mite zapper

[shorty3]

just wanting to know if anybody uses mite zapper and if you liked it, other info

[AllenF]

I never have use it or see one in use.   But it works the same as taking out a drone frame from the hive and freezing it.   But with the zapper, you leave the frame and plug it in to kill the drone brood and mites with in.  No magic there and IMO, it's pricey, but if you have the battery available to plug it in, it's easier than pulling out your green drone frames.  But I would never get one.

[BlueBee]

They had some of these at a bee conference I attended at Michigan State University.  A professor there invented the thing.  The units I saw looked well made (in Michigan I believe) and the sales guy claimed the heat is regulated so it just cooks the drones and not the comb.

I have not tried it.  As Allen says, the product seems to be geared at increasing productively for organic bee keepers using drone culling for mite control.  Using the zapper would be a lot less labor than removing supers to get to the green drone combs.  I’m a hobbyist and don’t need to be productive  :-D 

They use 12volt DC for power.  Designed for a car battery, but you if you’re at home you could probably use a 12volt adaptor or a PC power supply.   

I didn’t think to ask the sales guy, but I wonder what would happen if the queen just happened to be laying in the drone comb when you plug the baby in  :shock: