[LarryBud]

I picked up some used top feeders and wanted to know if I'm cleaning them up right. They are the Mann Lake 4.5 gallon feeders that I picked up reasonably which are the same type I used last spring with good success. They had some black mold and dead bees along with the concern of other potential diseases, I took them to my garage (not the same property as my hives), sprayed them down with 50-50 bleach-water and after a while sprayed them down and removed the HDPE tanks and screens. I rinsed out the tanks with hot soapy water and removes any burr comb but the wood supers still had a little black mold staining. I left them at the garage for a week or so and brought them home and sanded down the inside and out, removing (almost) all of the black mold stains remaining. I also threw away the screens after measuring them as I had earlier bought a 50 ft role of No 8 HW cloth for another hive project. There was a heck of a lot of paint on the outside but I did take it down a good deal with wood exposed now. Question is should I finish them with a wood bleach or am I showing I have too much time on my hands and overthinking?

 

[Vance G]

Lots of bleach on plastic. A touch of flame to wood wounds all heels.

 

[JWPalmer]

What Vance said, and yes, you have waaaaay too much time on your hands. After all that work, are you sure you would not have been better off buying new?

 

[LarryBud]

Yeah, I'm learning but $10 vs $32 was tempting...

 

[Honeyeater]

Lots of bleach on plastic.

Just keep in mind that AFB spores embedded in wax will not be affected with bleach. Wax seals them from bleach and can survive decades.