allen dick wrote:

> I'm also sure that an improved application method can be devised to
> replace the crude and awkward evaporators on the market today that risk
> operator exposure to the vapour by their very design.  Proper design
> would reduce the danger to operators and increase the consistency of
> application.  The unit shown so clearly at
> http://www.algonet.se/~beeman/research/oxalic/oxalic-1-nf.htm, while
> being OK for a single-operator outfit with a few hives to treat, is
> lacking for a large outfit with hired help and thousands of hives to
> manage.
>
> http://www.honeybeeworld.com/diary/2002/diary111002.htm#oxalic shows an
> initial attempt at an applicator designed for commercial use.  It is
> big and clumsy, but could be refined in mass production.

A good design would have an automatic dispenser of just the right amount
and the ability to push a trigger and dispense the vapor but do so safely.

A couple of suggestions. The first is fairly easy. Make up pills of
oxalic acid, one per dose (I think someone has done this, but not sure).
Stack the pills in a magazine and inset the magazine into the vaporizer
(new idea).

The second problem, safety, could be overcome by a male/female
attachment. The hive would have the female and the applicator the male,
so you plug the applicators nozzle in the hive receptor and fire away.
The applicator would have a safe interlock that would not allow it to
fire unless plugged into the hive (like a nail gun that needs to be in
contact with the surface to fire). The acid does not need to be
delivered low in the hive. It can also be at the top.

The third is the method of applying heat to the pill. Since the trigger
released the pill to the heated surface, the flame could be constant but
a low level heat, such as a propane flame from a bunsen type burner.
When the pill is released, a timer starts and rings when the applicator
can be removed. If removed early, it could also sound a warning.

The applicator could even be designed to support itself when attached to
the hive, so the operator could have their hands free to button up the
hive, fire the applicator and go to the next hive with another
applicator. Hook it up, fire, and remove the other one for the next hive.

I would think that this would result in a smaller applicator that would
be fairly safe, easy to use and able to treat many hives at a commercial
level.

I love open source software, so any ideas here are free.

Bill Truesdell
Bath, Maine

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