The InstantVap Lite - A More Affordable Mite Killing Machine

[@thehappycamper5575]

I tried the battery operated InstantVap and switched back to my plug in version. I'm glad you showed the crate full of batteries because I believed that a few batteries is all that was required. I could only treat 2 or 3 hives with each battery and to make it worse it took one battery just to get the machine up to temperature. This is the first honest review of the InstantVap showing the number of batteries required. Thank you for showing this.

[@brucesbees]

You have to buy the larger more powerful batteries. These batteries are enough to treat over 100 hives. Many of them getting a double (8 gram) treatment. But yes the batteries are expensive. Worth it to me.

[@doctortcbkk2027]

@@brucesbeeswhich battery do you buy? Can you link?

[@brucesbees]

I just go on Amazon and order Dewalt batteries I have 5aH, 6aH and 9aH batteries. It is important to order a fast charger. Originally I ordered 6aH batteries in a kit with a fast charger. I haven’t checked recently but I think the 6aH batteries will do around 20 4 gram treatments and the 9aH will probably do 25 to 30 but I am not sure. Maybe that’s an idea for a future video!🤔

[@doctortcbkk2027]

@ I only keep 4-6 colonies in my backyard. What battery would you suggest?

[@brucesbees]

A 5 or 6 aH battery should be plenty.

[@gloriayoder5173]

Great comparison Bruce! I bought the compact unit at NAHBE last year, great investment. Lorrobees units are very well built and worth the money.

[@brucesbees]

I agree. Thanks for watching.

[@timmorris7022]

I bought one last year at expo and it was the best money i ever spent .No more cords or packing a generator to my farm .

[@brucesbees]

Amen to that!

[@lynnhughes6350]

Excellent video Bruce !!! Glad that we got to visit with you at the expo ..talk to you soon !!!

[@brucesbees]

Yeah it was fun. Isn’t that an amazing event?

[@lynnhughes6350]

@ no doubt …can’t wait till next year !!

[@nikoutzas6155]

Compact is the best! Happy new year!

[@brucesbees]

Yes I like it the most but they are all great units.

[@BadaBingBadaBoomYT]

Best wishes Bruce! May it be a great year. Funny: was at moments holding my breath when the vapor got to the camera 😂 (hey, not that alert atm, still awake from NYs eve 😂)

[@brucesbees]

Haha thanks for watching!

[@musicmountainhoneybees3107]

We've got two of the compact units and we love them.

[@keithspillman]

Great comparison Bruce. I'm picking up a compact model at NAHBE for a friend. I think he's gonna love it!! See you soon!!

[@brucesbees]

I’m sure he will. See you very soon!

[@JasonEganApiary]

I have a corded instavap, I just did an OA treatment on 12/29, it was 50’ here in Lehi. I essentially had a 0 mite drop on the bottom boards, better than the drops I was having in August and September! Great video, might have to go cordless!

[@brucesbees]

You won’t regret it but the corded ones work fine especially if close enough a plug.

[@dcsblessedbees]

Hiya Bruce. They appear to be real solid tools, may major issues is the new batter investments they kind of require. Great tool to bad batteries cost so, so much. Thanks Bruce great video, Blessed Days Happy New Years.

[@brucesbees]

Yeah the batteries are pricy. The only reason I have so many is that I have a lot of colonies.

[@jasonseaward8506]

I can't wait to save the loot up to get one of those. By the time I do, there will probably be like 3 more new models lol. It looks like its going to cool off pretty seriously and its supposed to reach fairly far south so i hope you have you coat ready to go lol. Wishing you the best, happy new years.

[@brucesbees]

I hear ya haha. Yeah it’s supposed to cool down quite a bit but that’s ok with me. I don’t mind having a little cold weather.

[@rickyyeldell7262]

I preordered a lite model to pick up at NAHBE. Looking forward to putting it in service. Thanks for the video. See ya’ in Louisville.

[@brucesbees]

I think you will like it. See you soon!

[@MagicLightPhoto]

Great comparison! My understanding is that the Lite only has 1 heating element and can be used with smaller batteries. The other models both have 2 heating elements. Did you notice much of a difference in the recycle time for the Lite to be ready to go again after a treatment? With your larger batteries, maybe that isn't much of an issue?

[@brucesbees]

Not sure exactly. There may have been a slight delay in the recycle time or warmup time. Don’t know about the smaller batteries.

[@rogerdrury6537]

Thank you Bruce - did you notice any major difference in the "reheat" time or were they all pretty close getting ready for the next round?

[@brucesbees]

I should have looked more closely at that. I talked to Rob at the conference and he told me that is where the biggest difference is. I didn’t notice a huge difference but I wasn’t really paying attention to it either. My favorite is still the compact but the Lite is quite a machine and would serve you well. If you have a lot of colonies thought I would go for one of the bigger units.

[@thomasplummer2673]

I've learned to put the date on the battery when I started to use it. That way if you have one fail you'll know how long it lasted.

[@brucesbees]

That’s a good idea. Some of these are beginning to run down. I ran some of them too low initially. The original unit did not have battery protection. All of them do now.

[@Manuherikiabeekeeping]

Happy New year Bruce from southern New Zealand 👋 $600 NZD is a lot better than $880 NZD but then when you pay for freight from North America to New Zealand it wacks the cost up. I really like the look of the vaporisers but it's cost is prohibitive for a small operation like mine. Importing beekeeping equipment into New Zealand is very expensive, guess this one will have to wait. I'm still using the old car battery powered vapour wand and it's very time consuming but completely worth the time, even with all the mucking around, but you can treat twelve hives with that little unit in the time it takes me to do one with all the cords and battery's and nonsense 😂 great option for north American Sideliners and hobbyists though but I think it's going to be a while before I import one👍👋

[@brucesbees]

Makes sense. Thanks for checking in and Happy New Year to you too!

[@Jolinpat]

Hello Bruce! Great video again! Appreciate you taking the time to show us all things bees! I did have 1 question,,, I have the original Instavap and was wondering why yours was programmed to 430? Mine is programmed to 445 out of the box… did you change to the cooler setpoint temp to avoid making Formic Acid? Thanks!!

[@brucesbees]

No I haven’t changed it. At least not intentionally. It is usually vaporized by the time it gets to 420 or more.

[@blackberry5908]

Add a drop or two of water into the mix and it will hold pretty well in your plunger.

[@brucesbees]

Thanks for the tip!

[@Scott2510A]

What is the effectiveness of the Oxalic treatments? I have not used Oxalic before but I have used either Formic Pro or HopGuard 3 depending on the time of year. I use screen bottom boards and under the screen I slide in a piece of plywood. After treating for mites, I can pull out the plywood and check the mite drop. Sometimes, I get a huge mite drop using either the Formic Pro or HopGuard 3, after 1 week of treatment.

[@brucesbees]

I have had good success but plan to do some testing soon to see how the the numbers are now that I have completed this round of treatments

[@barkersbees]

Batteries are wicked expensive. How I believe in buying once and crying once. They can be used for more than just instant vaps. Me being a farmer we use the convenience of battery powered tools everyday! And nothing gets the job done like good quality batteries. I think it’s well worth the investment even if it’s expensive up front I think it’s a must. Great review! I own the compact and the original with 40 colonies and they are amazing! As long as you sign it Bruce then it will be awesome! Buy once cry once boys!

[@brucesbees]

I agree. And you make a good point if you have other tools that require batteries they can be used for that as well. I use mine for other things too.

[@kerrydevries3503]

Happy New Year Bruce and the beekeeping community from your friends in Australia . Now that we have Varroa here this Instantvap sounds perfect but I think we have to wait here for it to be approved . How often Bruce would you use it and can the mites build up a resistance to it ... Thank you.

[@brucesbees]

I am treating with 4 grams per deep box every week (ideally 5-7 days) for 4 treatments. We will see how it works out. I don’t think the mites build a resistance to it but it never hurts to try different things just in case.

[@kerrydevries3503]

@@brucesbees Thank you Bruce I really enjoy your channel and learn a lot .

[@brucesbees]

Thanks. That means a lot to me.

[@BrianJMader54476]

Very nice unit 👍

[@brucesbees]

I think so too!

[@rickaudirsch3151]

Thanks Bruce , I have often wondered how they work !! I could never find the website to order the new one you was demonstrating so if you don’t mind send me the website so I can order one !! Happy New Year my friend !!

[@rickaudirsch3151]

I did find it Bruce , thanks !!

[@brucesbees]

Thanks for checking in and good luck!

[@vincentsabol2267]

Can you use the instavap light in the back of the hive I wished you would have shown using it in the back

[@brucesbees]

I’m sure you can but I don’t really do that anymore. Sorry about that. I tried to give a good demonstration and thought about how I was going to do it. It’s so easy to treat from the front and you don’t have to drill a hole in the hive this way. Just my preference. So many advantages with the units in my opinion.

[@sacramentobeekeeper]

Either way spending money on battery, cord, or generator. Great video!

[@brucesbees]

I agree. Thank you!

[@Tinycreekbeecompany]

I am looking to go to 50 or so colonies and am looking at buying one of these 3 units. I like being able to see when it is done and when it is ready to go again easily. It looks like the battery matters more than anything. Weight is not an issue with which to go with. Just wondering which you would suggest?

[@brucesbees]

My favorite unit is the Compact. But you could probably get along ok with the compact. I personally would go ahead and invest the money and get the Compact along with plenty of batteries. I think the 6aH batteries can do around 20 4 grams doses. So you would need 3 or 4 of those. You might be able to get away with 2 9aH ones. And get the fast charger. Of course you may already have the batteries and if you do then you are set!

[@jasonfought]

That compact is just a little faster. But they are all amazing! Instavap is amazing

[@brucesbees]

Agreed. Thanks for watching!

[@user-go9hb4td8j]

I made a gas vaporizer for $25 from copper plumbing parts. I use a burner that costs $10 and a disposable gas cylinder that costs $2, providing 100 treatments per cylinder. Mine is better value!

[@brucesbees]

Nice!

[@brucesbees]

Maybe you should sell them.

[@user-go9hb4td8j]

​@brucesbees Maybe, not sure I would want the hassle of marketing/selling, I'm retired. I was tempted to do a video "How to" with the off the shelf available parts list and no brazing needed and a few tools. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

[@pbachus1308]

What is the purpose of the yellow cap on the two bigger units? Thank you.

[@brucesbees]

It’s an insulator. I think theoretically it helps the units with efficiency.

[@LEEFellows-q8z]

Thanks for the video.

[@brucesbees]

You’re welcome and thanks for checking in.

[@jays200gspsreeftank7]

What percentage purity is the oxalic acid you use. Thanks

[@brucesbees]

Hope this helps lorobbees.com/collections/oxalic-acid/products/ez-ox-oxalic-acid-epa-certified-2g-per-box?variant=45242871185657

[@jays200gspsreeftank7]

Thank you Bruce, happy new year

[@CastleHives]

I could see myself using either one. Having the original, I could see going to the lite just to save on weight.

[@brucesbees]

Yep and you don’t lose much permanence at all. If I were a hobbyist with let’s say 40 colonies or less that’s the one I would purchase I think.

[@vytbbb7146]

Cool stuff. Wish i could buy one. Still too expensive for 2 colonies :)

[@brucesbees]

Yeah the corded units or even the pan type units are good for just couple of colonies when speed is not a factor.

[@dwac15]

Sweet

[@harveycardwell7274]

I use the instavap digital version. With m18 Milwaukie 12amp hr batteries and man alive it treats like 40hives or more with 2 4gram doses. I also have some m18 8amp hr batteries. The larger Amp hr batteries work best in my experience. Milwaukie is selling the 12amp hr batteries for 250$ plus a free 8amp hr battery! Until February!! Not a fan of anything less than 8amp hr, they don't treat very many hives. Milwaukies new forge batteries are best on the market currently! They have e new cool cycle technology wich keeps the battery cool this charges go further and pretty sure they are solid state as well. They charge quicker and last longer!!

[@brucesbees]

Yes you make some great points here. I am going with Dewalt because I have other tools that use Dewalt. But the larger aH batteries are better for sure. I have 2 5aH ,4 6aH, and 4 9aH batteries. They get the job done. But I’d wish I had all 9aH batteries. Haven’t even looked into getting larger ones. Thanks for the comment. I don’t really understand all the science behind the batteries. But I do know bigger is better.

[@aaronparis4714]

Do you fine they clog up in the stem ?

[@brucesbees]

Haven’t had much of a problem with that.

[@harveycardwell7274]

Just fyi Bob binnie does 4grams per deep box of bees. I copy him for almost everything! 4 grams is not enough for a deep and medium. Unless the boxes are not full of bees. Also rags over the front are needed especially when you go light on the dose. Most vapor just comes right out the front without the rag.

[@brucesbees]

Well some comes out but I don’t know about most. Some of my hives are not sealed yo that well so I see the vapor sneaking out around the cracks. I could put rags in to seal but it just slows me down. I plan to do some testing in a couple of weeks and see what I have. Hopefully they will be pretty clean. If not I will hit them with another series and may pay more attention to closing up the entrances. Thanks for your thoughtful and valuable insight. I hope others are reading them and gaining something from them like I am. Definitely food for thought.

[@gingerbrimer8486]

Do you only treat with OA?

[@brucesbees]

No. Several recent videos of mine are focused on my mite program for this year. Apivar! Apiguard and now OAV.

[@brucesbees]

FYI this Apivar was not as effective as I hoped. Historically it has done very well but didn’t have a great result this year.

[@bradgoliphant]

Oh wow, this lite OAV is only $299--now thats a price I like. Yet I just purchase a new OAV for only $99, and hoping it does the job--will know come spring. Anyone on a budget and need a cheaper model, reply and I'll send the link. But Bruce, I would love to win that giveaway. How do I sign up for the drawing? Also, what amp battery are you using?

[@brucesbees]

I am just going to give it away on one of my Stream Team live chats. I have 5aH, 6aH and 9aH batteries. Depends on how many colonies you have The 6aH I think will do around 20 colonies at 4 grams I think but I need to do a test and make sure. The 9aH batteries are amazing. This is a kit I would recommend for a sideliner with 40 or less colonies: a.co/d/14t6XnT

[@bradgoliphant]

@@brucesbees Oh Thx Bruce. Grateful

[@diegoienco7309]

Su che sito lo hai comprato?

[@brucesbees]

Look in the description below. There is also a company in Europe that sells them. You can probably find them online.

[@rodrigogabrecht7945]

❤❤🎉🎉

[@hootervillehoneybees8664]

Id judge a power saw on fast it is but not a mite treatment. That would make a great video for you.. which is more effective faster or slower video.. id assume the less chemicals the bees get better for it .. if we have to treatment 4x more than a slower method to have the same knock down.. maybe faster more effective i know they rush up in the corner really fast... Someone should work that out

[@brucesbees]

I have been using these for a while now and they have been effective. I plan to do some checks in the next 2 or 3 weeks and see what I have.

[@hootervillehoneybees8664]

@brucesbees I don't know what works better... seems like people like it fast.... maybe it's better... Maybe some times it's better going slow in cold weather and faster in warm weather.. that would be my guess but never know

[@brucesbees]

@hootervillehoneybees8664 I don’t know man. I don’t think much about it. I just vap em and move on.

[@LittleRiverBees-or6qp]

Just an OSHA note: You should not put chemicals in containers not correctly marked. If someone gets their hands on the container not knowing what has been in it they could get burnt by the acid.

[@brucesbees]

Good idea and point taken but has not been a problem. Not recommending anyone else do this. It a how I do and not a how to video. No one else really has access to this. It stays with my bee stuff. But I will be more careful. The container works great. Maybe I will look for a sticker or something to put on there or a container that is marked but have been using these yellow containers for a long time with no issues. The bags they come in are hard to use so I like to dump the OA in a more user friendly container.

[@aaronparis4714]

It’s shitty our shop has all the insta vapes but they want 800 Canadian it’s a rip off for us

[@brucesbees]

Sounds pricy. Ugh. They are not cheap but $800 is even more so!

[@DC_PRL]

I stay away from battery operated units...too expensive to run. Run a cable or small generator./inverter. Just ordered second Mite-E-Vap plug in..$165 delivered. Takes 1 min per bee hive; simple and effective. I could have made it my self...if you add up all the parts..probably $80, but not worth my time....paying $500 for one of these unit makes no sense.

[@brucesbees]

You have to do what works for you. Has been more than worth it to me. How many colonies do you run?

[@DC_PRL]

@@brucesbees 15-20...and got 110 volts available... probably makes sense to use batteries if you have multiple yards. but even then, a 400 watt inverter and a cord can work...

[@brucesbees]

I gotcha and tend to agree in some respects. I do have have 7 yards and 100+ colonies. I oull up in the apiary, open the tailgate, pull the vaporizers out, slap a battery on and let them warm up and then go to work. And they are very fast. I used the Johno EasyVap and then the original corded Lorobbees unit for years. I used an inverter with a marine or car battery and it worked well. So I hear ya. These battery powered units have been a game changer for me simply because of speed. And the bees have blessed me with enough money that I can afford some of the nicer things in beekeeping. I completely understand your point and am glad it works out well for you. Just know that what works or makes sense for one person may not make sense to work for another. I am not trying to convince anyone to buy these if they have another solution. But for me it has worked out well. Thanks for your thoughtful response. I hope you and your bees have a great and successful 2025 and beyond!

[@DC_PRL]

@@brucesbees happy new year. keep up great content. I learned a lot from you, Bob Binnie, Kamon and DirtRooster. Cheers!

[@brucesbees]

Thank you and Happy New Year to you!

[@jeremyrunciman241]

It's always easier carrying around 30 battery pack lol I built 1 of these for 200 canadian dollars so like 20 bucks US lol it's very easy, it's got a cord,much easier than a milk crate of battery pack

[@brucesbees]

That sounds like a great idea!