Hive lost through Nosema - do you burn or can it be reused?

[REDWOOD]

When scorching, does it have to be a blowtorch? Would a heat gun/ paint stripper do the job?

Propolis needs to bubble and turn the inside a light toast colour, probably can be done but might take forever.

 

[Ruary]

Not found to be effective against AFB though,

 

[Ruary]

Similar advice regards nosema cleaning in the thread below.
Nosema Ceranae is much more common now, and freezing combs etc will also kill the spores of that Nosema.

http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=22303

But not Nosema apis in fact one way of obtaining pure N. apis is to freeze a sample of mixed species when only N.apis remains alive.

 

[EKBee]

2. Scrape the frames clean but leave the combs intact in the frames. Fumigate for a week using glacial acetic acid. Air well then you can just reuse them. There appears to be no correlation in our unit historically between using fumigated gear and nosema recurrence.

Do you dilute the Glacial down to 80% ?

 

[Cussword]

Propolis needs to bubble and turn the inside a light toast colour, probably can be done but might take forever.

Thanks

 

[Into the lions den]

2. Scrape the frames clean but leave the combs intact in the frames. Fumigate for a week using glacial acetic acid. Air well then you can just reuse them. There appears to be no correlation in our unit historically between using fumigated gear and nosema recurrence.

Do you dilute the Glacial down to 80% ?

Can do it either way. We tend to just use it 'as is', but you can run into issues with it being solid at cold temperatures (have 3 20 litre canisters outside right now that are rock solid) and 80% is less problematical that way.

We use pads made from old style carpet underlay (the fibrous kind) between the boxes with the acid on them....though you can also use the sponges that are for kitchen use and are the size and shape of a slice of toast.

Have been asked about sourcing it.

We buy our Acetic acid, formic acid, caustic soda, and washing soda from Tan International, who are down by the riverside in Perth, way out beyond the Harbour. The acids are in various concentrations, and the correct concentrations for bee work are available from stock.

Their charges for all these products is rather arbitrary, and I am sure in reality they are a lot cheaper and the price is only really a handling charge.

All these products from them are £1 per litre or kilo. Good source for associations. Don't try to buy less than a 20 litre canister or a 20/25Kg bag.

 

[EKBee]

I heard a story about a Glasgow area beek some years ago who put a large Glacial Acetic bottle on top of a radiator (it had been left outside in the frost) to get the contents re-liquified. The bottle smashed the acid destroyed the radiator & went right through to his concrete floor. His wife was not impressed

 

[Into the lions den]

I heard a story about a Glasgow area beek some years ago who put a large Glacial Acetic bottle on top of a radiator (it had been left outside in the frost) to get the contents re-liquified. The bottle smashed the acid destroyed the radiator & went right through to his concrete floor. His wife was not impressed

Sounds quite probable. When I was a boy in the early 60's my father had a few really bad nosema years, in fact everyone around here did.

The acetic acid at that time came in glass carboys. I suspect there will still be one or two in his old outhouses.....have the sad task of starting to clear all his stuff starting tomorrow, and may well encounter the odd carboy.

 

[Erichalfbee]

have the sad task of starting to clear all his stuff starting tomorrow

So sorry to hear that. Always sad but you'd be surprised how many good memories rattling through his stuff will bring back.

 

[irishguy]

Think I'll have to look into knowing how colonies are lost to disease's etc.. Just had my first lose this year thou TBH, i was expecting it with this colony. Not that it was big or anything but its the one colony I noticed with varroa at end season and its insulation bonnet was comprised letting in damp. The crown board was bad with mold.

There was a small cluster that had moulded right beside the outer wall frame. The hive was full of capped stores apart from where the small cluster was.

What I did was remove the dead bees by scraping them out into the grass, turn the mesh floor upside down with bees on it so they'd fall onto the grass. Closed the hive up with grass and left it. Now I'm wondering should I have inspected the bees more in case the hives infected because I've full frames of stores. Should I destroy them or is there anyway of cleaning them without spoiling the honey.

 

[Gilberdyke John]

Propolis needs to bubble and turn the inside a light toast colour, probably can be done but might take forever.

Having been to a number of spring auctions, many of the second hand boxes have had their entire interiors flamed so heavily they are lined with charcoal

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Should I destroy them or is there anyway of cleaning them without spoiling the honey.

Fumigate with acetic acid (stores and all) and give it back to the bees when they need food (not to transfer to the supers)