Natural Beekeeping International Forum

[luk_lak]

My colony died this spring, most likely nosema. So I'm looking for easy, cheap way to clean hive, bars, and tools.

I've done some research and found that I could use:
* 10% chlorine bleach
* acetic acid / vinegar
* blow torch
* oven (for tools, probably top bars too)

I like the first 2 as I can use what I already have. I could just scrape the box inside, spray the hive and the comb with it and let it evaporate and air-dry.

I just don't want to get rid of all the comb the old colony built so the next one has a better start. The honeycomb looked clean, difficult to say about the brood comb as it was dark of propolis already.

Any pros and cons of the 3 methods? Do you know any other methods?

I read Michael's Bush comment on another forum he does nothing at all.

[Barbara]

Personally I would go with scorching it with a blow torch and probably not reuse the brood comb. Having said that, when visiting a friend a few years ago who had a hive that had died from nosema and another one had just swarmed and we had no where else to put the swarm and she didn't have a blow torch, we just scraped it thoroughly with hive tools and left the cleanest looking comb and put the swarm in and they are still alive... not an ideal situation and I would be more comfortable if the swarm had chosen to live there rather than getting dumped into it, but we got away with it.
I would be waryof using bleach or acid on the wood probably because I would be concerned that there would be a lingering odour or chemical deposit.

Good to read on your other post that there was no staining on the front of the hive. It may be that the staining inside the hive is not faeces or that it is, but was as a result of the colony decline from other reasons,,, queen failure perhaps.... and the declining number of bees were unable to generate enough warmth to make it outside to defecate.

Good luck sorting it out and starting again.