Pairs well with
The fastest cordless oxalic acid vaporizer for beekeepers: a beekeeping tool that treats a honey bee colony for varroa mites in about 10 seconds per hive.
The Turbo is the InstantVap built for commercial and sideline apiaries. It sublimates EPA-registered oxalic acid into a beehive through the entrance, running on the 18V/20V tool battery you already own, and it cycles fast enough that a crew can treat a 100-hive yard in a morning. It is the unit we run in our own yards during the fall treatment series. Lorob Bees is the primary US seller, with stateside support and a 2-year warranty.
Oxalic acid vaporization is a varroa mite treatment for honey bee colonies. The vaporizer heats 2 to 4 grams of oxalic acid dihydrate until it sublimates; the vapor fills the hive, recrystallizes on the bees and the comb, and kills varroa mites riding on adult bees while leaving the bees, the brood and the honey essentially untouched. Oxalic acid is registered by the EPA for this use and is labeled for use with honey supers on. Use only an EPA-registered product such as EZ-OX.
The status LED is readable in full sun without bending down: slow blink while warming up, steady when ready to treat the next hive, fast blink while the acid is sublimating, double blink when the battery is spent.
Batteries and chargers are not included; the batteries in the photos are for illustration. The Ryobi adapter is not recommended for the Turbo.
Oxalic acid reaches mites on adult bees, not mites sealed under capped brood. A single treatment does the most work when the colony is broodless: mid-winter, after a swarm or package is hived, or during a natural or induced brood break. With brood present, beekeepers run a spaced series across a full worker brood cycle so mites are caught as they emerge, which is exactly the job the Turbo's speed and cycle counter are for. Our Treatment Series Planner builds that schedule for your hive count, and our Broodless Window Finder estimates when your colonies are most likely broodless.
Backed by a 2-year parts warranty. All warranty and repair work is handled in the United States by Lorob Bees, and we repair units past the warranty period too.
Q: Does the Turbo come with a battery?
A: No. It fits the DeWalt, Milwaukee, Makita, Ridgid, Bosch or Metabo HPT 18V/20V battery you choose at checkout. Use 5Ah or larger for best performance.
Q: How many hives can I treat per battery?
A: It depends on the pack and the dose. A 6Ah DeWalt pack treats roughly 40 hives at 2 g in mild weather; the display counts hives on the current battery so you know when to swap.
Q: What oxalic acid should I use in it?
A: Only EPA-registered oxalic acid such as EZ-OX; the 5 lb bucket is the bulk size for commercial yards. The label rate is 4 g per deep brood chamber; we recommend 2 g per box.
Q: Is safety gear required?
A: Yes. Oxalic acid vapor must never be inhaled. Wear a NIOSH-approved respirator with acid-gas cartridges, gloves and eye protection, and stand upwind of the hive entrance. We use the PD-101 full-face respirator.
Q: Do I need the Turbo, or is a smaller model enough?
A: Under about 20 hives, the Lite or Compact is usually the right buy. The Turbo earns its price when treatment rounds are measured in hours. The InstantVap Sizer will tell you honestly.
All four models side by side, with prices and treatment times, on our oxalic acid vaporizers page.
InstantVap 18V Turbo Oxalic Acid Vaporizer for Beehives
If you have any questions, you are always welcome to contact us. We'll get back to you as soon as possible, within 24 hours on weekdays.
2-year parts warranty
Every InstantVap carries a 2-year parts warranty, and all warranty and repair work is done in-house by our own technicians rather than sent out to a third party. Start a request on our Service and Warranty page.
Before you email us
Service questions get answered fastest when your first message includes the date of purchase, your battery brand and amp-hour rating, where you bought the battery, and which model you own.
Setup and cleaning
First treatment coming up? Getting Started with InstantVap walks through setup, Cleaning an InstantVap 18V covers the plunger and nozzle, and our YouTube channel has the same steps on video.
Returns
Unused, undamaged items can be returned within 30 days of purchase with no restocking fee. Return shipping is yours unless we filled the order incorrectly, in which case we cover it both ways.
Overall rating: 4.875 / 5 from 48 reviews.
Review topics: [].
"This works great. But it takes a lot of battery power. I’m pretty sure I need 9amp batteries, 5amp works ok, but it usually takes 1, plus part of another to get through 12 to 15 colonies. We have several yards so to let it cool down and bring it back up to temp pulls a battery down pretty fast. We’ll get the battery thing figured out, but the vaporizer is great. Glad we got!"
"It's unreal how easy this unit is to use. The use of the led as well as the display is great. It comes up to heat quickly and the time it takes to dispense 3g is unreal. . . . the other stunning part is how quickly it is ready for the next hive. The fact it works with my dewalt 20v batteries is also appreciated. Basically, there is nothing I don't like about this unit. The service froj Lorob bees was great."
"Great product. Great customer service when I needed to ask a question. Thank you."
"It’s the expensive vaporizer but I’m so glad I chose it. 👍🏼"
"So far this product is awesome. Rob has handled everything very quickly and is not afraid to answer the phone. Great customer service and great product."
"works great"
"Was surprised on how fast the unit heated up and how easy it was to use."
"Exactly what I needed to speed up my mite treatments!"
"Easy to operate and works fast just like advertised. Thank you!"
"Such a big upgrade over wand-style OA treatment devices. I only have 7 hives but this device replaced a few hours of miserable sweaty standing around with about 15 minutes of quick work. I love that it integrates with my existing tool battery ecosystem instead of needing to wonder when an internal battery would fail. Excellent construction, works well, highly recommend."
DeWalt 20V
Milwaukee M18
Makita 18V LXT
Ridgid 18V
Bosch 18V
Metabo HPT 18V
