VAPORISER

[Black and Amber]

I requested information from Heilyser Technology in Canada, the manufacturers of oxalic acid Vaporizers but cant get a reply,Does anyone know why?

------------------
Richie

[Axtmann]

You can go to this website, there is a link to the Canadian site and the email address. http://de.geocities.com/vaporizerklaus/

[BULLSEYE BILL]

Or you might try this one:
http://www.members.shaw.ca/orioleln/

[Black and Amber]

Thanks Axtman &Bullseye Bill, Problem solved,( The power of the NET!)

------------------
Richie

[swarm_trapper]

i ordered my vaprorizer 3 weeks ago does it normally take this long?

[db_land]

I bought the JB200 vaporizer about 2 months ago. It works great but is too FLIMSY - I'm afraid it's going to fall apart already and I've only used it about 100 times. Does anyone know how it make it sturdier or is there a commercial/industrial grade version out there somewhere?

[BULLSEYE BILL]

>It works great but is too FLIMSY - I'm afraid it's going to fall apart already and I've only used it about 100 times.

Ditto here. I am running two at a time and they are showing some ware too. I am consoling myself with the thought that if I get 325 uses per unit it will cost me .02 cents per treatment when I have to replace it.

[Axtmann]

It works great but is too FLIMSY - I'm afraid it's going to fall apart already and I've only used it about 100 times.

Ditto here. I talked to the distributor here; they worked on the system to made it more stable. The bottom sheet metal has an angel on each side now that mean the whole thing is stronger.
I have taken my JB200 apart and bend each site (left and right not the front) 2mm / 1/8 up in my wise, it’s much better now.
Sometimes the acid tray is black after the evaporation, I found that wax from burr combs bee’s build to close to the bottom, was melting and dropped into the tray. Well I scratched it with a knife and was ready for the next hive.

[Black and Amber]

Swarm Trapper, Something has gone wrong? I had despatch details four days after posting my order. Try contacting them! Best of Luck

------------------
Richie

[Black and Amber]

db_land, There is a heavy duty Vaporizer Manufactured in Europe, it is much more expensive than the JB200. You can see it at http://www.swienty.com/engelsk/varrox.html Best of luck.

------------------
Richie

[BULLSEYE BILL]

Looks like a nice unit, I think I will try them after mine crap out.

[TwT]

db_land, There is a heavy duty Vaporizer Manufactured in Europe, it is much more expensive than the JB200. You can see it at http://www.swienty.com/engelsk/varrox.html Best of luck.
------------------
what the price in american money , im just an ole country boy that cant read euro. http://www.beesource.com/ubb/wink.gif

[Axtmann]

I know some beekeepers here vaporizing with the varrox, it’s bigger than the 200 (15mm - 5/8 high) and as soon the heater burns out you can throw the whole thing into the garbage, there is no replacement available.

It heats up slower but at the end the varrox is getting much hotter, at least 400 – 500º C / 940ºF and it’s hard to see when the wood or Styrofoam hives starts smoking instead the acid. I paid 50 Euro for the 200 and the varrox cost here 114 Euro + shipping.

114 Euro = approx 145 USD + 15 for shipping + (customs duty?)

[topbarguy]

Hi Guys,

Maybe I should contact the old BWrangler and and see what he can come up with. It wouldn't be too hard to cast an aluminum pan. Then drill and tap it for a cartridge heater which could be unscrewed and replaced like the Maxant uncapping knife uses. Add or cast in a handle which could be used to insert the pan underneath the cluster and support the wiring. Add some heavy duty wires and zap those mites.

Graingers sells the cartridges and they are not very expensive. Most cost less than $5.

If an aluminum blank is used rather than a casting, just about anyone could do it with a drill press and some taps.

Hummmm............ Any takers.

There's only one problem. It will be almost impossible to get a cartridge small enough to slip through a 3/8" entrance. If you are using a reversible bottom with a 3/4" entrance, then all kinds of options are available. Unfortunately, for me, my migratory bottoms only have a 3/8" option.

Regards
Dennis

[Walt McBride]

Dennis: I have been looking for a sourse to obtain 12volt cartrage heaters from. The granger catalog # 395 does not list 12volt, or I don't see them. Do you have a stock number I could refer to?
Walt

[TwT]

you know by looking at the evaporator how many of you guys that dont have open SBB use the vaporizer throught the SBB instead of the entrance , i never used one or seen one used but if it get that hot how many bees do you burn up defending the hive entrance. has anyone ever killed there queens with all that heat, dont get me wrong im going to try it next year but just wanted to know if anyone vaporizes through the SBB.

[Black and Amber]

TwT, I insert the Vaporizer on a white plastic slide,under the mesh and seal up. I put a piece of thin metal under the pan to protect the plastic from the heat. The Vapour goes up through the mesh and does its work. This is the method that is working well for me.

------------------
Richie

[topbarguy]

Hi Walt,

I grabbed my Grainger catalog and realized it's 5 years old. So, I googled 'cartridge heater' and came up with some interesting results. There are mini cartridges available down to 1/8" in diameter and lots of twelve volt options. So, rather than adapting a larger cartridges from Grainger, I would recommend looking at these resources.

Here's an interesting one:
http://www.iprocessmart.com/sunrod/sunrod.htm

I think I could get one that would work for with my migratory bottom boards.

Regards
Dennis
Haven't been at Graingers since getting out of the commercial beekeeping business. Has it been that long? Seems like yesterday :> )

[This message has been edited by topbarguy (edited November 07, 2004).]

[dickm]

http://www.vulcanco.com/cartridge_heaters_sdmodels.html

[dickm]

Topbarguy,
I was searching for some 12 volt heaters and I guess I'm dense. Where did you find them. Does anyone know the specs on the one that comes with the Shaw unit? I'm considering using my heavy duty inverter (Borrowed from my RV) and going to AC. An extension cord is a lot easier to handle than a battery, especially doing several hives at once.

Dickm

[dickm]

>>>I know some beekeepers here vaporizing with the varrox, it’s bigger than the 200 (15mm - 5/8 high) and as soon the heater burns out you can throw the whole thing into the garbage, there is no replacement available.<<<

Axtmann,
This implies that there ARE replacement heaters available for the JB200. Is that the case?

Thanks,

Dickm

[topbarguy]

HI Guys,

Most of these cartridge type headers use resistance to create heat. So they are really not as voltage constrained as they seem. Most have a maximum voltage and a minimum wattage. As long as those parameters are met, volts, watts and amps can be varied without damage to the unit.

An email to the company service reps describing the use should provide some useable components.

Regards
Dennis
Still trying to remember that electricians formula that link the three :> )

[topbarguy]

An interesting post, on another thread, descibed a device that uses a halogen auto bulb for heat. Most of those have a larger diameter than my entrance, but other halogen bulbs might be very adaptable with there small size and ready availability.

Regards
Dennis

[Beemaninsa]

8 months later, has anyone come up with a home made electric vaporiser?

[Dan Williamson]

Not that I know of but I love my JB200! Still flimsy, but works like a champ.

Dan

[Ben Brewcat]

Are there any 120V AC models out there for similar price?

[mwjohnson]

I was thinking,if 120 v.a.c. is an option,why not wrap some aluminum foil around a electric uncapping knife and create a shallow "pan" to hold the crystals?that would fit in a 3/8" entrance.might you rehostaticaly control it?I just thought i'd throw it out there.
Mark

[drobbins]

I don't have an uncapping knife but I'd be surprised if one would get hot enough

Dave

[edit]
hmm
as soon as I hit the "add reply" button it occured to me that my buddy who I got into this beekkeeping with just bought an uncapping knife, and I have an unopened bottle of OA crystals.
I think an experiment is in order
I'll report tommorrow

[mwjohnson]

Good guess Dave,
Just did a trail run,and all I got after 20 min.'s were some faint whisps of whitish "smoke",the crystals did sorta melt together,and grew kinda hairy looking on the surface.
SO,unless that little brass screw on top of my knife is a thermostat,close,but no cigar.
Mark

[Michael Bush]

>SO,unless that little brass screw on top of my knife is a thermostat,close,but no cigar.


As a matter of fact, it is a thermostat.

[mwjohnson]

REALLY?
How does it function?
I have my dad's old knife(Pierce)and I'm guessing I would crank it down.No manual...
Thanks Mr. B

[Sundance]

They say the JB200 can handle multiple hives at the same time. The web site is not too descriptive of how this is accomplished.

How many colonies can the JB200 do at one time?

[Walt McBride]

The JB200 handles one hive at a time, but if you have several of them you could operate them at the same time on differant hives. They draw about 16 amps each @ 12.5 volts when they operate.
Walt

[Sundance]

Thanks Walt.

How long does the treatment take per colony?

[Sundance]

At 16 amps are you limeted to the amperage of your alternator??

If you have a 70 amp alternator can you easily run 4??

[drobbins]

take a spare battery and connect it to your truck battery with jumper cables. run the thingies off the battery. it will charge all the time, but you'll only be sucking juice out of it some of the time.
kindof an electric reservoir ... umm .. battery smile.gif
Dave

[BULLSEYE BILL]

>How long does the treatment take per colony?

I run two in tandem from a single battery. They both have twenty foot cables on them with a switch near the battery. The battery sets on the back of the gator, as I treat, I move the gator up wind along the rows of hives.

The process is to first test the time it takes to vaporize 1/2 tsp of OA outside the hive to know how long you need to leave the unit on. When my battery was fully charged it took about 2:15 min. After about ten uses I had to increase the time by 15, then to 30 more seconds. By the time I had done about thirty hives I was up to about three minutes per treatment.

You put the measured amount of OA into the pan, insert it into the middle of the BB and seal the entrance, I use a strip of foam rubber. Throw the switch for the measured time, then turn it off. At this time you can remove the pan and quickly re-insert the foam to seal the hive for ten minutes.

I have three sets of foam strips, by the time I have used the third set, the first set is ready to be pulled and used in the fourth set of hives.

Be sure to have the trays in your SBB's while doing your application.

[Sundance]

Do you plug the top venting??

[BULLSEYE BILL]

Yes, if you have a top vent it should be plugged.
I use duct tape.

[Sundance]

Do you do it in the evening to catch them all in?

How do the bees react?

So many questions......... so little time.

[drobbins]

as I understand it, the optimum deal is to do it in the fall after they stop raising brood and form a cluster. that way you get em all.
if you do it earlier it's an emergency deal and yes you'd want to use whatever trick you can think of to get as many as possible

Dave

[edit]
oh yea
if you do it earlier you aren't gonna get the ones in the cells so you gotta do the 3 times one week apart deal
much harsher on the bee's

[BULLSEYE BILL]

I had to do it when I had time and the weather co-operated. A cool fall day late in the afternoon would be best.

It's also best to treat when they are not tightly clustered so the acid reaches the mazimum number of bees.

When the vapor starts to displace the air inside the hive the bees start fanning. That makes the vapor circulate inside the hive and come into contact with everything that is exposed. So, the looser the cluster, the better the coverage on the bees.

Even the bees that were out at the time will get some treatment as they brush up against the treated bees.