So, a couple of years ago in the fall I was trying oxalic acid vaporization with my hives for Varroa control, and I wasn’t thrilled with the process. I love that each treatment is cheap once you have the vaporizer, but it bothered me to stick such a hot thing into the hive, it bothered me that I couldn’t see when it was done, and it didn’t fit properly into my homemade hive equipment, especially my long langstroth hive.
So, I got to problem solving, and this is what I came up with. The vaporizer goes into a Mason jar, with 2 tubes that hook to the lid. The small tube hooks to a little balloon pump to circulate air through the chamber, and the large tube goes into the hive. This lets me see the vaporizer, keep the hot thing out of the hive, and gently puff the vapor into the hive through whatever hole I leave when closing off the entrance to trap the vapor.
Can anyone think of a reason this wouldn’t work, or any thoughts on whether this is a viable method? I’m always nervous doing OAV on the hive since that vapor is so very irritating to me personally, but if it really doesn’t bother the bees, then it’s definitely a thing I want the ability to do when it is needed for my mite control plans. Thanks for any input you might have!
