Varrox Eddy

[Boston Bees]

Long shot, but if anyone has one of these and wouldn't mind sharing a bit of information about it (in particular, the dimensions of the bit that goes into the hive) I would be very grateful. Please let me know if so. TIA

 

[Nannysbees]

Gwenyn gruffydd on YouTube has done a really good review on it, it's over £300 pound I think, check it out and see what you think

 

[Boston Bees]

Gwenyn gruffydd on YouTube has done a really good review on it, it's over £300 pound I think, check it out and see what you think

Thanks. Already watched that. It's the exact dimensions I'm after to see which of my hives it will fit in.

 

[GuyNir]

I thought BMH mentioned the dimensions on his review

 

[Bluebell1985]

Thanks. Already watched that. It's the exact dimensions I'm after to see which of my hives it will fit in.

Did you manage to find your dimensions? I'm looking at getting one of these for a few Abelo hives but don't want to risk the expensive purchase if it doesn't fit.

 

[Boston Bees]

Did you manage to find your dimensions? I'm looking at getting one of these for a few Abelo hives but don't want to risk the expensive purchase if it doesn't fit.

No, but I am not buying the Eddy precisely because I have Abelo hives and I don't think it will fit them. They have a internal lip which the Eddy will catch on, I think, if it will even get in the entrance. I went for a Sublimox.

 

[elainemary]

No, but I am not buying the Eddy precisely because I have Abelo hives and I don't think it will fit them. They have a internal lip which the Eddy will catch on, I think, if it will even get in the entrance. I went for a Sublimox.

How do you plan to use your Sublimox on your polyhive?

I bought one too last year but haven’t used it on my polyhives yet. I was thinking of adding a wooden eke with a hole drilled in the side & place this on top of the boxes to sublimate from the top. Means taking the crownboard off to put the eke on, but that’s easy to do if quick. Planned to slide in the varroa correx board in the slot below the OMF and plug any gaps with foam. I have Paradise boxes which have a small plastic slider entrance, unsuitable for the Sublimox.

How do you plan to use your Sublimox on your Polyhives?
Thanks
Elaine

 

[Boston Bees]

How do you plan to use your Sublimox on your polyhive?

I bought one too last year but haven’t used it on my polyhives yet. I was thinking of adding a wooden eke with a hole drilled in the side & place this on top of the boxes to sublimate from the top. Means taking the crownboard off to put the eke on, but that’s easy to do if quick. Planned to slide in the varroa correx board in the slot below the OMF and plug any gaps with foam. I have Paradise boxes which have a small plastic slider entrance, unsuitable for the Sublimox.

How do you plan to use your Sublimox on your Polyhives?
Thanks
Elaine

Abelo roofs have holes in, which are normally blocked with plugs which can be popped out. As such, on the Abelo hives and nucs I intend to take off the crownboard, pop one of the plugs out of the roof holes, replace the roof, and use that hole to insert the Sublimox. I won't bother inserting the OMF tray (the nucs don't have trays anyway) as I don't think you need to do this when vaping from above.

I also have a few Maisemore poly nucs, and for these I intend to use an empty nuc super and drill a hole in it to use as an eke, just as you describe.

But I have used Apivar etc up till now, so I am not speaking from experience - 2022 will be my first experience of vaping. Others with more experience are better placed to give advice.

My main concern is how to keep the hot nozzle of the Sublimox from touching the poly, so I will have to work that out. Any clever tricks, people?

 

[Erichalfbee]

My main concern is how to keep the hot nozzle of the Sublimox from touching the poly, so I will have to work that out. Any clever tricks, people?

Make a wooden plug the same size as the roof plug and drill a sublimox size hole in the middle.

 

[Buzz1138]

Long shot, but if anyone has one of these and wouldn't mind sharing a bit of information about it (in particular, the dimensions of the bit that goes into the hive) I would be very grateful. Please let me know if so. TIA

Long shot, but if anyone has one of these and wouldn't mind sharing a bit of information about it (in particular, the dimensions of the bit that goes into the hive) I would be very grateful. Please let me know if so. TIA

BeeCraft magazine did a review in October. It includes the dimension you are looking for:
Colonies treated for varroa in autumn can receive a follow-up treatment during a broodless period in mid-winter. The usual method is to use an oxalic acid product, either dissolved in sugar syrup and trickled between brood frames or by heating until it forms a vapour that wafts through the hive, a process called sublimation. Sublimation, uses less oxalic acid and has been found to be more effective at killing varroa.
A disadvantage of the sublimation method is that the oxalic acid has to be heated rapidly to a high temperature, requiring a power source such as a car battery or a generator. This problem has been cleverly solved with the new Varrox Eddy which uses a lightweight, rechargeable battery to power a compact, self-contained device.
The Varrox Eddy is very easy to use. The correct dose of oxalic acid product is placed in a removable metal crucible that sits in a rugged plastic wand. The wand is inserted into the entrance of a hive which is then further blocked with sponge or rags. Pressing one button on the battery pack switches the device on and another starts the process. A series of coloured lights indicates that sublimation has started and when it has finished, a sequence that takes about two minutes. This allows you to switch the device on and move a safe distance from the hive before any sublimate is produced and to stay clear until the treatment is finished. The appropriate personal protection equipment, as advised in the instruction booklet, must be worn.
I have used the device on several colonies in full-size hives and nuc boxes and found it to be easy, safe and remarkably efficient. I was very impressed by the build quality and it is a great improvement on the various vapourisers that I have used in the past.
Other than efficiency of use, one of the best features is the neatness of the equipment. I have in the past struggled to carry heavy batteries and unwieldy cables to out-of-the-way apiaries, but the Varrox Eddy comes in a compact, sturdy carrying case that contains everything you need. The whole package weights less than 2kg. The kit consists of the wand, two metal crucibles, a measuring spoon, charging cable and one rechargeable li-ion battery which, when fully charged, is sufficient to treat 15 colonies. Additional spare batteries are available.
The wand will fit into any standard hive entrance that is at least 15mm high and 80mm wide. This makes it tricky to use on nuc boxes with disc entrances, although I found the wand could be placed under the mesh floor of a nuc box using an easily made plywood shield to seal the floor around the vapourising crucible. Some of my nuc boxes are polystyrene, but since only the small dosing pan gets hot there is no danger of damaging the polystyrene.
The equipment is more costly than other devices aimed at hobbyists but it is considerably cheaper than some of those aimed at the commercial beekeeper. If you have quite a few hives in several apiaries, I would think

 

[Swarm]

A nice summary Buzz1138, I had a look at one of these a few weeks ago at a meeting, very neat and compact. The only negative was the single battery, no spare and a spare battery costs another fortune. If it came with two batteries it would be my first choice.

 

[Bluebell1985]

I only plan on having a small number of hives so may invest in one if I can find a way to make it work with the Abelo hives. I'll get thinking.

 

[Boston Bees]

BeeCraft magazine did a review in October. It includes the dimension you are looking for:
Colonies treated for varroa in autumn can receive a follow-up treatment during a broodless period in mid-winter. The usual method is to use an oxalic acid product, either dissolved in sugar syrup and trickled between brood frames or by heating until it forms a vapour that wafts through the hive, a process called sublimation. Sublimation, uses less oxalic acid and has been found to be more effective at killing varroa.
A disadvantage of the sublimation method is that the oxalic acid has to be heated rapidly to a high temperature, requiring a power source such as a car battery or a generator. This problem has been cleverly solved with the new Varrox Eddy which uses a lightweight, rechargeable battery to power a compact, self-contained device.
The Varrox Eddy is very easy to use. The correct dose of oxalic acid product is placed in a removable metal crucible that sits in a rugged plastic wand. The wand is inserted into the entrance of a hive which is then further blocked with sponge or rags. Pressing one button on the battery pack switches the device on and another starts the process. A series of coloured lights indicates that sublimation has started and when it has finished, a sequence that takes about two minutes. This allows you to switch the device on and move a safe distance from the hive before any sublimate is produced and to stay clear until the treatment is finished. The appropriate personal protection equipment, as advised in the instruction booklet, must be worn.
I have used the device on several colonies in full-size hives and nuc boxes and found it to be easy, safe and remarkably efficient. I was very impressed by the build quality and it is a great improvement on the various vapourisers that I have used in the past.
Other than efficiency of use, one of the best features is the neatness of the equipment. I have in the past struggled to carry heavy batteries and unwieldy cables to out-of-the-way apiaries, but the Varrox Eddy comes in a compact, sturdy carrying case that contains everything you need. The whole package weights less than 2kg. The kit consists of the wand, two metal crucibles, a measuring spoon, charging cable and one rechargeable li-ion battery which, when fully charged, is sufficient to treat 15 colonies. Additional spare batteries are available.
The wand will fit into any standard hive entrance that is at least 15mm high and 80mm wide. This makes it tricky to use on nuc boxes with disc entrances, although I found the wand could be placed under the mesh floor of a nuc box using an easily made plywood shield to seal the floor around the vapourising crucible. Some of my nuc boxes are polystyrene, but since only the small dosing pan gets hot there is no danger of damaging the polystyrene.
The equipment is more costly than other devices aimed at hobbyists but it is considerably cheaper than some of those aimed at the commercial beekeeper. If you have quite a few hives in several apiaries, I would think

Thanks

Yes, shame. It won't fit into the Abelo hives due to an internal lip which would stop it going more than a few centimetres in, I think. I would quite like to top-vape anyway. Thanks for the article though.

 

[madasafish]

Problem with battery weight?
Use a wheel barrow.

 

[Buzz Off]

Abelo roofs have holes in, which are normally blocked with plugs which can be popped out. As such, on the Abelo hives and nucs I intend to take off the crownboard, pop one of the plugs out of the roof holes, replace the roof, and use that hole to insert the Sublimox. I won't bother inserting the OMF tray (the nucs don't have trays anyway) as I don't think you need to do this when vaping from above.

I also have a few Maisemore poly nucs, and for these I intend to use an empty nuc super and drill a hole in it to use as an eke, just as you describe.

But I have used Apivar etc up till now, so I am not speaking from experience - 2022 will be my first experience of vaping. Others with more experience are better placed to give advice.

My main concern is how to keep the hot nozzle of the Sublimox from touching the poly, so I will have to work that out. Any clever tricks, people?

BeeCraft magazine did a review in October. It includes the dimension you are looking for:
Colonies treated for varroa in autumn can receive a follow-up treatment during a broodless period in mid-winter. The usual method is to use an oxalic acid product, either dissolved in sugar syrup and trickled between brood frames or by heating until it forms a vapour that wafts through the hive, a process called sublimation. Sublimation, uses less oxalic acid and has been found to be more effective at killing varroa.
A disadvantage of the sublimation method is that the oxalic acid has to be heated rapidly to a high temperature, requiring a power source such as a car battery or a generator. This problem has been cleverly solved with the new Varrox Eddy which uses a lightweight, rechargeable battery to power a compact, self-contained device.
The Varrox Eddy is very easy to use. The correct dose of oxalic acid product is placed in a removable metal crucible that sits in a rugged plastic wand. The wand is inserted into the entrance of a hive which is then further blocked with sponge or rags. Pressing one button on the battery pack switches the device on and another starts the process. A series of coloured lights indicates that sublimation has started and when it has finished, a sequence that takes about two minutes. This allows you to switch the device on and move a safe distance from the hive before any sublimate is produced and to stay clear until the treatment is finished. The appropriate personal protection equipment, as advised in the instruction booklet, must be worn.
I have used the device on several colonies in full-size hives and nuc boxes and found it to be easy, safe and remarkably efficient. I was very impressed by the build quality and it is a great improvement on the various vapourisers that I have used in the past.
Other than efficiency of use, one of the best features is the neatness of the equipment. I have in the past struggled to carry heavy batteries and unwieldy cables to out-of-the-way apiaries, but the Varrox Eddy comes in a compact, sturdy carrying case that contains everything you need. The whole package weights less than 2kg. The kit consists of the wand, two metal crucibles, a measuring spoon, charging cable and one rechargeable li-ion battery which, when fully charged, is sufficient to treat 15 colonies. Additional spare batteries are available.
The wand will fit into any standard hive entrance that is at least 15mm high and 80mm wide. This makes it tricky to use on nuc boxes with disc entrances, although I found the wand could be placed under the mesh floor of a nuc box using an easily made plywood shield to seal the floor around the vapourising crucible. Some of my nuc boxes are polystyrene, but since only the small dosing pan gets hot there is no danger of damaging the polystyrene.
The equipment is more costly than other devices aimed at hobbyists but it is considerably cheaper than some of those aimed at the commercial beekeeper. If you have quite a few hives in several apiaries, I would think

Where did you buy it please? Sounds brilliant. I struggled with big batteries also.

 

[Erichalfbee]

I must say if you don’t have a sublimox this looks good. I vape with my sublimox through a hole drilled above the omf at the back. You could customise the floors to take this gizmo and you wouldn’t have to mess with the entrances at all. ( presuming you have wooden floors…. All mine are. )

 

[Bluebell1985]

Hypothetical question for Abelo hive owners.

If you took out the inspection tray and covered the bottom of the floor (gap where tray would sit), placing the eddy in the slot the tray would he inserted, would it work? Like vaping just under the mesh floor, having sealed up the entrance whilst you vape.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

looks to me like an expensive solution for a problem which doesn't really exist

 

[Buzz1138]

Where did you buy it please? Sounds brilliant. I struggled with big batteries also.

Andermatt UK are the UK distributors and you can order from them. Thorne sell it as well.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

It's also available on Amazoon