Varroa Treatment Pad / Evaporator by guppyk

Last crawled date: 3 years, 5 months ago

This is a simple pad used for evaporating organic acids (e.g. formic acid) to treat bee colonies for varroa destructor infestation.
It reduces chances of the acid dropping down into the nest (the pad has a depression in the center that will collect excessive amounts of acid), prevents the acid from getting in touch with the frames, and reduces the chances of direct contact with the bees.
The way to use this is by placing the pad on top of the frames / topbars (remember, formic acid is heavier than air), placing a 12 x 12 cm sponge cloth on top, and adding the required amount of acid (calculate per volume / super and make sure to exactly follow the manufacturer's instructions). Close your hive.
Generally after 24 hrs the sponge cloth will be dry and can be removed. I prefer this over evaporators that slowly give off the acid as this way I have more control over the amount of acid evaporated and the bees are exposed to the fumes only for a short period of time.
Hope your bees like it. Here is a collection of some of my Beekeeping Designs on Thingiverse.
Should be an easy print. No supports or adhesion needed. Print in any color your bees like at 0.2 mm layer height and 10% infill.
Enjoy!