Sublimox ? Best method of application

Question... what is the best way to sublimate OA using the SUBLIMOX device?

( Great Aunt has bought me one for my Birthday... which is in February... She never can remember, poor dear is nearly 100 and seems to think I am still 12!)

I have been advised various methods.

Just through the entrance after "smoking " bees up into hive

As above but block floor and entrance ( if OMF)

Through a hole drilled into brood box

As above but block floor and entrance ( if OMF)

Lift lid and crown board and vape using a covered eke

As above but block floor and entrance ( if OMF)

Any other method??????

and when and how often?

Yeghes da

Through a hole in the sidewall/rear of the floor, so under the frames ... or through a hole in an eke on top with the sealed crownboard or lifespan (inverted) on. I see no difference in terms of vapour distribution monitored through a perspex crownboard or the cracks/joints between boxes. Seal the OMF as best you can. Entrance block in. Leave the latter in place while you do the next hive, then remove i.e. let the vapour 'settle' before opening the hive. The idea is that you have as little as possible escaping from the hive.

You can do it through the entrance but it's much less satisfactory in my view. The bees are trying to rush out into the jet of vapour you're forcing in.

When ... broodless (which may be earlier in the year than you think) or by multiple applications, perhaps 3 x 5 days (see posts from Hivemaker some time ago on this).

The only problem with the latter is the repeated times you need to clean out the chamber of all that caramelised cr@p they've added to Api-Bioxal.

I've drilled a 8mm hole in the back of all my floors and put a plug into it. I then remove the plug and treat.

Is there an issue with doing it through the OMF with the sblimox?

Trying to work how to mod my wooden OMF floors

Your could I suppose, but two problems ... firstly, it means the OMF will be open and you'll lose lots of the vapour, secondly some of the OA goodness will not get past the mesh. I expect access might be an issue and surely it can't get any easier than delivery through a 7-8mm hole through the edge beading of the floor? I've even drilled hives in situ just before treatment.

Im on 100% poly hives (apart from wooden floors) but the drill hole under the floor sits below the OMF.

Im considering losing the OMF and using a solid floor but even that doesnt really solve the issue as the hole would be under the solid floor.

Anyone just drilled a hole in the poly and its not melted?

lal5000 said:

Im on 100% poly hives (apart from wooden floors) but the drill hole under the floor sits below the OMF.

Im considering losing the OMF and using a solid floor but even that doesnt really solve the issue as the hole would be under the solid floor.

Anyone just drilled a hole in the poly and its not melted?

Click to expand...

For the polly hives suggestion is to.....

Lift lid and crown board and vape using a covered eke....

block floor and entrance.

May have to go that way for all of my colonies as I now have many of them on new mouse and jasper proof under entrance type open mesh floors... like JBM described

Im reluctant to lift the lid on colonies in the middle of winter.

Would ideally like a solution that works with the roof on.

Thinking of modding the floor to allow a copper pipe to bend up and through the OMF

lal5000 said:

Im on 100% poly hives (apart from wooden floors) but the drill hole under the floor sits below the OMF.

Im considering losing the OMF and using a solid floor but even that doesnt really solve the issue as the hole would be under the solid floor.

Anyone just drilled a hole in the poly and its not melted?

Click to expand...

I have used circular hoes cutters on poly insulation boards at LOW speeds. If sharp, they cut quite cleanly IF you back the board with a piece of wood - if not jagged exit cut. I found fast speeds lead to melting and tearing..

Sorry I meant a 6mm hole for a sublimox insertion.

Not keen on drilling 40mm holes and back filling with wood.

I've done that on the eke. Works well but took a while and was messy with 2 part epoxy

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The nozzle melts poly. Been there done that. A kink in the delivery route ensures most of the OA doesn't get to the intended location.

Lifting the CB, adding an eke, putting the roof back upside down, delivery etc. ... takes seconds and is OK in midwinter ... but not as good as a simple hole through the sidewall of a wooden floor

For poly boxes with big, wide entrances e.g. the Everynuc from Thorne's I use a block of wood to cover the entrance with a hole through it for the Sublimox. I find this is reasonably effective. If you simply squirt it through the entrance the bees are rushing out at the same time.

The Abelo poly floors are a PITA with the Sublimox ... the OMF is tricky to seal, there's a landing board to confound insertion of the machine upside down etc.

Ok thanks for the comments.

I will stick with the plan to use the ekes then and not bother modding the floors.

cheers

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lal5000 said:

Ok thanks for the comments.

I will stick with the plan to use the ekes then and not bother modding the floors.

cheers

Sent from my SM-N950F using Tapatalk

Click to expand...

be interested in any pictures of the set up for this as I have paynes national polys and so definitely keen to see how this works

Covered here

Admittedly on a cedar box ... but here it is in use:

fatshark said:

Covered here

Admittedly on a cedar box ... but here it is in use:

Click to expand...

actually i looked there and he had it on his floor this time

http://theapiarist.org/sublimox/

...was thinking about changing to a made floor to match my poly paynes

is the vapour heavier than air .. so better to do from the top ?

fatshark said:

The Abelo poly floors are a PITA with the Sublimox ... the OMF is tricky to seal, there's a landing board to confound insertion of the machine upside down etc.

Click to expand...

The varroa inserts the Abelo floors come with seem to seal them just fine. Or at least mine do.
I can't say I've ever noticed any vapour escaping from them.

That's what I've knocked up using a brood box cut in two, poly carb top and a piece of wood to stop it melting

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fatshark said:

The Abelo poly floors are a PITA with the Sublimox ... the OMF is tricky to seal, there's a landing board to confound insertion of the machine upside down etc.

Click to expand...

Could you make a wooden entrance block and stick a small length of copper pipe through it which would give a bit of clearance?



Im beginning to wonder though whether two or three of the varrox style vapers would be more convenient, one to work, one to cool and the other to load and prepare... and would still be cheaper.

If you're wood then it's a no brainer.

Poly just requires a few tweaks

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citrus said:

actually i looked there and he had it on his floor this time

http://theapiarist.org/sublimox/

...was thinking about changing to a made floor to match my poly paynes

is the vapour heavier than air .. so better to do from the top ?

Click to expand...

It's pushed in with such force it permeates to every corner of the box in just a few seconds .. whether delivered from the top or bottom.