What to do with a dead-out?

[Fred Bee]

Question...what do you do with a dead-out discovered this time of year? Please note that I am not asking the "why the bees died" question, so much as what to do with this hive that is still heavy with honey and has no bees? Thus it is more of an equipment usage question. I want to replenish this hive with bees as soon as feasible once the weather breaks in a few weeks. Perhaps with a split or a package. Your help is appreciated. What are your suggestions?

[RayMarler]

I would probably leave it until weather is nicer, then shake and brush it clean and set it back up in place to be used as bee season gets going.

[beekuk]

I normally put the brood box full of stores on top of another strong colony thats getting low on stores,as long as the previous occupants did not die from nosema or some other disease.Don't usually use any combs that may have brood in though.Other than that i do as the post above suggests,usually fumigate with acetic to kill any bugs or wax moth.

[Ravenseye]

When the weather gets decent, you can tear it down. Give honey back to other hives or store it for future use. Toss junky frames. Re-paint and repair as needed. Keep good comb and keep it safe from Spring wax moths. Get new bees in the spring and fill up your rejuvenated hive with them!

[LBEE]

In my area, I must be careful about mice entering the hive, if the entrance is large enough. You likely placed an entrance reducer on the hive last fall, but it is something to consider. I discovered when I was in beekeeping in my earlier days that a mouse can do a lot of damage, quickly. I would likely close up the hive and put it someplace where it was dry but too cold for the wax moths.

Larry Edwards

[brooksbeefarm]

All the above is good advise.The one big problem I have is, if I don't get my new bees before the temp. stays above 45 degees, wax moths become a big problem. I don't like to,but I find it necessary to store the dead outs with para moth crystals. Out of 50 hives I have lost 14 hives so far,that means I have around 30 to 40 empty supers of drawn comb,to valuable to take a chance on losing and to many to put in the freezer. Jack

[mike haney]

ok, i'll take one for the team and take it off your hands..:)

[Ravenseye]

You could spray with BT and then store in a light area if possible. BT will kill wax moth larvae. It won't stop the moth from laying eggs but it does prevent the damage done. It's a natural way to treat comb. Wax moths avoid light so cool, bright areas help mitigate their damage. I use a powder that Sundance sells here in the For Sale forum. You could do a search on BT or Certan or Aizawai for more information. I would use BT before crystals.

[beekuk]

I just stack box's with comb, wrap and fumigate with sulphur,one teaspoon will kill all stages of wax moth in a stack of about 10 box's.or a old chest freezer makes a good fume box. harmless to the bee's and very efficient.

[chillardbee]

I've always brought the deadouts inside where i can clean them then store them until I need them. If I have to leave them outside, then i would block the entrance to guard against mice. I've found moisture to be a problem too if I leave them outside, but then we do live on the wet (west) coast of BC.
We usually have no problems with wax moth. The only time I've seen any damage to comb is if they were stored in a building that prevent the temprature to get below zero and that being brood comb stored for 2 years.

[newbeemike]

I just stack box's with comb, wrap and fumigate with sulphur,one teaspoon will kill all stages of wax moth in a stack of about 10 box's.or a old chest freezer makes a good fume box. harmless to the bee's and very efficient.

How do you fumigate with sulfur? burn it?

[brooksbeefarm]

ok, i'll take one for the team and take it off your hands..:)

Ok Mike, set by the front door next week and look for the UPS truck.Their in the mail.:D:D

[beekuk]

Newbeemike. yes just place a teaspoon of sulphur powder on a small piece of news paper about 4'' square,place this on a small trivet,(raised frame of metal) and light the corner of the paper,i use a empty brood box on top of the stack as an eke, piece of ply or crown board on top with hole blocked.there will be nothing left alive after fumigation. E H Thornes the beekeeping supply company in uk sell special sulphur burners specially for this along with sulphur strips,but its much cheaper to just buy a can of sulphur and do it yourself. really avoid inhaling the fumes.

[HAB]

Sorry, a repost.

[Robin Bee]

I was able to get into my hives Friday since the weather was above 50 degrees and also found a deadout. My mentor told me to close it up. I did speak with another beekeeper and she suggested I put about 30 bees in alcohol and take a 2 inch by 2 inch piece of comb and send it off to the USDA/BARC bee lab in Beltsville, MD. The specimens were shipped off yesterday. I am a first year beekeeper and have two hives (now one) so I went through a grieving process. I did anticipate that I might lose one so, last Fall, I preordered a package through my local bee club.

[Fred Bee]

Thanks for the suggestions...my biggest worry when the weather starts to get warm this Spring is from wax moths...before I can do a split or get a package to put in the deadout hive. I could bring the hive into my storage barn, close it up and put a little PDB under the cover...but there is some honey in the brood frames. Will this be a concern if it I use PDB and then aireate and then just give back these frames with some honey still in them to the bees for them to consume this Spring prior to the main honey flow? The only time I have used PDB is on empty extracted frames of comb, for storage.