# home made oxalic acid vaporizers



## max.payne (Feb 28, 2005)

Hi all, can anyone please send me any plans, how i may be able to make an home made vaporizer. as many as you like, and when i have made it i will post my pictures and how i got on with it? thanks everso MAX


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

http://bwrangler.litarium.com/oxalic-acid-vaporizer/


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## dlib from (Apr 17, 2005)

I've made my own with that webpage as an example. But I was thinking that rather than sending the fumes in through the entrance or a drilled hole, why not send the fumes in through the hole in the inner cover? The whole intent is to get the oxalic acid on the top bars, isn't it? And as it cools, the oxalic acid is going to settle down. Any thoughts?


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

I made a box to go on top mostly so the hot gas doesn't go directly on the bees.


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## dlib from (Apr 17, 2005)

so here's the tough question, how does one measure 2 grams of oxalic acid? Is it roughly 1/2 of a teaspoon? 

And what about the acid that redissolves in the condensed water vapor? Is that anything to worry about? I had a ton of crystals form on my tubing after the condensed liquid evaporated.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

I converted 2 grams to grains (2 grams = 31 grains) and weighed it on a reloading scale. Then I put that in the pipe cap on the evaporater and used the cap to measure the acid by volume after that.

But if you search on Oxalic acid you'll find many discussions on how much to use and how to measure it. That's just what I did.


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## Dave W (Aug 3, 2002)

Greetings dlib from:
>how does one measure 2 grams of oxalic acid? Is it roughly 1/2 of a teaspoon? 

I purchased a container of OA from Lowes paint dept. Measured the VOLUMN and using the weight shown on the container, came up w/ 1/2 LEVEL teaspoon to be APPROX 2 grams.

I have used 1/2 LEVEL teaspoon and as much as 1/2 ROUNDED teaspoon to treat my DOUBLE-DEEP broodnest.

My "pipe" evaporator is attached to a hive-sized "box" w/ a clear top (so I can watch). Not sure if "intent is to get the oxalic acid on the top bars" (if so, why not just dust w/ crystals?). 

My "before-and-after" drop counts shows OA to have a very limited effect. Bottom application may give better results, but I havent tried that, yet!


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## willyray (May 23, 2005)

Can not get the web page with the plans for the vaporizer to come up. Tried lowering my security on my computer still nothing.Who sells good cheap ones ?


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## willyray (May 23, 2005)

Found a homemade vaporizer at the BWrangler site http://bwrangler.litarium.com/oxalic-acid-vaporizer/


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

I applied it from the top. Both times I've used it I've paid for an inspection by the Nebraska Department of Agriculture and they found no Varroa mites in my hives at all.


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## wishthecuttlefish (Jun 24, 2003)

I use a deep super with a hole drilled in the back to accept bwrangler's brass type vaporizor. It works very well. In one of my badly infested hives I went from a 50+ mite drop to over 1000 mite drop in about 48 hours. I continued treating that hive with two additional treatments, one from the top and one from the entrance. 48 hours after the third and final treatment my mite drop was less than 10 in a 24 hour period. That was last summer. Inspections this summer continue to show a reduced mite count. I believe that oxalic residue condenses on the frames and continues to provide a lasting preventative effect. 

Kai Richardson


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