Helping The Honeybees---6

Once or twice a year one can clean the hive boxes and "sterilize" them. Clean hive boxes are a good idea to help your colony stay healthy and prevent the spread of sickness.

The process here includes first a caustic soda bath with a scrub. When the boxes have dried, then I paint the inside of them with a solution of propolis and methylated spirits.

It is this solution that I want to talk about. My mentor taught me the process whereby I make this solution. Propolis is a natural and powerful killer of bacteria and fungus. The bees produce this in order to close gaps in the hives to make loose things fast...like comb frames, tops and so forth.
The methylated spirits add to this and help to break-down the hard bits of propolis so that it can become fluid-like. Propolis on its own is sticky at room temp and very brittle when cold.
When I clean my hive parts I scrape this off and collect it in a container for the purpose of making this solution.

What is needed?
---An amount of collected propolis
---A bottle of methylated spirits
---An old panty hose leg
---An clean glass jar


Well then, the steps are simple:

---The first thing to do is to pour your collected propolis bits into a large jar


---Next you pour the methylated spirits in to fill the jar the rest of the way up


---Put the top on, label it and set aside. My mentor says that you can use it after two days, but he usually leaves it for months rather than days.


Every few days you need to open the jar and stir the propolis debris thoroughly.

Right then, that is the making of the solution, or step one, you could say. When you are ready to do step two. I went over to my mentor's house for this, as he had a large garage. He was also willing to do the pouring so that I could take pictures.

---What you need is a funnel, a funnel-holder, the pantihose...and time.

---Once the panty hose has been stretched over the funnel, you place the empty jar under it and then pour the solution onto the pantihose.


---It drips slowly through the sieve, so you do not rush it. As time goes by, the prut builds-up. It looks like coffee grounds.


When you have poured the last of the fluid and prut into the pantihose, you leave it for some hours to let the last drip drip into the jar.


You are then finished with the processing of the propolis solution. The solution can be saved for several years, and you use it, as you need it.


It is easy to use. You simply apply it with a brush to the surfaces that you want to clean. Here the inside of a hive box.


My mentor's ideas concerning beehive hygiene have stuck with me and I like doing the work for my ladies.
The propolis is a really good substance (if you are not allergic to it), and is used for sterilization in other circumstances he claims, such as infected wounds and in products like lip balm. I use it for the supers and brood boxes only, however.
Aside from this, I just like the smell of it.

 

Interesting S. I don't do this nor have I seen it before. Do you do this for your boxes that are previously used or do you do this because you are cleaning for the bees? (Does this make sense?) I don't buy used wooden ware for my bees due to the risk of diseases and unless I have a problem in a hive I leave the boxes just scraped. If I were to have foul brood (which I hope to never see again) I would burn the hive...bees and all, which I unfortunately had to do one time....painful.

 

Very interesting Sjoerd! I will pass this on to my beekeeper friends.

 

CAROLYN--You asked if I did this for for boxes previously used by my colonies or for newly acquired boxes from strangers. I only use this technique for the cleaning of my own boxes. I like to give my bees a clean box in the spring. I do not buy or use boxes from other people (except my mentor)...ever. I get my boxes from my mentor for half the price of a new one. I feel comfortable doing this for two reasons. First, because I work with him to help him do his bee things, and so I know exactly what he does and has or does not have in terms of illnesses or parasites. Here is a foto of the last time we cleaned hives together. I still help him with things as he is becoming older now.



Secondly, my mentor has had formal training in all the aspects of beekeeping. He had studied for and gotten diploma's for everything that there is to get in the beekeeping profession. I trust his knowledge and I know him to be a meticulous man in his work.
I completely agree with you about not trusting an unknown hive box. The unknown Hx is enough to not let me take a chance. I err on the side of caution, so to speak.
When it comes to foulbrood and other diseases in that category: We must, by law, report this illness when discovered in our hives and destroy the hive boxes. (I would do the latter even if it was not required). I hope that I never discover one of those terrible illnesses.
Well C, I do find this a simple and very efficient way to clean the boxes in order to offer the girls a clean house at the beginning of each season. I am, after all...simply their custodian and feel obliged to offer them the best care that I can.

CAYUGA--hiyas miss. Thanks for reading the thread. I am glad that you found it interesting and honoured that you would want to pass the info along to your beekeeping friends. That is nice.

 

Thanks S, I bought my first hive from an acquaintance and it had foul brood in it. HIGHLY depressing. We have a "bee inspector" who is employed by the state and is supposed to inspect out hives once a year. That is how I discovered I had it as I was a new bee keeper and had only one hive (nothing to compare it to) and when he told me I had to burn everything I could have cried. That was 15 years ago and I have never seen it since then. My last state inspector I kicked off my property. He put on USED nitrile gloves. They had propolis and junk stuck to them and as an inspector they are required to inspect with their bare hands, then he rolled the frames of bees as he was putting the frame back in and I got stung. So every year when my renewel letter comes (we are required to be registered with the state if we have bees) I write "Mr. Yoder is not allowed on my property. If he is the inspector I do not consent to the inspection".

 

Interesting story, Carolyn. Yoder. That sounds like a Mennonite name. Hmmm. Well, yes, I would have been broken-hearted were I in your situation with that first hive. As for the lack of hygiene with the inspector....well, do I really have to comment. --Totally unacceptable. That man would never set foot on my property again under any circumstances. You are 100% correct in your standpoint.
I just shake my head...how can an inspector (of all things) NOT be acutely aware of the hygiene issue?

I mean, how would he feel if when he went to the dentist the DDS would go into his mouth with unwashed hands and instruments. Eh? He might have an objection, ja?

 

Hey S, That is some pile of boxes. I didn't have that load the last time I read this. And mr Yoder was Amish who "left the faith" be "english" Here the Amish refer to the rest of us as "english" no matter what you are. The only thing I knew about him was I didn't want him to come back. Your dentist analogy was spot on.

 

Oh, Carolyn, how sad about your first hive. We have been offered used woodenware, and politely declined. My husband cleans the supers before adding them to the hives, but we let the bees take care of their own housekeeping!
We've never seen a state inspector, although there are vague rumors Texas has one. I think he hangs around Texas A&M. However, if one ever shows up I'll spray him down and spruce him up before he gets near our girls!

 

Reading this thread has been extremely informative. I've never thought about keeping bees before. It sounds very involved and intense.

 

V, beekeeping is more than a hobby, it is almost a vocation. After you find out how a bee colony works, and how each bee has a "job," and how to care for the bees (who pretty much can do most of it on their own),and you provide predator protection and a decent hive and supers, you realize what a wonderful thing a bee colony is!
The honey ain't bad, either!

 

Glad you liked the posting, V--Beekeeping is an extremely interesting and (in this time of serious plight of bees)--necessary. MG is so correct when she says that it is a bit complicated and more of a vocation than a whimsical hobby. Beekeeping,in my opinion,is something that gardening folks should at least consider. The internet is full of info and there are introductory courses that one can take to help them get started (or to let one know that it is NOT something for them). I would recommend that.
MG and Carolyn are quite experienced and knowledgeable beekeepers.

EILEEN--I am so delighted that you liked this posting. That you are going to save it. Wow! What an honour. I do hope that you get your bees one day. You know, there is a type of bee that was developed in the Buckfast Abby over on your island originally. They would be good ones to begin with, as they are very peaceful and non-aggressive. These are the type that I have.

 

People need to be more educated about bees here because almost 90% of them would either run away when they see a bee or kill it. I guess my wish to keep bees would always be a dream ... SIGH...

 

Truely, KK. I find a vast majority of people don't know the difference between a wasp and a bee and most people say "It bit me" when they don't bite. Their fear of them doesn't make sense to me, unless they are allergic to them.