Sublimox - using an eke

[Jimmy]

I'm thinking about investing in a sublimox vaporizer.
My hives are on a variety of different floors, some poly, some wood, some homemade, some kewl type, mostly OMF etc so I am thinking of making an eke for treatment. I've seen fatsharks (aka the apiarist) hole in floor approach but due to the diversity of floor types I think that having an eke that I could transfer from the top of one hive to the next would be easier.
Is moving an eke between hives when treating practical and effective? Or perhaps a couple so that I could treat one hive whilst the previous hive is given time for the oxalic to circulate.

 

[Plenty of honey]

I'm thinking about investing in a sublimox vaporizer.
My hives are on a variety of different floors, some poly, some wood, some homemade, some kewl type, mostly OMF etc so I am thinking of making an eke for treatment. I've seen fatsharks (aka the apiarist) hole in floor approach but due to the diversity of floor types I think that having an eke that I could transfer from the top of one hive to the next would be easier.
Is moving an eke between hives when treating practical and effective? Or perhaps a couple so that I could treat one hive whilst the previous hive is given time for the oxalic to circulate.

Your on a good track, I've heard through a friend who been sublimating through a top cover and its more successful. I think Hivemaker (Peter Little) has done a lot of work trying this out. He might be able to shed more light on the success rate. I will be getting a Sublimox later this year and need to look at poly nuc sublimation from above, As otherwise its going to be tricky through a poly base. Anyone else thought of a good solution?

 

[JWF]

If your going to put the sublimox into the top of the hive I think you'll get very poor distribution through the hive, as the hot OA vapour wants to rise. That could possibly give rise to a higher temp and high OA concn at the top which wouldn't be ideal either.

 

[Hachi]

I've found the simplest way by far, is a metal sheet cut to size and as I do mine in winter I find I can tilt the BB to slide the sheet underneath and then "seal" round the edges if necessary and then slide in the vaporiser and away you go....

 

[Erichalfbee]

A hole with a plug in the top of the brood box?

 

[JWF]

If your going to put the sublimox into the top of the hive I think you'll get very poor distribution through the hive, as the hot OA vapour wants to rise. That could possibly give rise to a higher temp and high OA concn at the top which wouldn't be ideal either.

Ignore me - I just realised that the sublimox is one of those vaporisers that blows the OA into the hive!

 

[wightbees]

So do you have to wait for ages to take it off ?

 

[Beefriendly]

Your on a good track, I've heard through a friend who been sublimating through a top cover and its more successful. I think Hivemaker (Peter Little) has done a lot of work trying this out. He might be able to shed more light on the success rate. I will be getting a Sublimox later this year and need to look at poly nuc sublimation from above, As otherwise its going to be tricky through a poly base. Anyone else thought of a good solution?

Correct he does. I use 2 ekes as the vapour generated from the sublimox takes a minute or so to fully descend into the hive and can be treating the next hive whilst waiting. I made mine with clear perspex boards so I can see whats happening. All the bees descend downwards with the vapour and you can just lift off the eke and replace the crown-board (or whatever) with no problem.
Damn effective it is too.

 

[Jimmy]

:

Correct he does. I use 2 ekes as the vapour generated from the sublimox takes a minute or so to fully descend into the hive and can be treating the next hive whilst waiting. I made mine with clear perspex boards so I can see whats happening. All the bees descend downwards with the vapour and you can just lift off the eke and replace the crown-board (or whatever) with no problem.
Damn effective it is too.

 

[Plenty of honey]

Correct he does. I use 2 ekes as the vapour generated from the sublimox takes a minute or so to fully descend into the hive and can be treating the next hive whilst waiting. I made mine with clear perspex boards so I can see whats happening. All the bees descend downwards with the vapour and you can just lift off the eke and replace the crown-board (or whatever) with no problem.
Damn effective it is too.

Yes thank you for that, very interesting. Can you post a few pics of what ekes you use, on a dry run without vapour etc. Would be very useful. Thanks in advance

 

[Jimmy]

Yes thank you for that, very interesting. Can you post a few pics of what ekes you use, on a dry run without vapour etc. Would be very useful. Thanks in advance

, would be great to see

 

[Beefriendly]

, would be great to see

Pictures may have to wait a day or so....basically they are about 2 inches deep wood with a perspex crown-board off a poly hive cemented on with bathroom sealant and some rubber draught excluder stapled along the bottom to make a better seal with the hive....plus a small hole that the nozzle from the sublimox fits into. Nowt special.
I'll dig some out tomorrow and try and do a photo but not really necessary..(besides you might make fun of my woodworking )..the clear perspex was just for me to see what was happening...now I know you could just use a wooden top.
You do get some OA crystallization on the far side of the wood away from the nozzle which gives a good indication of the pressure that the OA vapor is "injected" at.

 

[Gilberdyke John]

Pictures may have to wait a day or so....basically they are about 2 inches deep wood with a perspex crown-board off a poly hive cemented on with bathroom sealant and some rubber draught excluder stapled along the bottom to make a better seal with the hive....plus a small hole that the nozzle from the sublimox fits into. Nowt special.
I'll dig some out tomorrow and try and do a photo but not really necessary..(besides you might make fun of my woodworking )..the clear perspex was just for me to see what was happening...now I know you could just use a wooden top.
You do get some OA crystallization on the far side of the wood away from the nozzle which gives a good indication of the pressure that the OA vapor is "injected" at.

I've been playing with making a fan driven sublimator using a computer fan, a galvanised adaptable box with lid to hold the sublimator and a bit of 20 mm conduit with an elbow to duct the sublimate into a feed hole. Unfortunately even with the airflow throttled down it has too much of a cooling effect and inhibits sublimation. Have you any idea what the input power of a sublimox is?

 

[Beefriendly]

I've been playing with making a fan driven sublimator using a computer fan, a galvanised adaptable box with lid to hold the sublimator and a bit of 20 mm conduit with an elbow to duct the sublimate into a feed hole. Unfortunately even with the airflow throttled down it has too much of a cooling effect and inhibits sublimation. Have you any idea what the input power of a sublimox is?

Yes, it's 300 watts. The sublimox works by having a sealed chamber that is heated. It beeps when at the right temperature and you put your OA crystals (sorry Apibioxal crystals) in the lid which has a silicon seal. Your turn it over and the OA drops into the heated pan, sublimates and expands and the only outlet is a nozzle.....the sublimation generates the pressure and bobs your aunty. Like your first woman it's all done in seconds . It's a damn powerful stream of vapour and safety masks are obligatory.....and the sublimox is also damn expensive now the pound has sunk.
I think the economics come down to number of hives to treat and time per hive you are willing to invest, I've only had mine for a couple of years now and its already paid for itself....vs strips...plus (so far) bees are in excellent health.

 

[Gilberdyke John]

Yes, it's 300 watts. The sublimox works by having a sealed chamber that is heated. It beeps when at the right temperature and you put your OA crystals (sorry Apibioxal crystals) in the lid which has a silicon seal. Your turn it over and the OA drops into the heated pan, sublimates and expands and the only outlet is a nozzle.....the sublimation generates the pressure and bobs your aunty. Like your first woman it's all done in seconds . It's a damn powerful stream of vapour and safety masks are obligatory.....and the sublimox is also damn expensive now the pound has sunk.
I think the economics come down to number of hives to treat and time per hive you are willing to invest, I've only had mine for a couple of years now and its already paid for itself....vs strips...plus (so far) bees are in excellent health.

Thanks for the description. It's a different avenue to explore - now where's my component catalogue

 

[Beefriendly]

This is the eke but upside down.

 

[Jimmy]

Well everything's ready to go with ekes and PPE.

How do people seal polynucs, including paynes, Maisemore and Stehr versions?
I did trial run with a single polynuc I have at home and lots of vapour escaped through the omf.

Is a piece of deep foam to temporarily put the hive on suitable?

 

[Hivemaker.]

Is a piece of deep foam to temporarily put the hive on suitable?

Yes that will do just fine, Jim, all of our Paynes poly nucs have a 30mm thick section of sponge/foam cut to fit into the lower open mesh floor recess.

 

[Jimmy]

Thanks