sulphur strips and disinfection

[drex]

Thinking of obtaining some from TH******. I can find little consistent info on what it will kill. Consensus seems to be for use against wax moth and Dave Cushman mentions Acarine. Any use against nosema and foul brood spores?

It seems cleaner to use than Acetic acid and easier to get.

Worried that some may just sublimate rather than burn to produce sulphur dioxide, and end up just contaminating frames.

 

[Hivemaker.]

Kills all stages of wax moth i know that much,as its all i use,and not the strips but yellow sulphur powder or granules.
I'm positive it would kill acarine as well if you burn it in a beehive as for fumigating combs,but it would also kill every bee in the hive, as acarine lives in the bees trachea. There was an old way of adding a tiny bit to the smoker for doing this,but they also tried burning creosote to do the same job...not good.
Also helps prevent pollen going mouldy in the combs.

 

[drex]

My local garden centre sells tins of sulphur powder to fumigate greenhouses. Could I use the sulphur from that? How much do you use and how do you get it to burn?

 

[Hivemaker.]

My local garden centre sells tins of sulphur powder to fumigate greenhouses. Could I use the sulphur from that? How much do you use and how do you get it to burn?

Yes thats the sulphur to use, either use in a fume box or small room,or make a stack of say six or seven box's of combs, with an empty brood box on top,then make a small mesh trivet,place a small piece of newspaper on this with a teaspoon of sulphur on,light edge of paper and the sulphur will burn with a small blue flame when it ignites,seal the top box and leave until next day,then store away in a moth proof place.

 

[itma]

...
Worried that some may just sublimate rather than burn to produce sulphur dioxide, and end up just contaminating frames.

If you are bothered about the sulphur, wouldn't freezing the frames, for a few days each, have less possible downside?


I can see how fumigation would be quicker with a vast quantity of frames, but perhaps freezing is easier if its only a small quantity.

 

[drex]

My life would be hell if I put " those things" in her freezer!

 

[Jonathan]

Sorry to resurrect this after so long but have searched to no avail. Would Flowers of Sulphur also be ok to use?

 

[oliver90owner]

Yes.

 

[victor meldrew]

Kills all stages of wax moth i know that much,as its all i use,and not the strips but yellow sulphur powder or granules.
I'm positive it would kill acarine as well if you burn it in a beehive as for fumigating combs,but it would also kill every bee in the hive, as acarine lives in the bees trachea. There was an old way of adding a tiny bit to the smoker for doing this,but they also tried burning creosote to do the same job...not good.
Also helps prevent pollen going mouldy in the combs.

I used to dust Dahlia tubers with green sulphur before storage .
I use acetic acid on stored supers (no hurry to remove it since changing over to unwired foundation ) thanx Pete.
VM