My first OA vape experience

[Stedic]

Thought I'd write some notes on my OA experience for other beginners looking to do it in December. I'm not saying that what I did was right - but it is what I did! I'd welcome feedback if I did it wrong.

Why did I vape today?
Had a mite drop of 14 in 48 hours which BeeBasd said needed immediate treatment. Also, this is my weakest AND nastiest hive so if it went wrong I was less bothered that my other friendlier ones! Note: less bothered, not not bothered!

Kit
I went for the Thorne's Vapmite as it was cheaper, combined with ApiBioxal *cough*. My hives are accessible with the car but the ground is soft and other options from next year are further away - so I didn't want to use my car battery. I didn't really want to lug other car batteries around so I ordered a Suaoki jump starter from Amazon. Did a test at hope and it boiled water in the pan in seconds.

At the apiary however the 'smart boost' module kept alarming for short circuits. When it did run, it only worked for 30 seconds then shut off! Having googled, I think this is down to the 'smart boost' thing on the jump leads. I'll try some 'stupid' leads from amazon or will have to return the device.

I ended up borrowing jump leads from a nearby garage and using my car. It worked but nearly got stuck, so was a one off solution!

Protection
I used a 3M mask from Amazon, half face, seemed good. Added some safety Goggles I found in the garage. I used my standard beekeeping marigolds with nitrile gloves over the top. Plus a bee suit, because they're nasty!

Vaping
I decided to vape under the OMF. Partly because it is less disruptive but mostly because these bees tend to build brace combbon the bottom and I worried it'd catch fire! I cut a notch in my inspection board and put a soldering mat under the Vspmite. The wood did get scorched.

The actual vaping was a total anticlimax! I set it all up, connected the jump lead and prepared for chaos...but 3 minutes later there were just a few puffs of vapour near the OMF. Turned it off, waited 5 minutes, took it out, replaced the inspection board. Unblocked the entrance after 15 - a few came out but nothing crazy.

Thoughts
As usual I massively over thought the process. I'll try to sort that jumpstarter out or get an alternative - I'll also take some honey to the garage owner next year (hopefully, if supplies allow!).

It was so easy that I hope it is effective. I left the inspection board in so will see what the initial drop is like.

 

[Fritillary]

Interesting to hear about your experience.

I've also recently got a Vapmite and car starter - a different make from yours - and have had a few goes now.

I found that to get the 'cough mixture' to vaporise, with my starter I must press a sort of supplementary button on the side of the lead attachment, as advised in the leaflet for use if the usual method of operation described - for starting a car of course - doesn't work. This heats up the pan quite fast, then turns itself off. I found that giving 2 or 3 jolts for each dose seems to work. I think I must have overdone it once though, as the pan slipped sideways on its spindle! I must have overheated it.

The starter leaflet also advised contacting them if this method was needed, but as I am using the starter in a diff. way from its intended purpose I haven't. Who knows if this will shorten the life of the starter. I probably should ask the manufacturer about it.

The bees buzzed loudly for a few secs. in one instance only. And I'm sure the pan wasn't too close underneath them.

I felt like a very overdressed insect fumbling around with mask and eye protection on + bee suit. And wondered not for the first time how this relates to my pre-beekeeping notions of pottering about hives with just veil and hat! But it worked. Am getting more used to it.

 

[steph333]

Sounds good to me. Try some tin foil over the wood to stop the scorching. Got fed up of the time taken and hassle with a pan vaporiser and have splashed out on an Siblimox. Its either raining when im not at work or i do not have the time : (

Stephen

 

[Erichalfbee]

Sounds good to me. Try some tin foil over the wood to stop the scorching. Got fed up of the time taken and hassle with a pan vaporiser and have splashed out on an Siblimox. Its either raining when im not at work or i do not have the time : (

Stephen

The Sublimox is a revelation.
I used mine for the first time on three colonies. Absolutely perfect. If you pay attention to sealing the hive you get very very little loss even with this machine

 

[Millet]

I could not be done with all that palva , just stick a charged diesel car battery in a wheel barrow if you can not carry one the higher (Ah) the better, as for protective equipment i lick my finger and stick it in the air or better than that look at the tree tops, nothing wrong with vaping under the open mesh floor, just add a bit more product to compensate for the part that gathers on the mesh floor, after 2.30 secs uclip the battery and pull the gasser out and drop it on the cold grass while you block the entrance and move to the next hive, easy peazy lemon squeezy .

If you read up on things it is always over complicated but after a lot of practical experience it makes life much easier.

 

[Amari]

I use a Varrox fired via truck leads from my car parked c. 10m away. It's about a minute before 'smoke' leaks out of any cracks by which time I'm standing 20m up-wind so never wear a mask - and have never been aware of inhaling noxious fumes.
Two hives in an out-apiary are inaccessible to the car so I use a jump-starter. Each 'burn' lasts only c.30-60 secs so I have to press 'start' c. three times.
Works for me.
On hives with BB above a nadired shallow I'm now pondering on vaping from the top of the hive.

 

[Stedic]

If you read up on things it is always over complicated but after a lot of practical experience it makes life much easier.

I need to write this on each hive roof.

And on my work locker. And possibly tattoo it on both of my children.

 

[Eyeman]

I could not be done with all that palva , just stick a charged diesel car battery in a wheel barrow if you can not carry one the higher (Ah) the better, as for protective equipment i lick my finger and stick it in the air or better than that look at the tree tops, nothing wrong with vaping under the open mesh floor, just add a bit more product to compensate for the part that gathers on the mesh floor, after 2.30 secs uclip the battery and pull the gasser out and drop it on the cold grass while you block the entrance and move to the next hive, easy peazy lemon squeezy .

If you read up on things it is always over complicated but after a lot of practical experience it makes life much easier.

Wind direction can change within seconds. You've only got one set of lungs! Masks and goggles are a sensible precaution.

 

[pargyle]

Wind direction can change within seconds. You've only got one set of lungs! Masks and goggles are a sensible precaution.

Don't worry ... Darwin was right abount evolution. He'll either kill himself with a lungful of the stuff or he'll get a whiff and after coughing his guts up for half an hour he'll think twice before treading the same path again. Just mother nature's way of refining the species...

 

[Erichalfbee]

I did mine with my new toy and sounding like Darth Vader was quite a novel experience

 

[enrico]

I too am new to this. I went to halfords and bought a high power motor cycle battery.. it is a third the size of a car battery and quite light. It fits nicely in a carrying box with all my kit and vaped four hives without faltering. I vaped one over the omf. A couple of bees dived on it and died so the others I vaped under the omf by slipping a wooden board in from behind and putting the hot vape thingy on a wall tile. That worked a treat. Like you all a bit of an anti climax until I checked the mite drop which frightened the hell out of me! One hive still dropping dramatically so vaped again five days later. Still getting a big drop from that hive. The others are ok.
E

 

[madasafish]

I could not be done with all that palva , just stick a charged diesel car battery in a wheel barrow if you can not carry one the higher (Ah) the better, as for protective equipment i lick my finger and stick it in the air or better than that look at the tree tops, nothing wrong with vaping under the open mesh floor, just add a bit more product to compensate for the part that gathers on the mesh floor, after 2.30 secs uclip the battery and pull the gasser out and drop it on the cold grass while you block the entrance and move to the next hive, easy peazy lemon squeezy .

If you read up on things it is always over complicated but after a lot of practical experience it makes life much easier.

When a student doing chemistry, wearing protective glasses and filters was standard. One student decided not to. That combined with a similar view taken by him on other safety measures ended up with him half blind- permanently.

 

[Millet]

Wind direction can change within seconds. You've only got one set of lungs! Masks and goggles are a sensible precaution.

I had a whiff of the stuff three years ago when i first bought the contraption while experimenting,it is not that pleasant and i do not plan on doing it again any time soon, when the gasser is powered up i am usually preparing another hive and not near the hive being vaped till the process is finished, after many treatments over the seasons i am yet to breath any more gas in and i have certainly and do not intend to get any in my mince pies.

 

[charlievictorbravo]

I too am new to this. I went to halfords and bought a high power motor cycle battery.. it is a third the size of a car battery and quite light. It fits nicely in a carrying box with all my kit and vaped four hives without faltering. I vaped one over the omf. A couple of bees dived on it and died so the others I vaped under the omf by slipping a wooden board in from behind and putting the hot vape thingy on a wall tile. That worked a treat. Like you all a bit of an anti climax until I checked the mite drop which frightened the hell out of me! One hive still dropping dramatically so vaped again five days later. Still getting a big drop from that hive. The others are ok.
E

Several of us have had "problem" hives that have taken a lot of vaping but still not entirely clear of mites - there are at least 2 threads discussing this. Is there anything particular about this colony? - on post #39 of this thread I listed some possible reasons for the problem hives - anything there that ties up with your experience?

CVB

 

[enrico]

Several of us have had "problem" hives that have taken a lot of vaping but still not entirely clear of mites - there are at least 2 threads discussing this. Is there anything particular about this colony? - on post #39 of this thread I listed some possible reasons for the problem hives - anything there that ties up with your experience?

CVB

Not really. They were weakish over winter due to me moving house and they didn't get time to build up. However once they got a grip in the summer they built up nicely. Took no honey off this year but had high hopes for next year. Showed no signs of weakness or wing disorder. Always quiet but working in all weathers. They have been coping with varroa with no signs of stress, that's why the colossal drop surprised me. Over .100 per day.
E

 

[Beefriendly]

Showed no signs of weakness or wing disorder. Always quiet but working in all weathers. They have been coping with varroa with no signs of stress, that's why the colossal drop surprised me. Over .100 per day.
E

The signs are there, but subtle and easy to miss. The first I saw with my real problem hive was they where lagging behind similar colonies in honey acquisition. So they are suffering and the colony is obviously not working optimally.
Now I know what to look for, I detected another on the heather this year that simply wasn't doing the business, 4 vapes and sorted.

 

[Fritillary]

hurray:So pleased to have my new vaporising kit at the weekend - when the car starter part, stored in the car in rare moment of common sense, worked perfectly in the dark, cold + rain, and got the car + dead battery + me home again.)

 

[madasafish]

BBKA News this month has an article on OA>> "ONLY ONE treatment a year per colony " says a well qualified beekeeper. No differentiation between vaping or trickling.

 

[Hivemaker.]

BBKA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MMqKgshQCk

 

[Millet]