Home Made Oxallic Sublimator

[beebot]

yeah my first thoughts, seemed a quite heavy output of vapor. Surly would need to make sure does not Nuke the little critters !

So what do people use with varrox and how quickly does it vapourise the acid is what I was getting at. Was thinking of making some of these myself as it seems a very neat way to make a number of heater without spending a alot of money so that you could treat much quicker.

 

[Hivemaker.]

If they ever make OA Sublimation legal

It is already legal.

 

[For want of a better word]

It is already legal.

but only if you vaporise Apie Buy Poxil or whatever ripoffchempfarmco call it?

Nos da

 

[Erichalfbee]

So what do people use with varrox and how quickly does it vapourise the acid is what I was getting at. Was thinking of making some of these myself as it seems a very neat way to make a number of heater without spending a alot of money so that you could treat much quicker.

Mine get 2/3g depending on box size and I heat for 2/3 minutes
The vaporiser goes on a metal tray under the OMF and the gap is stuffed with
a towel.

 

[beebot]

Mine get 2/3g depending on box size and I heat for 2/3 minutes
The vaporiser goes on a metal tray under the OMF and the gap is stuffed with
a towel.

Thank.
So the vapouriser in the video does the trick just nicely.
Think I'll give it a go in the Christmas hols.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

the varrox will do 3g easily in 2.5 minutes

 

[fatshark]

Published data shows there's little or no increase in efficiency when vaporising 1.4 vs 2.8g of OA. The graph is on the ScientificBeekeeping website reproduced from a large scale survey by Radetzki.

Make your Api-Bioxal go further ... use less ;-)

 

[For want of a better word]

Published data shows there's little or no increase in efficiency when vaporising 1.4 vs 2.8g of OA. The graph is on the ScientificBeekeeping website reproduced from a large scale survey by Radetzki.

Make your Api-Bioxal go further ... use less ;-)

One would have thought the non treatment efficacy would be flatlined at 0
what is going on here??

Nos da

 

[Millet]

http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/newreply.php?do=newreply&noquote=1&p=510229

No it isn't harmless... Do some more research.

Be careful with Oxcalic,, i mentioned it was harmless to bee's and i then got the reply in the link. Confused.

 

[BrianO]

Ok

So options are buy Varrox Sublimator ... Expensive or DIY model. Though over time, like a lot of things perhaps the purpose built Varrox makes sense and you do not have the issue of elements of cheaper mug heaters burning out . ?

Some other questions please

Where can you buy the Oxallic acid powder ?

Do you that do this, leave the hive sealed up as Varrox demo video for 10 mins after sublimation time of 2.30 seconds has passed ?

 

[Erichalfbee]

I bought a varrox as I have no DIY skills
I bought Oxalic from eBay and jewellers' scale for measuring
When I did my first treatment I left the padding in for 10 minutes but have gradually reduced this to 6. When I take the padding out of the back no vapour escapes so I reckoned six minutes was OK

 

[For want of a better word]

Ok

So options are buy Varrox Sublimator ... Expensive or DIY model. Though over time, like a lot of things perhaps the purpose built Varrox makes sense and you do not have the issue of elements of cheaper mug heaters burning out . ?

Some other questions please

Where can you buy the Oxallic acid powder ?

Do you that do this, leave the hive sealed up as Varrox demo video for 10 mins after sublimation time of 2.30 seconds has passed ?

Oxallic acid sold as a wood cleaner on fleabuy and in most yacht chandlers, though would cost more than £8 / kilo as the word YACHT WOOD CLEANERS adds 500%!!!


eBay item number:
130672302665


I sublimate hive one and block in, move on to hive 2 and block in... move on to hive 3 and use cloth from hive 1 to block in etc etc.
Depending upon the time it takes me to move the 10,000KW/h battery pack... I suppose hives are blocked up after each sublimation for 6 minutes

Yeghes da

 

[Gilberdyke John]

Oxallic acid sold as a wood cleaner on fleabuy and in most yacht chandlers, though would cost more than £8 / kilo as the word YACHT WOOD CLEANERS adds 500%!!!


eBay item number:
130672302665


I sublimate hive one and block in, move on to hive 2 and block in... move on to hive 3 and use cloth from hive 1 to block in etc etc.
Depending upon the time it takes me to move the 10,000KW/h battery pack... I suppose hives are blocked up after each sublimation for 6 minutes

Yeghes da

I wouldn't fancy moving a 10,000 kw/hr battery pack. A 100Ahr 12 volt battery is heavy enough for me

 

[BrianO]

Thanks Guys !

So for those that uses these, you do not use MAQS of any other treatments but use Sublimator depending on mite drop once or twice, or more ? Per year

 

[pargyle]

Thanks Guys !

So for those that uses these, you do not use MAQS of any other treatments but use Sublimator depending on mite drop once or twice, or more ? Per year

The nice thing about OA sublimation is that you can use it at almost any time of the year .. ideally when there is not a lot of brood in the hive as it only knocks down the phoretic mites. I've followed HM's recommendation (not on my hives .. yet) with treatment every five days for three treatments when there is brood in there .. the knock down can be as high as 97% so once you've cleared out the mites you should be pretty well set up for a good few months - or the year if you are lucky. But... it's a case of keeping your eyes on the mite situation and testing if it looks like they are building up again - in which case it's really only a ten minute job to give them another go.

I used a Varrox on a pair of hives that were riddled with mites at the end of July ..You could actually see the mites on the bees. After treatment we saw a drop of dead mites so big on the second day after OA sublimation that we could not count them .. the floor was black with them ... by the third treatment it was down to single figures. We did another (precautionary) treatment at the beginning of October - just one go .. nothing, not a single mite. Very impressed ...

The ladies two hives looked doomed initially... she'd treated with Hiveclean last year and dribbled OA on New year's day but these treatments didn't appear to have been very effective. There were no obvious signs of disease but the bees were very lethargic and she had been seeing lots of dead bees on the ground outside the hive.

Since the July treatment they have come round and whilst she didn't get any honey they have been packing it in over the last couple of months and look very much as though they will be fine.

As I've said previously .. if I HAD to treat my bees there's only treatment I would consider ...

 

[For want of a better word]

I wouldn't fancy moving a 10,000 kw/hr battery pack. A 100Ahr 12 volt battery is heavy enough for me

I have dysphragia... never could get those decimal points in the corect place!

k W h.. kilo Watt hour... one kilo ( 1000... small k) Watt ( after James Watt so capitol W) hour... that is 1 hour... so 3600 seconds.
That is the Units British Gas sell electricity to me in.

Yeghes da

 

[BrianO]

Great stuff.

That's gonna be my next purchase.

Have to say the Oxallic dribble resulted in a huge mite knockdown for me last January but think, from your ... Helpfull and appreciated !!!! Posts the sublimator is the way to go to achieve a more even treatment.

Also cheaper as after two years beekeeping want to cut down the costs and become more efficient in my management of hives, in relation to time and money.

 

[oliver90owner]

huge mite knockdown for me last January

There is one BIG problem. Most of your winter bees have likely been fed on, by reproducing mites, at the pupation stage so will be 'viralised'. Not good for longevity through the winter months and first brood cycles in spring.

Autumn mite reduction is, IMO, the most important time for mite reduction in the year. Treatments at other times are clearly needed depending on circunstances, but for healthy winter bees that need to survive several months, not 6-7 weeks, the autumn treatment is imperative if tbe varroa loading is significant.

 

[For want of a better word]

Three tubs of Apigard + a couple of boxes of foils... plus all the faffing with ekes...

NEXT Autumn I will be Vaporising OA .... only been using the Varrox on an ad hoc basis on swarm colonies collected and now hived,
Not even the first frost yet here and I am planning next Autumn... think I shall go lie down in a quiet dark room for a couple of hours!!!

Dyffen da

 

[madasafish]

Well having read this thread, I am going down the DIY vapourising route.
I am trying to decide on glowplug vs water heater for source of heat.. I fancy glowplug as smaller and cheaper..

I intend to buy and make for under £30 including a 12V battery..

I reckon 120Watt x2 mins =0.33AmpHrs..
So a 7AH 12V battery in theory could do 21 hives if fully discharged..As that is unlikely to be practical (battery damage etc), say 10 hives... which would suit my requirements just fine.. (ebay item 130918310649) £13

Or maybe 9AH ebay item 130982996181 £15.

Glowplug under £3. Or water heater under £7.

Wiring? (I have some spare ) £0



Cup: made from surplus aluminium sheet. £0

Oxalic Acid 500g £5


Total £23 to £27..

Handles etc from surplus material lying around..