Hey Kevin,
Spring has sprung with winter popping in and out.
First I'd like to say you still have the best source of information and I am sincerely impressed with your sharing. You nd Bob seem to do well bouncing ideas off each other and I for am thrilled with the chat between you two.
I would like to add a source of frustration with some of Facebook bee groups and online sources. As I am looking at oxalic acid for the first time. Randy Oliver has a great presentation on it as do others. That's not the problem. What surprises and ANGERS me are the folks following it thinking that OAV or OAD is the magic bullet.
I talked with some friends I know in Europe (Belgium, France and Italy) and they are saying the mites are becoming immune to the treatments. People in the US have a wonderful opportunity to use OA but like penicillin it isn't the only thing you should use.
The mites will adjust or become immune if that is all that is used and people don't seem to understand it. OA, in my opinion, should be used as part of IPM. IPM includes breaking the brood cycle (making splits, replacing the queen), other treatments as well as testing for mites. I use screened bottom boards just to be able to slide out the insert to see what's there. I have pulled off Facebook for Lent but to bee (lol) honest I would have done so because people believing one type of treatment is all you should do. Yes OAV/D will work but keep looking what others do in your area.
Ok let me get off the soapbox and use that wood for something.
I read and heard about your nucs.... keep working on them and learn. Also thanks to you and Bob on the hive autopsy link I have shared that and Randy Oliver's OA presentation with folks very nice stuff.
Thanks I do reference your podcasts to others as even if you are just interested in beekeeping but aren't keeping bees... it's entertaining.
Thanks for the work you do and all the best to NWNJ club too... you guys are doing it right.
John