Cleaning Hives???

[Debee]

I just bought two hives......I know nothing about bee keeping but am willing to learn!!
My first question(there may be alot of them),is how do I go about cleaning these. I only have the hive boxes and frames. They
don`t look like they have been used for awhile. Any suggestions? thanks!

[Clayton]

Hi,

Could you elaborate more on their condition? Do they need painting? Are the combs OK? Or do they need replacing? More info please!

Clay

[Robert Brenchley]

If you have empty hives then it might be safest to burn any frames or comb, and give the boxes a scorching with a gas torch, just to be on the safe side. It might sound destructive but it's better than inheriting disease.

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Regards,

Robert Brenchley

RSBrenchley@aol.com
Birmingham UK

[Debee]

There are no combs.........just frames and hive boxes?.....they don`t look like they have been used for quite awhile.....does this help?

[Robert Brenchley]

If the frames have been used before I'd get rid of them, but the hives should be OK. I'd still go over them with a flame myself, but then there's a difference between British practice and American here. In the UK, we deal with AFB by burning the bees, which may be over the top in a mild case. In America, most people treat routinely with antibiotic, so it isn't such an apparent threat. Trouble is, that messes up the natural bacterial flora of the hive, and nobody really knowws what efect that might have, and encourages resistant bacteria. If I were you, I should give the equipment a good scorching, and then you can put bees in it without worrying.

------------------
Regards,

Robert Brenchley

RSBrenchley@aol.com
Birmingham UK