Oxalic Acid Treatment Series Planner (With Calendar Export)
With brood in the hive, one oxalic acid treatment only reaches the mites riding on adult bees that day; the rest are sealed under wax cappings. A series spaced across a full brood cycle catches each wave as it emerges. The hard part is not the vaporizing, it's remembering day 10 and day 15. Pick a start date and an interval, and this planner gives you every treatment date, the oxalic acid you need per round, the mite washes that prove it worked, and a file that drops the whole plan onto your calendar.
Tool Oxalic Acid Treatment Series Planner
Your dates
Why the interval matters
A varroa mite spends about 12 days sealed in a capped worker cell, protected from anything you put in the hive. When the bee emerges the mite rides on adults for a few days, then enters another cell about to be capped. Oxalic acid vapor kills the mites it touches on those adult bees. The interval between treatments decides how many mites get caught during their short exposed phase:
| Schedule | Covers | Best for | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|---|
| Every 5 days × 5 | 25 days, a full worker cycle | The standard fall or spring series with brood present | Five visits; the schedule most extension guides describe |
| Every 3 days × 7 | 21 days | Summer dearth when counts are climbing fast; what we run in our own yards | More visits, but almost no mite gets a full exposed phase untreated |
| Every 4 days × 6 | 24 days | A middle ground when 3 days is too many trips | Six visits |
| Every 7 days × 4 | 28 days | Beekeepers who can only get to the yard weekly | The 7-day gap lets some emerging mites re-enter cells untreated; expect a smaller drop |
| Once, broodless | Every mite in the hive | The winter window, a package, or a freshly hived swarm | None. This is the treatment the others are trying to imitate |
Dose per treatment. We recommend 2 g of EPA-registered oxalic acid per brood box and never more than the label maximum of 4 g per hive, at every application in the series. The planner multiplies that by your hive count so you know how much EZ-OX to have on hand. Full reasoning in how much oxalic acid per hive.
Before you start the series
- Wash first. A mite wash the day before gives you the number to beat. Treating without counting is guessing.
- Check the label for supers. Some oxalic acid labels allow treatment with honey supers on and some do not. Our guide to treating with supers on covers what is allowed and what to expect.
- Weather. Vaporize on a dry day with the bees in the hive: early morning or evening in summer, midday in cool weather. Avoid days above 95°F.
- PPE every time. A full-face respirator with organic vapor and particulate cartridges. Oxalic acid vapor is a serious irritant. See how to vaporize safely.
- Wash after. Seven days after the last application, wash again. If the count did not fall, something went wrong: brood status, dose, a leaking entrance, or a resistant assumption about your mite load.
Frequently asked questions
Why do I need a series of oxalic acid treatments when brood is present?
Because most of the mites are sealed under wax cappings where no contact treatment reaches them. Worker brood is capped for about 12 days, so repeating the treatment every few days across a full brood cycle catches each wave of mites as it emerges, before they re-enter a cell. One treatment with brood present only reaches the mites on adult bees that day.
What interval should I use between treatments?
Every 5 days for 5 applications is the schedule most beekeepers use with brood present, covering a full worker cycle. Every 3 days for 7 applications is the summer routine we run in our own yards when counts are climbing in the dearth. Every 7 days for 4 applications covers the cycle with fewer visits; it is easier to keep but leaves a longer gap for emerging mites.
How much oxalic acid per treatment?
We recommend 2 g per brood box and never more than the label maximum of 4 g per hive. A single deep gets 2 g; a deep and a medium, or a double deep, gets 4 g. The planner multiplies that by your hive count and the number of applications so you know how much EZ-OX to have on hand.
Should I do a mite wash before and after the series?
Yes. A wash the day before tells you the starting point and a wash a week after the last application tells you whether it worked. The planner adds both to your calendar. Treating without counting is guessing.
Can I export the schedule to Google Calendar or my phone?
Yes. The .ics file the planner creates opens in Google Calendar, Apple Calendar and Outlook and adds every treatment as an all-day event with a reminder the night before.
More free beekeeping tools
See all Lorob Bees beekeeping tools →
Related reading
- The oxalic acid treatment schedule, month by month
- How much oxalic acid per hive?
- The varroa mite life cycle: why timing beats dosage
- Our summer oxalic acid routine, day by day
- Oxalic acid dribble vs vaporization
Five treatments in 25 days is easy with the right tool
The InstantVap heats in seconds on the 18V battery you already own, and the Turbo's cycle counter tracks every application so you never lose your place. Use the InstantVap Sizer to pick a model, and stock up on EZ-OX oxalic acid before the series starts.
General beekeeping information from Lorob Bees, not a substitute for a product label or your state apiary inspector. Always read and follow the label of any product you use in a hive.