What to do with nosema affected woodenware

[rmdial]

I have lost several hives this winter that seem to be caused by nosema apis. I know there is no definite cause unless I get it tested. But from everything I know, it looks like nosema. In my research I cannot find any information on how to handle the frames and their contents that are soiled. I have cleaned the top bars with my hive tool as much as possible but I know the spores with still remain to some degree. Do I just put them away and wait for warmer dryer weather and add them back to hives or use for splits? Don't want to kill more hives with recycled spores. Also, any input on best way to prevent it?

Thanks in advance

Soapy

[beepro]

As long as the spores are present your bees will get them if they are weaken by other means. I like to compare them like having cancers. It is possible to be completely clean but there is a chance in a few years that the disease is back again. Some do but some don't. I have seen too common that they do appear again. So use at your own risk. If it were me I would not keep any wooden ware that is infected with diseases.
This is so just to be on the safer side of not killing any more of my expensive bees. Unlike the traditional hive frames the top bar frame is easy to make. When you have strong hives then they can rebuild within one season for the combs. But if they got the same disease to weaken the hive then they cannot rebuild anymore. Dead bees do not rebuild at all. I'm not trying to convince you of what to do next. But just trying to see the logic of taking the risk on reusing the wooden wares here. Hope you understand my points here.

[indypartridge]

If it were me I would not keep any wooden ware that is infected with diseases.

While this is a perfectly reasonable response, I'll simply add that if it were me, I'd re-use the equipment unless it was really fouled up, showing signs of extensive dysentery. Randy Oliver has done some testing that has shown that while spores do remain on comb, they tend to be a levels which are not particularly worrisome (http://scientificbeekeeping.com/nose...about-nothing/).

[camero7]

I'd mist the wood with a bleach solution and put them back to work.

[Hawkster]

Beepro your profile says you are a first year beekeeper but you seem to have strong opinions you freely share . Don't you think more experience would validate your ideas prior to sharing them as advice?

[FlowerPlanter]

>I have lost several hives this winter that seem to be caused by nosema apis.
Send your bees for testing, you need to know for sure

>I'd mist the wood with a bleach solution and put them back to work.

[brooksbeefarm]

JMHO, scrape poop off frames,mix one bleach jug lid of bleach to a gallon of water and spray the each frame, then set out in direct sun to dry. I've read that direct sun light will kill the spores.

[NewJoe]

How about freezing? Will that kill the spores?

[heaflaw]

If you google Nosema, there is a study finding that 2 hours in sunlight destroys 90% of the spores.

[camero7]

How about freezing? Will that kill the spores?

Freezing will kill ceranae but not apis

[Bush_84]

JMHO, scrape poop off frames,mix one bleach jug lid of bleach to a gallon of water and spray the each frame, then set out in direct sun to dry. I've read that direct sun light will kill the spores.

Might be a stupid question, but do you spray everything including the combs or just the wooden parts of the hive?

[camero7]

I spray the combs and the wood.

[beepro]

Hawkster, opinion is just an opinion. I like beesource a lot. Learning from other more experienced that even money cannot buy. For any advice taken on open forum will have the consequences. We all should be able to voice our ideas here. That is why this is a great forum to learn from. If an idea or opinion do not fit any situation then we can disregard them. No need to implement any. Many time I am wrong. Then many times I am also correct. I'm always thankful that in my short time of beeing a bee keeper I have learned a lot from people here. My learning curve cut very short compare to when I was by myself learning from my own mistakes. I had made many and still do. But learning and evolving very quickly. I learn from others as well as my own mistakes. Sometimes very stupid mistakes that I had never thought of before like making queen cells on plastic foundation, etc. Yup, still learning as I am very new. Thanks for the good compliment so I can improve myself more. The more I learn the more I feel like don't know that much. Still growing though.

[Hawkster]

I couldn't agree more that everyone should be able to voice their opinion, just be careful how you do that so it doesn't appear you are speaking from experience. people come here to get advice from beekeepers and not necessarily from others with as little or less experience then themselves. I have been keeping for 5 years and still don't feel qualified to voice more than the occasional opinion because i would hate to steer anyone in the wrong direction. no more on this thread since it is wildly off topic

[jeremygrenon]

I totally agree! I have been a big proponent of breeding queens (now I buy them) that have resistance to nosema --I have found that the be an ultimate solution to nosema issues. I'd make note of the hive that had nosema and look at requeening those with nosema. Here in VT there are some great queen breeders--and they look at nosema as a genetic predisposition to the disease.

[brooksbeefarm]

Most things in beekeeping is trail and error, and very little is absolute, i started beekeeping in 1965 and i'm still learning. Bush 84, yes , i spray frames, comb, and inside of the hive bodies, then set out in direct sunlight.

[juzzerbee]

I am in a similar boat. I am fairly sure dysentery may have been going on over the past winter in my now dead hive. There are brown streaks in many areas of the hive and frames but not to the extent I have seen others to have(there is not much of it on the outside of my hive bodies).

How can I know for sure or have a good idea if Nosema is to blame and if, is still present in the now empty hive? Could it be coincidence that they just died from dysentery or some other reason and have fecal matter all over? I have heard of sending bees to get tested but my new packages of bees will be here in less than 2 weeks and I would like to use this hive if possible, so I might not get results back in time anyway.

I am considering trying the diluted bleach solution on all frames, hive bodies and drawn comb, but I am a bit fearful since there is still capped, uncapped honey and pollen stored in the comb.

I will probably also put everything in the sunlight as well, just to be as safe as possible. I might be getting too technical here but, do you think it needs to be a certain temperature out or not a cloud in the sky kind of day? Would placing them on my roof be even better to really draw the sunlight and heat? Should each frame be flipped after 2 hours to make sure both sides get 2 hours of UV time? Thanks, juzzer

rmdial- sorry to step in on your thread but I am hoping all of us could benefit from any and all answers.

[beepro]

I am thinking if the UV blue light will kill the spores as well if under intensive treatment?
It helps with treating aquarium water before releasing back to the tank. Maybe this is
a good question to ask on the forum here.

[Luterra]

I did the bleach treatment last year and then aired out the frames for two weeks. The frames took on a "bleached" odor that didn't dissipate until I added bees, so I wasn't entirely happy with that. Bees did fine though.

[David Cassity]

I went to bee school today. 10% bleach solution on woodenware after removing mess. Rinse with water let dry in sun. While frames can be done this way. Consider cost vs effort. Cold will reduce spores counts. I have no personal experience but I'm parroting what I was told today.