The Scott Bee Farm mite Oxalic acid vaporizer is used for the evaporation of oxalic acid within a beehive in order to kill both Varroa and Tracheal mites. In this post, I will review the product characteristics and provide the PROS and CONS of the vaporizer.
Should you choose the Scott Bee Farm mite Oxalic acid vaporizer safety kit for your mite termination? This Oxalic acid vaporizer and safety kit is a great choice for killing off any mites in your beehive. It works quickly, is easy to power, and comes with everything needed to do its job while ensuring your safety. As a bonus, if you run into any problems with this product, Scott Bee Farm will work to resolve any issues. (See Price and Reviews on Amazon).
Using an Oxalic acid vaporizer is an easy and effective way to kill any mites that may be affecting your beehive. Unfortunately, there are some vaporizers on the market that are cheap and won’t do the job. Here is a review of the Scott Bee Farm mite Oxalic acid vaporizer V.03.25 to help you decide if this is the right one for you.
Features
This Scott Bee Farm mite Oxalic acid vaporizer safety kit not only comes with the vaporizer but also includes a safety kit and carrying case that contains:
- CNC machined Oxalic acid pan
- Glow plug
- Soldered battery clip
- Protected 12 feet of electrical wire
- Easy-to-use wooden handle
- Protective gloves
- Chemical splash goggles
- Chemical odor respiratory mask
Quality
The Scott Bee Farm mite oxalic acid vaporizer V.03-.25 seems to be of great quality. This vaporizer was developed by a team of knowledgeable engineers along with an experienced beekeeper. This Mite Oxalic Acid vaporizer is their more economical version of the Heavy Duty Oxalic Acid Vaporizer.
Reliability
This vaporizer has an economical design that includes a CNC machined oxalic pan, an easy-to-use handle, as well as heavy electrical wiring that is bound to last.
- The wand is small enough to fit into a standard beehive entrance
- A fully charged battery only takes about 2 ½ to 3 minutes to fully oxidize the Oxalic acid granules.
People have come across an issue with the vaporizer not heating up properly, but once they’ve contacted the company, they’ve been very courteous and would immediately resolve the issue.
Durability
With proper care and maintenance, the Scott Bee Farm company claims that their vaporizers will “last a lifetime” as opposed to a lot of other vaporizers that are disposable and only last about one honey season.
There are many positive reviews of this vaporizer’s durability. Some customers have commented that it has lasted them a couple of years and is still working like new.
If a piece of the vaporizer kit starts to not work at its highest potential, there are replacement parts that can be purchased rather than purchasing a whole new one vaporizer.
Usability
The Scott Bee Farm vaporizer is meant to be easy to use in order to save time and effort. Instead of having to lift the brood boxes of your beehive and take apart the frames as you would with other vaporizers, this one allows you to just insert the vaporizer into the entrance of the hive and terminate the mites.
- The carrying case and safety kit allow you to store your vaporizer and all the tools needed altogether with ease.
- The handle of the case allows you to conveniently carry all of your equipment.
- This vaporizer is easily powered by using a 12-volt battery — the same type used in an automobile, lawnmower, motorcycle or tractor.
The nice thing about how it’s powered is that you don’t need to purchase a separate means to power the vaporizer and can just use battery-powered equipment you may already have.
If you do not own something that can power up the vaporizer, you can purchase an inexpensive portable 12-Watt battery off of Amazon.
The Scott Bee Farm mite vaporizer comes with detailed instructions that are well-written and easy to understand.
Functionality
For this easy-to-use vaporizer, an entrance that is ½ inch or 12mm is required, which is helpful for most standard beehives.
- This vaporizer is intended for wooden hives where mites may be an issue.
- Oxalic acid treatment can be applied all year round as long as the temperature outside is at least 40℉.
- Depending on the power of the battery that you use to power the vaporizer, the treatment will typically take 1 to 2 minutes.
An issue customers have run into is that the vaporizer doesn’t lay flat on the bottom of the hive and will twist and turn, which makes them wonder if that makes it so the acid clumps to one side.
Power
As mentioned, to power up the Scott Bee Farm Oxalic acid vaporizer, you need power from a 12-Volt battery that you can borrow from your lawnmower or other battery-powered equipment. Or you can buy a portable battery online for this purpose.
The Scott Bee Farm Mite Oxalic acid vaporizer eats up and evaporates the Oxalic acid within a few minutes. However, you need to carefully time the amount of time you have it on.
Negatives:
- It doesn’t have an on/off power button.
- The electrical cord is very short and you’ll need to connect an extension cord to resolve that issue.
Customer Service
Scott Bee Farms has great, friendly and helpful customer service. If for some reason, a customer receives their product and it doesn’t perform as applied, their customer service will work to resolve the issue.
One customer stated that their vaporizer took over four minutes to vaporize the oxalic acid and would leave a residue. Once they contacted Scott Bee Farm’s customer service, they informed the customer that it was an issue with the heating element, and they were sent a new one.
Price
The price of the Scott Bee Farm mite Oxalic acid vaporizer usually varies between $135 and $145 on Amazon. To see the exact price, check out the Vaporizer on Amazon. This is the price for a high-quality vaporizer that is intended to last a long time.
This is the complete kit that includes the vaporizer along with electrical wire, and all the parts needed for use except for the battery. This kit also includes a carrying case and all the safety needs for use.
Overall, for the quality of this Oxalic acid vaporizer and everything that comes with it, this is an acceptable price. Purchasing a cheaper version won’t last long and will end up costing more money in the long run.
Final Checklist
The Scott Bee Farm Oxalic acid vaporizer works by vaporizing the Oxalic acid out of your beehive in order to kill off both Varroa and Tracheal mites in an easy and effective way. This product has shown to be high quality, useful, and durable.
In making your decision, weigh the pros and cons discussed in this article:
Pros:
- Safety kit includes everything you need – Mask, gloves, and goggles
- Comes with power cord – 12 feet of protected cord that can have an extension cord attached if needed
- Can be powered by 12-volt batteries you’d find in your lawnmower or car – or can purchase an inexpensive battery online
- Easy to use – Includes detailed instructions
- Helpful customer service – Friendly and willing to resolve issues
- Works quickly – in about 2-3 minutes
Cons:
- No on/off switch
- Doesn’t lay flat on the bottom of the hive – needs to be held down
- Needs to be timed carefully rather than automatically shutting off
- The power cord is too short for some customers
Conclusion
I hope that my review was helpful to you and now you can more easily make up your minds whether to purchase the vaporizer or not. See you next time.
Keep buzzing!