Sublimox vs Varrox safety

[castanea]

Hi
I vapped last year didn’t have a good outcome, when I got home I started to have a sore head then it started vomiting and more vomiting to the point i was transferred to hospital with poisoning from vaping. This year I’m too scared to vape due to the scare.
What could I use as alternative treatment.

 

[Amari]

Hi
I vapped last year didn’t have a good outcome, when I got home I started to have a sore head then it started vomiting and more vomiting to the point i was transferred to hospital with poisoning from vaping. This year I’m too scared to vape due to the scare.
What could I use as alternative treatment.

Were you wearing eye protection and a proper mask with filters?

 

[GuyNir]

The mask should also be the right size for you and fitted properly. Video below explains this well.

 

[philipm]

As with any chemical safety is the key ,even with a mask and all the safety gear on I wouldnt stand in the fumes if they escaped from the hive.I think some do not realise just how dangerous oxalic can be if misused. I remember some years ago getting a whiff of Chlorine gas at work it put me in hospital over night and woke me up to the risks.

 

[linoleum bonypart]

 

[Apple]

I trialed the Russia Fogger a couple of seasons ago...seem to remember getting a lot of stick from the troll of the norf and his sidekick because it was not a vaporiser... per se!

Used much the same way as the Sublimox and the blowtorch foggers, but possibly because the OA was in a steam vapor did not seem to work so well.
#Brilliant for killing white fly and other greehouse pests!

Nadelik Lowen

 

[Curly green finger's]

Water proof suit my wife bought me something similar to the link it goes in the wash after use.
I would be weary of just putting on a boiler suit.

You can buy throw away suites which will serfice (spray suites)

 

[pargyle]

There's a really interesting video here ... Don't bother too much with the first bit .. start at about 7.00 min in where he treats an observation hive. If anyone has any concerns about what OA does to your bees ... fear not.

 

[Gilberdyke John]

Hi
I vapped last year didn’t have a good outcome, when I got home I started to have a sore head then it started vomiting and more vomiting to the point i was transferred to hospital with poisoning from vaping. This year I’m too scared to vape due to the scare.
What could I use as alternative treatment.

How the hell did you tolerate being in or even near a cloud of OA for more than a couple of seconds? Being 20 feet away upwind from a sublimator on trial in the open air when the wind briefly swirls was sufficient to cause a very rapid departure with breath held for me. I hope you don't fall into the category of where there's no sense there's no feeling

 

[elainemary]

The mask should also be the right size for you and fitted properly. Video below explains this well.

Thanks, that's the mask I've ordered via e bay, Pink & yellow cartridges for protection from oxalic / formic acids, waiting for it to arrive from USA.

 

[Angry_Mob]

If you can order the 3M 6000 series full face mask instead; it protects the eyes. The cartridges will probably fit though.

 

[Swarm]

One can understand why some beekeepers are loathed to use OAV.

 

[Apple]

One can understand why some beekeepers are loathed to use OAV.

Mee too

Fake news probably!

Nadelik Lowen

 

[Ogston Bee Farm]

Hi folks,
This is my first post on your site.
I was prompted to comment because I’ve just treated with OA vapour using my Pro Vap 220, which has worked very well for me since I bought it a few years back. I wondered if anyone has compared one of these with the Sublimox or Varrox?
I don’t have personal experience of either but the principal functionality looks similar so I’m curious to know if there are any major benefits that justify an upgrade?
The link below is to a short video on my FB page showing some of my recent treatments although it is somewhat limited in content because the camera battery failed (Schoolboy error only my second attempt at filming.)

https://www.facebook.com/Ogstonbees...again-playing-at-making-vid/2819575471694681/

 

[madasafish]

Hi folks,
This is my first post on your site.
I was prompted to comment because I’ve just treated with OA vapour using my Pro Vap 220, which has worked very well for me since I bought it a few years back. I wondered if anyone has compared one of these with the Sublimox or Varrox?
I don’t have personal experience of either but the principal functionality looks similar so I’m curious to know if there are any major benefits that justify an upgrade?
The link below is to a short video on my FB page showing some of my recent treatments although it is somewhat limited in content because the camera battery failed (Schoolboy error only my second attempt at filming.)

https://www.facebook.com/Ogstonbees...again-playing-at-making-vid/2819575471694681/

 

[Curly green finger's]

from me also, nice to see new beeks on here.

 

[ChrisS]

I've been researching face masks for oxalic acid protection. The filters need to be EN14387 spec. I ended up buying a JSP Force 8 half mask and Organic Vapour A2 cartridges from Screwfix for £24 total which strikes me as very reasonable. Apart from that, I wear my usual long cuff gloves to keep the crystals off my skin and I keep my hands well away from my face. Bit like Covid precaustions really.

There's a certain amount of scaremongering about the danger of handling/using oxalic acid.
Fact 1: there's about the same amount of OA in a pound of carrots as in one hive treatment.
Fact 2: OA is very widely sold as a wood/metal cleaner with no safety restrictions.
Fact 3: OA crystals won't burn dry skin. You can stick a dry finger in a tub of OA with no harm - but do rinse it well afterwards!
Fact 4: OA will burn wet skin and mucous membranes.

So just ensure you keep the crystals and vapour away from your eyes and nose. It's actually very difficult to breathe in much of the vapour as it makes you cough like hell...

 

[ericbeaumont]

3M half mask with organic acid (pink & yellow) filters

I just make sure I have proper PPE

Pink & yellow cartridges for protection from oxalic / formic acids

Wear a suitable respirator when vaping

As for safety wear the appropriate mask

the importance for a good quality full face mask.

All this is vague and will lead to trouble. Avoid Youtube methods and advice from downwind vapour dodgers (Castanea may not even have had that high-risk minimal benefit) and protect eyes, preferably with a full face mask; beards must be removed temporarily.

Specific advice is needed to limit risk and the correct filter spec. for OA sublimation as recommended by the Sublimox instructions is A2P3. A2 refers to level 2 of 3 for organic gases and vapours, and P3 refers to level 3 of 3 for particulates. Standard UK chart leaves no room for doubt.

 

[Boston Bees]

Standard UK chart leaves no room for doubt.

If you say so

 

[Tim.S]

Well it's lunch time so I am sitting here reading this and I happen to have a packet of Api bioxal in front of me (not sprinkled on my sarnies by the way!). The packet directions indicate an EN149 FFP2 mask, gloves and eye protection for vaporization and handling the powder. Personally I use ffp3 masks as these are what we use at work and are better specified than the packet recommendation. There does seem to be a lack of standardisation for the grading of mask types especially because of the imported equipment freely available on the internet, so make sure that what you are using is of an equivalent rating to that prescribed either by the chemical manufacturer or HSE. I have no idea how this will relate to those who do not use the prescribed form of Oxalic acid and presumably don't keep records either!