Beekeeping Guides
Everything we've learned about keeping mites down and colonies alive, written by the team at Lorob Bees, the primary US seller of the InstantVap oxalic acid vaporizer. Every guide cites current research and tells you exactly what to do.
New to mites? Read these four in order:
Free beekeeping tools, built from these guides
The guides tell you what to do. The beekeeping tools work out when, for your hives and your ZIP code:
- InstantVap Sizer — which model fits your hive count, batteries and treatment style
- Broodless Window Finder — the dates your colonies go broodless, from three years of local weather
- Treatment Series Planner — every date in a vaporization series, with dose totals and a calendar file
- Mite Population Simulator — what your mite load does between now and spring, with and without treatment
- Hive Symptom Checker — tick what you see, get the likely causes ranked
- Regional Beekeeping Calendar — your whole beekeeping year, anchored to your frost dates
Oxalic Acid Vaporizers
Reading before buying? The guides below compare every cordless unit on the market. When you're ready, the oxalic acid vaporizers for bees we sell, the InstantVap Lite, Compact, Original and Turbo, are on one page with a side-by-side spec table.
InstantVap Lite vs Compact vs Original vs Turbo
Which model fits your hive count, with a full spec table.
InstantVap vs ProVap vs Varrox Eddy
An honest comparison of the cordless vaporizers on the market.
How to Use an Oxalic Acid Vaporizer Safely
Respirator, PPE, exposure limits and a step-by-step treatment.
What Temperature Should an Oxalic Acid Vaporizer Run At?
Where the "oxalic acid degrades above 375°F" claim came from, what the measurements actually show, and why a faster pan delivers more intact acid.
Oxalic Acid for Bees: What's Legal, What Works
Which products are EPA-registered, vaporization vs dribble vs extended-release, how much to buy, and why we sell EZ-OX over off-brand powder.
Api-Bioxal vs EZ-OX
The two registered powders head to head: registration, residue, price per dose, and why wood bleach is off the table.
Treating Bees During the Honey Flow
Vaporizing with supers on: what's allowed and what to expect.
5 Reasons the InstantVap Compact Is a Must-Have
Why the mid-size model is most beekeepers' pick.
Safe Oxalic Acid Vaporization for Hive-IQ
Treating insulated poly hives without melting the entrance.
Oxalic Acid: Dose, Timing, Schedule
How Much Oxalic Acid Per Hive?
The legal max, the 2 g we recommend, and the schedule by season.
Does Oxalic Acid Vaporization Actually Work? What the Studies Show
The peer-reviewed evidence on efficacy, dose and colony safety, including the studies that were not flattering.
Our Summer Oxalic Acid Routine
The every-3-days cycle, day by day, with what to expect on the board.
Treating a Swarm with Oxalic Acid
One dose, before the first brood is capped, for a clean start.
Treating Package Bees with Oxalic Acid
The best first treatment a new colony can get.
Oxalic Acid Just Got Better and Cheaper
Why we switched to EZ-OX.
Varroa Mites
Varroa Mite Treatment Guide: Every Option Compared
Oxalic acid, Apivar, Formic Pro, Apiguard, HopGuard, VarroxSan, with study numbers.
Varroa Mites on Bees: What They Look Like
Identification, life cycle, and the signs you'll miss.
How to Do a Mite Wash
The 5-minute alcohol wash, with thresholds by season.
Why Did My Bees Abscond?
How to tell true absconding from a varroa collapse.
Robbing Bees: How to Recognize and Stop It
And why a robbed hive spreads mites to every hive in the yard.
Winter Bees and Why Colonies Die in January
Why August mite counts decide winter survival.
Bee Diseases
Deformed Wing Virus in Honey Bees
What it is, what causes it, and how to stop it.
American Foulbrood: Signs, Test, and What to Do
The ropiness test, the burn rule, and the new vaccine.
European Foulbrood and Chalkbrood
The two stress diseases and how to fix the stress.
Nosema in Honey Bees
Why dysentery isn't diagnosis, and what the research says.
Hive Pests and Hive Problems
Wax Moths in Beehives
Identification, life cycle, freezing and protecting stored comb.
Small Hive Beetle: Identification and Control
Traps, slimeouts, and why strong colonies don't get beetles.
Queenless Hive: Signs and What to Do
The test frame, laying workers, and when it's actually mites.
Spring Buzz: A Guide for Mid-Atlantic Beekeepers
A quick seasonal checklist.
When to Reduce Your Hive Entrance
Too open in September and you invite a robbing frenzy, too closed in July and you cook a strong colony. The whole entrance-reducer calendar on one page.
Ready to treat?
Shop the InstantVap oxalic acid vaporizers, EPA-registered EZ-OX oxalic acid, the Easy-Check mite wash, and a full-face respirator. Lorob Bees is the primary US seller of the InstantVap, with stateside customer service and a two-year warranty. Not sure which model? Run the InstantVap Sizer.