Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum
BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => DOWN UNDER BEEKEEPING => Topic started by: ncross on January 08, 2011, 03:47:13 am
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Hi,
I had a hive which was queenless and they expired. There was no disease or anything evident. However, the comb was old so I burnt it. I have just bought a heat gun to try to sterilise the gear before using it on another hive. Can you please tell me what temperature I should set the heat gun to effectively do the job please.
Thank you
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Nothing to sterilize...
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Hi Michael
Thanks for your reply. Ok, I presume you mean if there was no disease apparent then there is no need to run a heat gun over the hive?
My father used to tell me to use a blow torch on the second hand hives which we bought when I was in my teens. The logic was perhaps a little different we didn't know what stock had been in the hives but he thought that by doing this that we were making the hives safe from potential disease. I just bought a heat gun yesterday to attempt to do the same thing with this hive. You never know perhaps after it became weak it may have been robbed and who knows whether some unwanted fungus or disease or whatever may have found it's way into the hive even if there is no sign of it. I want to err on the side of caution.
If anybody uses a heat gun for such a purpose could you please advise me what temperature the gun should be used at in order to eradicate any potential unwanted things? The heat gun which I bought goes from 70 - 600 degrees celsius.
Thanks for any information or more opinions.
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This may sound strange but why not just bake it in the oven? Boiling kills most stuff so I would guess a good half hour in a preheated 400 degree oven should do the job!
I wonder if a used oven would work good for this? Has anyone ever thought of this? You could keep it in garage and move it out doors to do the job for fire safety reasons. You could do quite a few boxes in a day this way without all the pain of torching every crack and hoping you got all of it. And as long as you cut all comb out of frames you could keep them instead of burning them. I have read you just burn the frames cause its to big of a hassle but if you are baking them could you not save them too?
Maybe I need some more caffeine yet!
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This may sound strange but why not just bake it in the oven? Boiling kills most stuff so I would guess a good half hour in a preheated 400 degree oven should do the job!
I wonder if a used oven would work good for this? Has anyone ever thought of this? You could keep it in garage and move it out doors to do the job for fire safety reasons. You could do quite a few boxes in a day this way without all the pain of torching every crack and hoping you got all of it. And as long as you cut all comb out of frames you could keep them instead of burning them. I have read you just burn the frames cause its to big of a hassle but if you are baking them could you not save them too?
Maybe I need some more caffeine yet!
NOTE:
Wood will combust at about 250 to 300 degrees (120 to 150 Celsius) :camp:
BEE HAPPY Jim 134 :)
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You need to look at Irradiation
http://www.steritech.com.au/default.asp (http://www.steritech.com.au/default.asp) This one is as down under
http://massbee.org/component/content/article/8-news-item/11-irradition-program (http://massbee.org/component/content/article/8-news-item/11-irradition-program)
BEE HAPPY Jim 134 :)
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The sterilization issue would be AFB. If they are your hives and you don't think they died of any disease, let alone AFB, then there is nothing that needs to be sterilized.
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(http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys/smiley-signs009.gif) (http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys.php)
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Some interesting repies. From Michaels replies it sounds like there is no real need to be too concerned. I would imagine that with AFB there would be some pretty obvious signs left in the comb?
I kind of liked the simplicity of bee-nuts' oven idea if the temperature was kept below the combustion level of 120 Celsius. However, would that be effective in sterilisation? I would imagine that there would be issues with the exterior paint which is on the hive too?
How much does irradiation cost in Australia? I would imagine that it would be more cost effective to rebuild the hive. Does anybody have practical experience of this? I would imagine that it might be cost effective if you have a lot of hives?
At the moment I am thinking to remain cautious and to run the heat gun over the hive at about 120 Celsius or do you think that a heat gun could be run at a higher temperature as it is just being 'run' along the hive?
Thanks
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>with AFB there would be some pretty obvious signs left in the comb?
They are well documented, but I wouldn't say obvious if you don't know what to look for. There are pictures out there on the web of "AFB Scale" and "string tests" and you can even do a Holst test or buy a test. But if you didn't have a lot of dead larvae and sunken and pierced cappings and scale, then it's a pretty sure thing you probably don't have AFB.
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Steritech in Dandenong do irradiation if you're genuinely worried-$23 for a base, two supers full of frames and a lid... Heat gun? Wouldn't bother-If you must use used equipment ask for previous lab test results which all registered beeks should have. I would only buy second hand if it was Fred or an absolute bargain especially when I canget a fully assembled box for $14
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This may sound strange but why not just bake it in the oven? Boiling kills most stuff so I would guess a good half hour in a preheated 400 degree oven should do the job!
I wonder if a used oven would work good for this? Has anyone ever thought of this? You could keep it in garage and move it out doors to do the job for fire safety reasons. You could do quite a few boxes in a day this way without all the pain of torching every crack and hoping you got all of it. And as long as you cut all comb out of frames you could keep them instead of burning them. I have read you just burn the frames cause its to big of a hassle but if you are baking them could you not save them too?
Maybe I need some more caffeine yet!
Yes, as an experiment I tried it, the edges started to burn and smoke and sap boiled out. the propolis I couldn't get off the edge is what burned. I won't be doing that again.
(http://lh4.ggpht.com/_x09rOsVjeOY/TSl3vLoC1HI/AAAAAAAAAP0/LlMbx1PWczk/s640/review-1%20037.jpg)
(http://lh6.ggpht.com/_x09rOsVjeOY/TSl4KQDj71I/AAAAAAAAAP0/tZjCb1QTUBE/s640/review-1%20039.jpg)
(http://[url=http://lh6.ggpht.com/_x09rOsVjeOY/TSl3ZS_XZcI/AAAAAAAAAP0/JxtMJIk3ukE/s640/review-1%20036.jpg]http://lh6.ggpht.com/_x09rOsVjeOY/TSl3ZS_XZcI/AAAAAAAAAP0/JxtMJIk3ukE/s640/review-1%20036.jpg[/url])
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>with AFB there would be some pretty obvious signs left in the comb?
They are well documented, but I wouldn't say obvious if you don't know what to look for. There are pictures out there on the web of "AFB Scale" and "string tests" and you can even do a Holst test or buy a test. But if you didn't have a lot of dead larvae and sunken and pierced cappings and scale, then it's a pretty sure thing you probably don't have AFB.
I had looked up the pics before and that is why I felt it unlikely in the extreme that I did not have it. I feel further reasurred by what you write. Ta
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Steritech in Dandenong do irradiation if you're genuinely worried-$23 for a base, two supers full of frames and a lid... Heat gun? Wouldn't bother-If you must use used equipment ask for previous lab test results which all registered beeks should have. I would only buy second hand if it was Fred or an absolute bargain especially when I canget a fully assembled box for $14
Ok that irradiation was cheaper than I thought. No don't intend to buy anymore second hand boxes unless I buy somebodies stock and put them in another apiary. Is the heat gun really of no use at all I find that surprising? Where do you get a fully assembled box for $14 please? Thank you
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The sterilization issue would be AFB. If they are your hives and you don't think they died of any disease, let alone AFB, then there is nothing that needs to be sterilized.
Is AFB really the only real worry in Australia? I know that the bee inspector said that was the one to really worry about. Is it the case that the other diseases are treatable and endemic?
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Science journals will inform you that Gamma Radiation is the total answer to killing any organism on organic material. No trace of radiation after 8 hours in it for all woodware. Bodies, frames, supers. tops. Double Plastic wrap against dirt getting into their cooking area at Steritech. They throw on a wonderful lunch(free of course) a couple of times a year to show the public the facility and how safe it is. I thought of Chernobyl and Three Mile Island and the China Syndroime. Steritech treat a lot of hospital and surgical stuff for complete sterilization. i asked them if the blokes should cover up there nether regions and they rolled around laughing at the thought of aprons being worn by the blokes. We walked through the chambers where the gamma radiation soaks up the naughty things in hive ware. There main gripe is that beekeepers should learn to wrap(in builders plastic) twice all over and seal it so they do not have clean up any mess as the place is pretty spick and clean.
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Science journals will inform you that Gamma Radiation is the total answer to killing any organism on organic material. No trace of radiation after 8 hours in it for all woodware. Bodies, frames, supers. tops. Double Plastic wrap against dirt getting into their cooking area at Steritech. They throw on a wonderful lunch(free of course) a couple of times a year to show the public the facility and how safe it is. I thought of Chernobyl and Three Mile Island and the China Syndroime. Steritech treat a lot of hospital and surgical stuff for complete sterilization. i asked them if the blokes should cover up there nether regions and they rolled around laughing at the thought of aprons being worn by the blokes. We walked through the chambers where the gamma radiation soaks up the naughty things in hive ware. There main gripe is that beekeepers should learn to wrap(in builders plastic) twice all over and seal it so they do not have clean up any mess as the place is pretty spick and clean.
You can put waxcomb in all so
BEE HAPPY Jim 134
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The irridation sounds good. The main problem would be the transport cost in fact but if you had a lot of hives then fair enough.
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Where are you located ncross?
The irridation sounds good. The main problem would be the transport cost in fact but if you had a lot of hives then fair enough.
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I'm in Halls Gap, Victoria.
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You get a trailer and ute load of stuff and leave it down there. They ring when they complete it all. Depends on quantity and cost of replacement of said equipment. You get the diseases through your equipment and your options are probably burn or irradiate as some disease stay active for over 40 years in hive ware. The disease can spread if not killed or irradiated. Some buggers (ex Ararat) from years ago sold on infected equipment knowing what they are sharing. Scurge of the earth those two.
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Interesting what you say about the selling on of equipment that was infected and just down the road too. I'm glad that you say they are ex Ararat.
I have no reason to believe that any of my equipment is infected with anything. However, I decided to give the heat gun a go anyway. I ran it at max which in theory could be 600 degree celsius although I have no way of testing that. Certainly as I passed the heat gun over the box the wax and propolis melted and boiled instantly. I moved the heat gun at a medium pace and it not burn the wood at all. From all that you guys have said it probably didn't make any difference but old habits die hard and it made me feel better and certainly would not cause any harm. I used that equipment and used it for extra space for an expanding swarm.
There are many bee diseases and bugs that affect them but does using a heat gun help against anything at all?
If I had disease and it was a few boxes I wouldn't hesitate to burn it. Irradiation sounds like the ultimate and perhaps only good solution if you have a lot of hives which are affected with something nasty like AFB.