InstantVap Lite 18V Oxalic Acid Vaporizer

01 · WHO IT IS FOR

Time per hive is what sets the practical limit

There is no hive cap and nothing that locks out: what there is, is a good half-minute per hive against the Compact's twenty seconds. On a small apiary that difference does not show; past a certain number, multiplied hive by hive, it turns into extra hours. That is why it suits the advanced hobbyist and small apiaries, while anyone treating fifty or a hundred hives in an afternoon will want the Compact or the Turbo.

02 · INDICATORS

You can see its state without bending down to look

The LEDs show heating, ready, subliming and battery flat, and they read in full sunlight without leaning over the unit. It sounds like a small thing until you are in the suit, wearing gloves, with a hive open: knowing at a glance whether it is up to temperature prevents half the application mistakes.

03 · DOSING

The same dispenser as the top of the range, 1 to 4 g

Nothing is cut back here: it carries the adjustable 1 to 4 g dispenser that sets with no tools, just like the models above it. You fix the dose at the start and never touch it again. The usual reference is 2 g per hive; on very strong colonies you can go a little higher without overdoing it.

04 · BATTERY AND BUILD

Thirteen brand adapters, and the same steel as the range

It runs on an 18 V power-tool battery, not included, through an adapter: there are thirteen brands —Makita, DeWalt, Bosch, Metabo, Milwaukee, Einhell, Parkside, AEG, Ridgid, Hikoki/Hitachi, Ferrex/Activ Energy, Black+Decker and LUX-Tools— chosen when you add it to the basket. A stainless steel and brass body, which is what stands up to the acidic environment of sublimation season after season.

05 · BEFORE YOU BUY

The battery adapter is chosen at checkout according to your tool brand: pick the wrong one and the battery will not fit. Battery and charger are separate. If you are torn between this and the Compact, the question is not quality but how many hives you treat in one go. Sublimation must be done with a veterinary medicine authorised for that route in your country.

⚠ PRECAUTIONS

Sublimation vapour is irritant and corrosive to the airways and the eyes. Work with proper respiratory protection, goggles and gloves, stand with your back to the wind and do not lean over the entrance while the unit is running. The equipment reaches high temperatures: let it cool before storing it.