OA Vaporizers ???

[sc-bee]

How many are vaporizing OA?
How many made a homemade vaporizer, and if yes how long has it lasted?
If not a homemade, what brand do you have? How long have you used it?
Is the heavy duty one worth the money?

[OldMech]

   I have the Varrox Vaporizor. With 50ish hives I have used it nearly 500 times since I bought it. It still works the same as it did when new..   I WILL be buying another so I can work two hives at a time.
   OxaVap seels a couple different types I think.

   http://www.outyard.net/treatments.html

[sc-bee]

Yea looking hard at the Varrox because you can submerse it. But is pricey @$165...oxavap is located here in SC

[texanbelchers]

I made my own.  I've only done my 6 hives 3 burns each.  It is pretty straight forward using a glow plug for heat, 1/2" AL plate, drill out pan, plug hole and set screw.  Mount a long handle somehow.  The pan needs to be large enough, but not too large so it doesn't heat.  The plug must make solid contact with the AL or it will burn out quickly.

[Maggiesdad]

Varrox from snl at Oxavap  - 8 hives x3 uses.

It's well made.

[capt44]

I use the JP200 vaporizer and treat around 90 hives with it.
Not counting other folks wanting me to treat their hives.
I love the way the bees act.

[sc-bee]

Do any of you wear a respirator? What kind of battery source? How much would I expect from a 4 wheeler battery? Was thinking of adding cable to run to the car battery at a good distance?

[texanbelchers]

I use a small jumpstart battery.  It did 6, but really needed a recharge when I was done. 

[OldMech]

   ATV Battery wont have enough juice.. You can try having the 4 wheeler running, but not sure how well the charging system will handle it?
  I use my truck and 14 foot jumper cables as an extension. Leave the truck running while treating.
     I dont connect the ground at the battery, set everything up, alk to the truck and connect the battery and time it..  Unhook the ground, slide the vaporizor out from under the rag, leave the rag there... dip the vaporizor in water, and set up the next hive. Walk to truck and hook up the battery.. when that ones done I can pull the vaporizor, take the rag off the last hive I did and move it to the next hive etc... 
   Standing at the battery on the truck keeps me out of the vapor...
   50 hives, give or take a few depending on spring or fall, each treated three times in spring and once in the fall means I have treated over 1000 times at the least. I have never had any issue with breathing the vapor until this fall... I got in a hurry, and caught a whiff as I pulled the rag to move it down the line...   Locked me up, I coughed, backed away hastily......  and moved on, being a bit more careful...  first, and hopefully the last issue with breathing the vapor....  I can now testify, that you CANT inhale that stuff. There is no possible way! I can also testify that you wont understand until you have done it....

[Dallasbeek]

Does anyone use the kind where you use a torch to heat the OA?  Looks like it would be okay for a few hives, but maybe not on the order of numbers mentioned above.

[texanbelchers]

My understanding is that it is difficult to get a consistent application with the torch method.  I haven't tried it because I didn't want to be that close.  The ability to "set it and forget it" and do other things until the alarm goes off is nice too.

The next time I run it I'm going to get a plexi top cover so I can see the action.

[sc-bee]

Picked up the varrox from oxavap. Heavy duty had to be the way to go. They had an ebay sale.....

[IcemanTX]

Homemade one I made:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NeRpwBbq-jw

[Maggiesdad]

Yes on the respirator...

Whiffing the vapors is not a good plan, guess you saw capt44's post about pneumonia.

[ScooterTrash]

[attachment=0][/attachment]80 count on 24h varroa drop count after 2g (1/4 teaspoon) OA vaporized using my DIY vaporizer on a 2 mediums langstroth hive.
:say a 12-16oz can with one end and contents removed, church key or pocket knife, wide mouth Mason jar lid, two 1/4" x
2-1/2" dowels, stilt 2-3/4" tall by 1", beeswax tea light candle, doses of OA.

Punch 2 holes in can with church key, see attached for locations, place 1/4" spacers inside of mason jar lid (i hot glued my kits), see attached for locations, those spacers provide a gap for an oxygen intake, place stilt 2-3/4" tall by 1" in center of mason
jar lid (hot glue), see attached, place tea light candle on stilt. Apply OA dose to top of can, light candle, place can on top of candle, cover hive and seal.
One may use an empty Super for the shim allowing placement of vaporizer unit in the hive.

Note 315 degrees to vaporize so flame tip needs to be within 1/4" of can's surface with that spacers, penny etc, may be necessary to tweak for proper heat at burner as candle burns down.


Vince

[Dallasbeek]

Sounds to me like you have to get mighty close to the OA being vaporized.  Correct me is I'm wrong, but that's a dangerous place to be if I read you right.

[ScooterTrash]

The cover of the hive is on before the temps reach 315 so move on to next hive or cup of tea; back in 15min to remove tool.

[ScooterTrash]

inside

[Dallasbeek]

Okay,  just a little cautious is all.  Best of luck with it

[ScooterTrash]

tall can (12oz) was causing problems when removing can after treatment one may/probably will spill tea-light so Release 3.0 attached utilizes an 8oz can and the tea candle stilt width was increased to provide stability. Also note a longer than normal wick is necessary to achieve the 315degrees; 3/8" + will do it