Rob Pollock, Founder of Lorob Bees LLC
Rob Pollock · Founder and owner, Lorob Bees LLC · Baltimore, Maryland
I run Lorob Bees LLC, a beekeeping supply company in Baltimore, Maryland, and the primary US distributor of the InstantVap oxalic acid vaporizer. I keep bees, I treat them for varroa with oxalic acid, and I test every vaporizer, socket and accessory we sell in my own apiary before it goes on the site. This page is here so that when you read something on this site with my name on it, you know who wrote it and why you can trust it.
How I got into beekeeping
I did not start out wanting bees. I started out wanting strawberries. A basement grow-light project would not set fruit, and after some digging the answer turned out to be pollination. At the same time my mother's 75 feet of blackberry bushes had gone from bountiful to a few quarts a year, and nobody could tell her why. The answer was the same: no bees.
So I joined a local bee association, found a mentor, and bought my first nuc. The next winter my mother and I drove four more nucs home with bees loose in the back of a Honda Civic. By the following season we had five hives and our first real varroa problem. The full story is on our Our Story page.
Why oxalic acid, and why Lorob Bees exists
When my first colonies were infested with mites, my mentor told me to use an oxalic acid vaporizer. The ones for sale were either expensive or back-ordered, so I built my own. That vaporizer, and the YouTube videos about it, are how Lorob Bees started. The company is named for the two people who started it: my mother Lori and me, Rob. In our first year we helped more than 2,000 beekeepers treat for varroa.
Today Lorob Bees carries the InstantVap line (Lite, Compact, Original and Turbo), builds units to order for Makita, Milwaukee, DeWalt, Ridgid, Bosch and Metabo batteries, and sells EZ-OX, an EPA-registered oxalic acid for bees. We still keep bees, and we still use the same tools we sell.
What I write about
Most of what I publish is on the Oxalic Acid Talk blog. The recurring themes:
- Varroa mite treatment, with an emphasis on oxalic acid vaporization: every treatment option compared, a month-by-month schedule, and how much oxalic acid per hive.
- Doing it safely: respirators, PPE and technique, and what temperature a vaporizer should run at.
- Choosing gear: which InstantVap is right for your apiary and how it compares to ProVap and Varrox Eddy.
- What is happening in the field: Apivar 2.0 absconding reports, why bees abscond, and why colonies die in January.
I also run the Lorob Bees YouTube channel, where most of the vaporizer demonstrations and field tests live.
How I approach the writing
I sell oxalic acid vaporizers, so I have an obvious interest in oxalic acid. I try to handle that honestly: the treatment guides cover Apivar, Formic Pro, Apiguard, HopGuard and VarroxSan on their own terms, the comparison posts say where each product wins, and when I quote studies or beekeeper reports I link to them. Nothing on this site should replace the label on the product in your hand, and nothing here is veterinary advice.
Get in touch
Questions about a vaporizer, a battery platform, or a treatment plan are welcome. Email lorobbees@gmail.com or find us on Facebook and Instagram. Lorob Bees LLC is at 6400 Frankford Ave, Suite 3, Baltimore, MD 21206.