# Ultraviolet Sterilization of Bees ?



## Watchdog2020 (May 6, 2010)

Almost afraid to ask this because it either the stupidest or most brilliant idea ever. Build a box similar to a pollen trap that fits in front of the entrance and makes the bees go through a short 'maze', so it takes them a few seconds to enter the hive. Along the ‘maze’ have a series of UV lights (solar cell driven). UV-C penetrates the outer membrane of bacteria, yeasts, molds and viruses and virtually kills them. I’m not sure what the effect on mites (or the bees)would be but you would be essentially sterilizing everyone before they entered so they didn’t drag in bad spores etc. with them. Would this work?

Ok, did I make a fool of myself or give someone a multimillion dollar idea?


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## Duboisi (Oct 7, 2009)

It might be a good idea, but I think the bees would be affected aswell, and get their lifespan greatly reduced.

AFAIK The bees can see UV radiation, and use it to find flowers etc. Going trough a UV-sterilizer might be a little too much for them.


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## WoolheaterFarms (Jan 20, 2010)

Duboisi is right about the UV light, it may be blindingly bright for them. Also, most of the viruses and bacteria you'd be worried about are in the mites that hop from bee to bee. By the time the bees are walking through the maze, the pathogens you want to kill are protected by being in the bees and/or mites. UV light has very low penetration, as in close to zero, so I suspect it won't provide much benefit.


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## Omie (Nov 10, 2009)

Like antibiotics, sterilization of bees would also kill all the good microbes and bacteria that are necessary for the bees to stay healthy. Bees weren't meant to be sterile.
Hmm...Maybe just get plastic bees? :lookout:


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## Bens-Bees (Sep 18, 2008)

Try it on one hive and see how well it works. Theorizing is great, but you never really know until you try. You can get UV sterilizers for fish tanks... use one of those to try it with and see what happens.


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## criscojohn (Sep 11, 2010)

Again, by no means am I an expert in any way, but I'd like to add my 2 cents. The UV sterilizers for fish tanks are embedded in the water line, not over the tank to 'radiate' the fish. They kill algae and pathogens as the water circulates. In no way does the UV light contact the fish. It would kill or harm them. UV light is a form of radiation. Same as with outdoor fish ponds. I have 2 UV lights in the skimmer box, away from eyes and fish. It works on the water as it circulates through. I don't know what UV light would do to bees, but if they see in the ultraviolet then I guess it wouldn't be too good.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

Most of the 8,000 identified microorganisms in a hive are part of the natural order. Many are absolutely necessary to crowd out the pathogens and or balance them. Many are absolutely necessary to ferment the pollen to make it digestible. Bees cannot exist without microorganisms and you are plotting how to kill them all?


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## Rick 1456 (Jun 22, 2010)

WD,,,, If it were not for people thinking "outside" the box, where would we be? Some work,,,some don't. Stay outside the box,,,you're not alone
BTW On a humorous note,,,,I think the money would be in the UV glasses for the bees to wear


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## db_land (Aug 29, 2003)

Hey Watchdog,
The "good" organisms already in the hive won't be affected and will quickly re-infect the freshly dis-infected bees coming into the hive. So only "bad" organisms not already in the hive will get terminated at the entrance. Assumming the treatment doesn't harm the bees, but might be more than the much smaller mites can stand, I think it's worth a try. A few simple experiments to determine the effect on bees (and mites and hive-beetles) when exposed to a few seconds of UV would be interesting. Please post what you find out.


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## Watchdog2020 (May 6, 2010)

Thanks everyone. I ordered a UV-C flashlight and thought I'd make a simple little box that a only covered 1/4 of the entrance. Will be interesting to see if they go through the light or avoid it. If they go through I was going to do 2 hour samples on and off and see if there are mite drops etc.


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## Rick 1456 (Jun 22, 2010)

WD2020
Ultra violet might affect the mites,,,,but many insects,,,,good and bad, will come to that light especially at night. Your box idea might be the answer to keep it out of view. sounds cool. A "black" light is ultraviolet,,,,,old hippie here,,,,is that what you are going to use>>
Good luck


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

The field bees are the ones that inoculate the pollen so that it will ferment. They need those microorganisms in order to do so. The house bees are not the ones that inoculate the pollen. Pollen actually starts the process while still outside the hive... and you are going to sterilize it on it's way in...


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## KeithC (Jun 15, 2010)

do the research on the effect of UV light on humans... i pretty sure it causes sun burn to ppl and any thing you get with UV light in it, the instruction say do not look into the light for it will burn your eyes kinda like looking at someone welding


with that said the HVAC (heating,ventilating,air conditioning) industry has some nice little UV units that fit in a box


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## RiodeLobo (Oct 11, 2010)

Watchdog,

Any results from your experiment?


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## Jonathan Hofer (Aug 10, 2005)

In connection to this thread, and in the spirit of the original poster that was courageous enough to venture forth with an "idea", here's something else that I would like to know more about. 

(Please note that I know very little about using UltraViolet light)

Some recent nosema sterilization methods that have been discussed in other threads on this forum have mentioned setting the frames in the sun where the UV will kill up to 90% of the spores. How would/could I go about setting up something where I could pass the frames by the UV light and get the killing effect without putting the frames in the sun? These frames would be from the winter dead-outs.

Is there a particular light that would be needed? 

How long would the frames have to be exposed to the light? 


Thanks,

JH


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## JRG13 (May 11, 2012)

the light would generate a lot of heat and will fry your bees. A blacklight is uv, but it's not the correct wavelength to sterilize stuff.


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## cerezha (Oct 11, 2011)

UV itself will hot heat anything, it is cold. "Black light" is not real UV, it's "near-UV"... The problem with UV sterilization is that it works only "in direct light". UV do not penetrate, so anything in the shade would not be affected by UV. Similarly, the wax itself (especially old dark one) will work as a shield. UV also is a mutagen and carcinogen. I would imagine that UV would attract bees - similarly as fluorescent bulbs attract bees (there is some UV "escaped" from fluorescent bulbs). UV kills in two ways: damaged the DNA (thus mutagenic effect) and by creating super aggressive chemical species by decomposing the water, which damaged the content of the cell. Spores contains very little water and therefore are not affected much by UV. UV must be really strong to kill spores.


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