ozone sterilization

[betterbee]

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1746832062281661&set=p.1746832062281661&type=3&theater this is the setup used he seems to use the ozone to reduce remove pollutants from the combs
credit richard bitter

 

[Softley]

Now that seems much more useful. Seems to beat acetic acid

I agree.

 

[Softley]

Lots
CB is bleach cleaner.
Spray, scrub(carefully) with a dish brush leave for half an hour and rinse.
Saves lots of time

Depends which one you use, I suppose. Seems daft paying a premium for a brand name If it's just bleach. I'd much prefer not to put any chemical in a bee hive (hard or soft), but we do because we want to look after bees. I don't like bleach because it leaves a nasty smell. If it's leaving a smell, it would be logical to assume it's also leaving other nasties.

 

[Herbalist]

Ozone Gas Chamber

Depends which one you use, I suppose. Seems daft paying a premium for a brand name If it's just bleach. I'd much prefer not to put any chemical in a bee hive (hard or soft), but we do because we want to look after bees. I don't like bleach because it leaves a nasty smell. If it's leaving a smell, it would be logical to assume it's also leaving other nasties.

I must agree with Softley. I am very reluctant to use chemicals anywhere in my hives. If I can I will attach a picture of how I use ozone to sterilise equipment. If it works this is a picture of my rather simple set-up. I have an ozone generator (I used to grow medicinal fungus and had to sterilise the spawn). You can buy these on Ebay for small mounts of money.
I am here sterilising a miller feeder. I cut a piece of 6mm plywood to the size of the top of the feeder and taped it in place with duct tape. I glued an access block of wood in the middle and drilled through it and the plywood with a 6mm drill. I then glued in position an attachement nipple (air-line from an aquarium shop) as an attachement for the hose from the ozone generator. The white triangualr thing is the generator. Lastly I duct-taped off the bee-access holes underneath and then set the generator going to pump neat ozone into the miller feeder.
My wife asked what I was doing on the kitchen table. I told her (with absolute honesty) that I was building a poison gas chamber. The response was spectacular but unfortunately I do not have a video of it.....
I pumped ozone in for an hour. Even with the best sealing that I could acheive it was a bit stinky. There is absolutely nothing left alive in there. The decay half life of ozone is 30mins, so by the time it is used it will have completely gone with no chemical residue. This method can be extended to brood boxes, frames and anything else you want to seal inside.

 

[Hivemaker.]

There is absolutely nothing left alive in there.

What was alive in the feeder before, what disease have your bees transmitted into the feeder.

 

[Finman]

.
First of all diseases are in bees and the combs, where bees live just now.

And it is better to identify, what diseases.

Some insist, that I have all diseases, when I sell last drop of honey
Diseases do not become from lack of honey. So, diseases should go away, when you feed honey to bees.

So, first analyze what is the disease on your hive and then look from internet, how can you heal it.

I have not seen that ozone would be a way to get ridd of something in beehives.

 

[DanBee]

Interesting method. I'm guessing you wouldn't really want to do this on the kitchen table for any quantity of boxes (more likelihood of leaks) or any greater duration. Why this rather than acetic/ethanoic acid fumigation, particularly if you don't already have an ozone generator, or the inclination to make/source one?

Equipment requirements are: some cotton wool sheet, old polythene sheet, the acid itself, and somewhere outside to stand the stack of equipment whilst it happens. Scales nicely - add a pad and acid for each box added - and the safety precautions are straightforward. No requirement for electricity, works well even in damp or cool conditions.

Both methods rely on diligent scraping-down beforehand to be effective. Both methods share corrosion issues and fumes unpleasant/dangerous to humans.

Swarms will commonly move into a stack of ventilating equipment fresh out of acetic fumigation, even before residual 'salt & vinegar' smell has dispersed.

 

[DanBee]

What was alive in the feeder before, what disease have your bees transmitted into the feeder.

Is there a risk of over-sanitising (with any method of cleaning) if no known nasties are present?

The other issue being - what have you lost that was beneficial to the bees? We do not really understand the other hive fauna or the roles they might play in a hive or nest cavity as a contained environment. We do know that scavengers were lost with the switch from solid floors to OMF.