Cleaning Propolis

[GaryB]

Any ideas guys, the best way to get propolis off wood. I have an eke that they have completely glued up. Tried soapy water but doesn't tend to shift it much.

 

[Swarm]

Wait for the cold weather, then use your hive tool on it.

 

[taurus]

I was told to use cleaning soda solution (not caustic soda by the way).

 

[REDWOOD]

Blow lamp and scraper

 

[madasafish]

Place in freezer.

After a day it will be brittle and crack off. (Place in a bag first!)

 

[For want of a better word]

I was told to use cleaning soda solution (not caustic soda by the way).

Either will do... either can burn....
SO please wear goggles/ mask / long thick rubber gloves and apron.
I boil up a strong solution on a 50 gallon drum.

Clean off with a power washer.

Tip... when finished tip down cesspit / sewer drain... cleans it up wonderfully
( Possibly check with Environmental health first as may be illegal in some areas!!)

Nos da

 

[Gilberdyke John]

Either will do... either can burn....
SO please wear goggles/ mask / long thick rubber gloves and apron.
I boil up a strong solution on a 50 gallon drum.

Clean off with a power washer.

Tip... when finished tip down cesspit / sewer drain... cleans it up wonderfully
( Possibly check with Environmental health first as may be illegal in some areas!!)

Nos da

You do know that Washing Soda (Sodium Carbonate) used to be sold with added scent and colour as "bath crystals"? It probably still is

 

[For want of a better word]

You do know that Washing Soda (Sodium Carbonate) used to be sold with added scent and colour as "bath crystals"? It probably still is

I think milder chemicals are now utilised as saponising agents.....detergents keep the "scum" in a colloidal suspension more efficiently.

There was a video of one beekeeper boiling his wooden boxes in beeswax, which I believe made it easier to remove the propolis?

Yeghes da

 

[bontbee]

As Swarm says, and who has spare space in the freezer, anyway? (Apart from those who have a dedicated bee freeze...) I did, however, manage to get a few matchboxes of bee samples in mine!

 

[REDWOOD]

I don't like using chemicals for cleaning bee boxes and parts. If you run a blow lamp over the propolis until it bubbles it scraps off quickly and dong so sterilises the part from any nasties like wax moth


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[MartinL]

Either will do... either can burn....

BOTH are Sodium based, Hydroxide , (caustic) & Anhydrous-Carbonate, (soda)!

Tip... when finished tip down cesspit / sewer drain... cleans it up wonderfully
( Possibly check with Environmental health first as may be illegal in some areas!!)

If it's going into the foul-drain, it would be ok. Storm drain only for rainwater

 

[Firefly]

Everything depends on concentration, but sodium carbonate is a food additive:

E500(i) Sodium carbonate E500(ii) Sodium bicarbonate E500(iii) Sodium sesquicarbonate
Origin:
Produced from seawater or salt. Natural minerals.
Function & characteristics:
Acidity regulators, alkali, and rising agent
Products:
Many different products
Acceptable Daily Intake:
None determined
Side effects: None known
Dietary restrictions: None, E500 can be used by all religious groups, vegans and vegetarians.

 

[REDWOOD]

We are not talking here about the little amounts you find in food but massive concentrations.

You will find that it is controlled worldwide and COSHH in this country.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium_carbonate

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

COSSH also list washing powders, washing up liquid, furniture polish (whatever that is) and goodness knows what else.

 

[Gilberdyke John]

COSSH also list washing powders, washing up liquid, furniture polish (whatever that is) and goodness knows what else.

The H&S industry have moved inexorably from being common sense and valuable to losing credibility through overegging their message. Darwins rules cannot take effect any more and degeneration of the human race creeps in because of the "safety" industry and don't even get me started about risk assessment paperwork.

 

[MartinL]

The H&S industry have moved inexorably from being common sense and valuable to losing credibility through overegging their message. Darwins rules cannot take effect any more and degeneration of the human race creeps in because of the "safety" industry and don't even get me started about risk assessment paperwork.

Not really, MSDS just tells you what to do when some ***** drinks it, spills it over the floor or gets it in their eyes !
Bet if you go to a drinks manufacturer, they'll have MSDS for all the ingredients?

As long as you've "assessed the risk" and taken reasonable precautions, you can still do almost anything!