Cleaning of Mini Nucs

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beebreeder

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Hi All
Just thought i would ask the question.How do those of you that use Mini nucs in their various forms clean them up at the end of the season, I have just spent hours with the caustic and hot water removing the wax, propolis etc and preparing the units for next year, Apidea are the worst with the plastic frames, kielers I either destroy all the top bars and make fresh for next year from offcuts or scrape and dunk in soda solution, last year I was using a multi mini nuc box but this year I have 35 plus mini nucs out and all but those to over winter need cleaning otherwise waxmoth ruins them.
Kev
 
Hi All
Just thought i would ask the question.How do those of you that use Mini nucs in their various forms clean them up at the end of the season, I have just spent hours with the caustic and hot water removing the wax, propolis etc and preparing the units for next year, Apidea are the worst with the plastic frames, kielers I either destroy all the top bars and make fresh for next year from offcuts or scrape and dunk in soda solution, last year I was using a multi mini nuc box but this year I have 35 plus mini nucs out and all but those to over winter need cleaning otherwise waxmoth ruins them.
Kev

An English chap, forget his name, but who was teaching a mini nuc workshop at Gormanston this year said he puts his in the dishwasher. Minus the frames of course but he said it cleans up the apideas really well. He did state that wait till the wife goes shopping and allow extra time to clean the filter out afterwards. You can now get blue boilable frames for apideas though.
 
My apideas have come up fine with gentle scraping off of wax then hot soapy water in kitchen sink with a scrubbing brush.. The frames are not included in this exercise! I cut out most of this years wax to leave about 1" starter.
 
Perhaps all of you out there in cyberspace don't clean up your mini nucs LOL
 
Correct.

I have in some 20+ years of using them never cleaned one up bar a brisk bang on the ground.

PH
 
Hello,
I clean mine every year at the end of summer with hot water from the solar heater. For general cleaning of hives we have a Karcher steam generator/cleaner.
If they are not cleaned there will be a build up of nosema spores.
Best regards
Norton.
 
Norton
The precise reason for starting the thread, small colonies can be under more stress, increasing the risk, I have solar water and a steam generator or a steam cleaner at work but the pressure would blow the boxes to pieces.They seem to have more propolise than usual this year. I was thinking of scrubbing them in a soda solution or gauntlet gloves and more caustic but it gets very tedious, I was hoping for replies from more people like yourself.
kev
 
I honestly cant say I have seen an increase in Nosema from them however I do NOT over winter mine.

If you are really worried about it I suggest Virkon.

PH
 
I've just put the top bars in an air tight plastic box with a small amount of acetic acid in the bottom. Surely leaving the wax on the top bars gives the bees a head start next year.
Never thought about cleaning the boxes, but I have 2 manky apideas and a few not so manky minis. However, I have my own dish washer in the shed for the beekeeping things and brewing things so maybe I will clean them in that.
 
The propolis is the most difficult to get off and only solvents or caustic removes that, they are running far longer this year and so as nectar flows drop the propolis comes in, I always use new starter strips, it gives the bees new clean comb and helps to unnite the small colony to a single force after making up in spring.
kev
Thanks HM
 
Hello,
Why are you worried about propolis? There isn't any disease in it. It will scrape off when cold.
If you dip the mini-nucs in hot water with detergent it should move everything.
Best regards
Norton
 
Norton
I'm not worried about propolis, I just want them ready to store and sterile for next season, and the propolis is worse this year than normal, must be the queens, bad trait lots of propolis!!!! better get some from a new source, LOL

kev
 

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