How best to clean a poly nuc - for the masses

[GoEnviro]

I have a few poly nucs and they could all do with being cleaned and disinfected

I have seen a post that is currently running but to be absolutely honest I found it to be a little over my head in that I am easily confused in any matters concerning Chemistry - I blame my PE teacher for this as he was the one responsible for teaching us - not much chance for you if your teacher is clueless on the subject is there?
Nor did i see it as being particularly practical for those of us that have a few poly boxes in need of some loving care

Can anyone offer a good fast technique for cleaning a poly nuc with an inherent side feeder to someone without a degree in chemistry or biology
Preferably one that does not include having to spend a fortune on a stainless steel tank with a fume hood that will allow water to be heated to 80 celsius and kept there for a period of time while some nasty chemical concoction gives off lung dissolving skin eating fumes to anyone not geared up in a full face mask, rubber suit and gauntlets.
More along the lines of a gentle spray of cillicbang if that works well, or cheaper solution still that can be disposed of in an environmentally friendly way?

In particular the inherent side feeder is my largest cause for concern - has anyone found a good tool for scrubbing that area - I don't know how it happens but we get everything in there - slugs, algae, dirt - just seems to be a magnet

The poly boxes are so good for the bees - just haven't found a good way to clean them yet.

Should mention that I have the opportunity of steam cleaning using a cimex eradicator (that I can not post link to - strange, thought I had more than 10 posts here, thought it was more like 50, no matter) that supplies an overheated dry steam up to 180° C. The flow of steam at 180° C is able to eliminate adult insects, the larval stages and eggs thru thermal shock. Any one got some thoughts on this with reference to bacteria and viruses? Though this methiod probably isn't for the masses

 

[Gilberdyke John]

I have a few poly nucs and they could all do with being cleaned and disinfected

I have seen a post that is currently running but to be absolutely honest I found it to be a little over my head in that I am easily confused in any matters concerning Chemistry - I blame my PE teacher for this as he was the one responsible for teaching us - not much chance for you if your teacher is clueless on the subject is there?
Nor did i see it as being particularly practical for those of us that have a few poly boxes in need of some loving care

Can anyone offer a good fast technique for cleaning a poly nuc with an inherent side feeder to someone without a degree in chemistry or biology
Preferably one that does not include having to spend a fortune on a stainless steel tank with a fume hood that will allow water to be heated to 80 celsius and kept there for a period of time while some nasty chemical concoction gives off lung dissolving skin eating fumes to anyone not geared up in a full face mask, rubber suit and gauntlets.
More along the lines of a gentle spray of cillicbang if that works well, or cheaper solution still that can be disposed of in an environmentally friendly way?

In particular the inherent side feeder is my largest cause for concern - has anyone found a good tool for scrubbing that area - I don't know how it happens but we get everything in there - slugs, algae, dirt - just seems to be a magnet

The poly boxes are so good for the bees - just haven't found a good way to clean them yet.

Should mention that I have the opportunity of steam cleaning using a cimex eradicator (that I can not post link to - strange, thought I had more than 10 posts here, thought it was more like 50, no matter) that supplies an overheated dry steam up to 180° C. The flow of steam at 180° C is able to eliminate adult insects, the larval stages and eggs thru thermal shock. Any one got some thoughts on this with reference to bacteria and viruses? Though this methiod probably isn't for the masses

According to your profile you have 6 posts
I'm not sure hitting polystyrene with superheated steam is going to do the structure of the plastic any good.
Have you considered immersing the polynuc etc in a bath of tepid washing soda solution and weighting it down to allow a good soak?

 

[madasafish]

Google : beebase - how to clean poly hive

tells you all you need to know.

 

[GoEnviro]

So that would be the National Bee Unit Hive Cleaning and Sterilisation document. i appreciate you highlighting that document, there's also there Fact_Sheet_32_Plastic_Hives.pdf

I don't mean to step on toes here and I may well be in a minority - though i doubt it, but non of the methods described are straightforward or practical, nor do they properly cover the cleaning of the feed chamber before its sterilised.
I was wondering if anyone had come up with a practical solution that amateur bee keepers around the country could practically follow and may therefore be more inclined to clean and sterilise.

I'm lucky I have as part of my work PPE a full face mask that will offer protection from these chemicals, not sure what I am meant to do with the chemical afterwards though, I only have a van so can't bottle it and run it down to one of the two waste disposal sites within my city.

 

[madasafish]

So that would be the National Bee Unit Hive Cleaning and Sterilisation document. i appreciate you highlighting that document, there's also there Fact_Sheet_32_Plastic_Hives.pdf

I don't mean to step on toes here and I may well be in a minority - though i doubt it, but non of the methods described are straightforward or practical, nor do they properly cover the cleaning of the feed chamber before its sterilised.
I was wondering if anyone had come up with a practical solution that amateur bee keepers around the country could practically follow and may therefore be more inclined to clean and sterilise.

I'm lucky I have as part of my work PPE a full face mask that will offer protection from these chemicals, not sure what I am meant to do with the chemical afterwards though, I only have a van so can't bottle it and run it down to one of the two waste disposal sites within my city.

The methods used are soda crystals and bleach (separately of course). They are available in supermarkets..

All you need to do is buy a large plastic storage bin (supermarket again) seal the holes and job's easy..

What chemicals do you refer to? I use bleach daily and soda crystals are pretty harmless- rubber gloves jobbie.

 

[GoEnviro]

Yep - I could not understand that, think its down to the username - this is an old one, and i can't remember the new one - or maybe I'm just hiding

I can't really believe that by the time the steam gets out of the nozzle it is really superheated, think the idea is that it should be drier than a standard carpet or wallpaper steamer.
All the same the idea is to keep the flow of steam moving constantly so that it doesn't damage the polystyrene.

Immersing and weighing down in a shallow tepid bath maybe a way to go - any idea on how long for - think we have 8 poly nuc boxes and a short memory, its just getting that feeder bit clean - we have comb and propolis mixed in with slugs and dirt on some, and no point sterilising before cleaning.

 

[GoEnviro]

Good news then
So no need for the hot water- just a long cold soak in soda crystals followed by another in bleach in a plastic tub - thought there was meant to be more to it than that.

 

[BeeJayBee]

I can't really believe that by the time the steam gets out of the nozzle it is really superheated

It isn't the hot steam, it's the steam jet forcing itself between the individual polysytrene granules and starting to break up the surface.

As the others have said, get a big and deep plastic container (some people use wheely bins) and fill it with a warm (hot as your hands can stand) solution of washing soda. You could use the bath, but it takes a lot of cleaning afterwards.

Put the nuc in the solution and weigh it down to keep it below the surface - you may need a couple of bricks. Leave for as long as needed, until the wax and propolis is softened and can be easily removed.

The side feeder - maybe an old toothrush fastened to a stick? Or block off the feeder completely, so the bees can't use it.

Once you've cleaned off all the surface stuff you can submerge the nuc in a bleach solution for 20 minutes.

Washing soda solution can be safely tipped down the drain, but not the rainwater one.

 

[Finman]

Should mention that I have the opportunity of steam cleaning using a cimex eradicator (that I can not post link to - strange, thought I had more than 10 posts here, thought it was more like 50, no matter) that supplies an overheated dry steam up to 180°

Danish professionals hire effective steam apparatuses and clean masses of boxes. So said our 1000 hive owner when I asked.
Biggest thing is wax and propolis.

If you have difficult diseases like AFB, then you need chemicals.

But polybox does not stand pressure cleaner force. It brakes the surface in a second.

.

 

[Finman]

.
What I do this week.... I have 50 litre stainless steel pot, what I heat with wood fire.
I use 3% lye water. when solution is almost 100C, I pour side by side the box surface that wax and resins melts away. The lye transforms melted wax to soap, and it does not attach any more onto box.

After that I boil 200 of hundred frames in that same stuff.

If solution has too much soap foam on water surface, I add lye. Frames are in 8 frames bunches and I dip them into boiling lyewater. I do the job outside.

 

[charlievictorbravo]

Lye is quite difficult to come by in the UK.

Here's what Wikipedia has to say about its safety considerations:

Hazardous reactions

The major of safety concerns with lye are also common with most corrosives, such as their potentially destructive effects on living tissues; examples are the skin, flesh, and the cornea. Solutions containing lyes can cause chemical burns, permanent injuries, scarring and blindness, immediately upon contact. Lyes may be harmful or even fatal if swallowed; ingestion can cause esophageal stricture. Moreover, the solvation of dry solid lyes is highly exothermic; the resulting heat may cause additional burns or ignite flammables.

Used as a 3% solution as suggested by Finman may well be safe but people should be aware of its potential to cause harm.

CVB

 

[Itchy]

I'm using the farm steam cleaner, set to 100 degrees, paying a nipper clean all my gear - 20+ poly nucs. No diseases, so no great problem. One thing I WILL be doing is smearing Vaseline on all joints. The bees glue them and they become inseparable.

 

[Hivemaker.]

Lye is quite difficult to come by in the UK.

"Lye" is commonly the alternative name of sodium hydroxide (NaOH) or historically potassium hydroxide (KOH).

Alternatively NaOH, caustic is really easy to get hold of, by the bucket or sack load if required, commonly used as oven cleaner, drain cleaner, to mix in with methanol when making bio diesel, soap making and umpteen other uses.

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

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

 

[Finman]

Lye is quite difficult to come by in the UK.

Here's what Wikipedia has to say

Used as a 3% solution as suggested by Finman may well be safe but people should be aware of its potential to cause harm.

CVB

You know Charley, you can kill yourself with pure water, when you pour 50 litre boiling water on your legs.

My mother " boiled white laundry" every month with lye solution 60 years ago. He dried up bed sheets and shirts in -20C frost weather. Somebody surely find from Wikipedia that loundring in -20C is dangerous.

I have a 25 kg sack of NaOH, and it reads in plastic "NaOH for beekeeping"