Strips vs. Sponges. 3 Compostability of spent sponges. 3 A winter field trial 4 Methods. 5 Results. 9 Discussion. 11 The Elephant in the Room.. 12 Reality Check. 12 A possible easy solution for getting us legal 13 Citations and notes. 15    ...

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2022 Extended-release Oxalic Update Part 3

Contents The slow effect of OAE 1 Mite turnover 3 A bothersome question 5 You don’t need to kill a single mite in order to control varroa! 5 Varroa’s world: Olfaction, taste, and touch 7 Disruption of mite sensory perception 9 “Blinding” or irritant? 9 A relevant question 9 Wrap Up 10 Citations and notes...

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