Bees are more vigorous after Oxalic Acid fuming

Found visible mites on a few bees in a nuc. Indicative of a larger problem so treated with Oxalic vapor for 2 days running. Bees are far mor...

Found visible mites on a few bees in a nuc. Indicative of a larger problem so treated with Oxalic vapor for 2 days running. Bees are far more vigorous. Moving faster in the hive and seem to be flying faster. So how could a drop in Varroa count be affecting adult bees so noticeably or is it simply coincidence? I can think of only 3 possibilities...

1. Happier nurse bees producing more pheromones and other signals letting the foragers know there is a demand for pollen and nectar? The hivemind knows?
2. Bees also had tracheal mites which affected their breathing. Oxalic vapor cleared their breathing with the effect being increased vigor almost immediately?
3. Some other pathogen was killed by the Oxalic vapor that is unique to the jungle environment.

I am inclined to think number 2 is more likely but there are other mites unique to the Philippines that could also be playing a role.

Nobody has been able to make Mellifera survive in the jungle in the Philippines. I suspect it is the uniquely very small size of the Philippines native Cerana and all its indigenous diseases. For some reason the Philippines race of Cerana is half the size of neighboring countries in South East Asia. Yet to find an explanation for the small size.

http://nzbeesphilippines.blogspot.com/2016/02/mellifera-do-not-thrive-in-forest.html