# Hardware cloth toxic?



## beepro (Dec 31, 2012)

You can cut up a plastic QE for this purpose. If you are worry about the
toxic on the cloth then coat it with the food grade epoxy first like the one they coat the honey
extractor frame wire basket with.


----------



## Phoebee (Jan 29, 2014)

Hardware cloth is generally hot-dipped galvanized, which means it is coated with zinc.

Zinc is biologically active. If humans don't get enough, their hair falls out. On the other hand, it is toxic in very low concentrations to some marine organisms, including some migratory game fish. I recall a lab experiment I participated in where we were to study the uptake of radioactive zinc in a salt water aquarium. The radioactivity didn't harm the organisms because the zinc killed them outright with toxicity.

There are some studies showing that zinc oxide can have adverse affects on honeybees. 

Its probably best not to introduce it into their food. Mouse guards and screened bottom boards seem to be OK.


----------



## Tenbears (May 15, 2012)

Not refuting any of the above. But I have use hardware cloth to keep bees from drowning in my top feeder for decades. I hit fall with in excess of 100 hives So I tend to think the potential danger is either minimal. or I am one lucky son of a gun.


----------



## wildbranch2007 (Dec 3, 2008)

from a post on bee-l about using hardware cloth, especially in pollen traps.



> Correct, and zinc sheds into the pollen. Early extractors were also zinc, and they have been phased out in favor of stainless steel. When studying heavy metal pollution, we used plastic grids to collect pollen.
> 
> 
> J.J. Bromenshenk
> ...


http://community.lsoft.com/scripts/wa-LSOFTDONATIONS.exe?A2=ind1611&L=bee-l&F=&S=&P=76

it also seems to make a difference in which country it was manufactured.

http://community.lsoft.com/scripts/wa-LSOFTDONATIONS.exe?A2=ind1611&L=bee-l&F=&S=&P=1345



> The first galvanize coatings contained as much as 1% lead. Increasingly over the past 50 years, the presence of such high lead levels has become less and less common in galvanized steel sheet, at least in North America, Europe, and Japan. Typical concentrations of lead in most hot-dip galvanized sheet made up to about 25 years ago was usually less than 0.15%, and sometimes as low as 0.03 to 0.05%. Even this lower amount of lead is still sufficient to develop the dendritic growth behaviour during coating solidification that results in a spangle.


----------



## Vance G (Jan 6, 2011)

Hardware cloth in my feeders doesn't seem to be lethal. Water is toxic if you drink too much or can't breathe because its too deep. You won't notice the difference whatever you do.


----------



## Original Cookie (Aug 23, 2015)

Thank you everyone. I feel much better and Im not going to worry about it. I'll put paper under my candy which will keep it from leaching into the food,.


----------



## Ravenseye (Apr 2, 2006)

Original Cookie said:


> Thank you everyone. I feel much better and Im not going to worry about it. I'll put paper under my candy which will keep it from leaching into the food,.


Good solution!


----------

