# Sterilizing Hives?



## Gene Weitzel (Dec 6, 2005)

If the equipment has been in an environment where it has been exposed to significant freezing temperatures this winter, then it would probably eliminate any wax moth/SHB concerns for the near future. Fumigation with acetic acid has been shown to be effective in eliminating Nosema spores from hive equipment (the procedure has been discussed on this board before, so try searching on acetic acid to find it).

If you have reasons to suspect any type of exposure of the equipment to AFB I personally would pass on the equipment.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

Assuming he is trustworthy and assures you there was no AFB, I'd just use the equipment.


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## Jeffzhear (Dec 2, 2006)

If it were me, I would take my Northern Tool Propane blow torch and scorch the boxes, covers and bottom boards to reduce the probability of AFB and burn the frames, unless it was someone I could really trust.


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## Joel (Mar 3, 2005)

"Assuming he is trustworthy"

Sometimes trustworthy is trumped by honest mistakes or haste. 

I have a friend who her 2nd year in beekeeping bought 2 hives (live) and 4 deadouts from an experianced beekeeper (20+yrs) with an excellent reputation. He was selling out due to age, failing eyesight and pressure from his wife. He had 2 live hives and 4 dead outs, stitting side by side in his yard coming into spring. Thje orginal owner had the state inspector come and inspect before the sale. After a couple of months she called me and said she was seeing something she did not recognize. Another experianced beekeeper and I spent a morning going through the hives. She had been infected, even new packages. We then looked through the deadouts she had purchased and there were frames which clearly had capped brood that was foulbrood kill. She had assumed the dead (perforated) capped brood was dead from starvation and had been hived some of her new package bees using some of these frames. Needless to say we spent the rest of the day burning hives and treating what was not infected.

A trustworthy beekeeper and a state inspector, that's about as trustworthy as it gets.

Anyone, including inspectors, can miss foulbrood in the early stages and in this case frames that seemed obvious to me to be infected with foulbrood. Buying equipment on the basis of reputation is a gamble because any one can be honestly wrong.

I've learned this lesson over the years and will never use a frame I did not buy. I would likely torch the boxes as Jeff reccommends but would certainly use them. You also have the option of boiling in lye (which I don't reccomend) or hot parafin dipping which has been discussed on posts here in detail and in the in depth New Zealand study on Foulbrood.


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## Chicomon (Mar 30, 2015)

Waiting on a package right now to start a second hive--would it be safe to use bleach to sterilize and remove mold from an older hive's components for a new colony?
Thanks

Chico


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## Agis Apiaries (Jul 22, 2014)

How bad is the mold? If it's not that much, the bees will clean it up themselves. I'd be leery about putting bleach into a hive. Might be hard to get the smell out and your new bees might not want to stick around.

Anyone else have experience with that?


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