Author Topic: Washing Contaminated Hive Tools  (Read 4421 times)

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Offline Jen

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Washing Contaminated Hive Tools
« on: October 29, 2018, 12:25:20 am »
How do we wash our tools if they have been exposed to American Foul Brood?
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Offline Wandering Man

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Re: Washing Contaminated Hive Tools
« Reply #1 on: October 29, 2018, 12:56:51 am »
Bleach or alcohol pretty much kills anything, doesn't it?
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Offline Bakersdozen

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Re: Washing Contaminated Hive Tools
« Reply #2 on: October 29, 2018, 06:07:29 am »
Jen,  this website from our Northern neighbors gives good information on how to treat all your equipment including hive tools, gloves, smoker and hands.  http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/food/inspection/bees/afb-mgmt.htm

Offline tedh

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Re: Washing Contaminated Hive Tools
« Reply #3 on: October 29, 2018, 09:15:55 am »
The state apiaris said to use fire.  Ted
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Offline Jen

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Re: Washing Contaminated Hive Tools
« Reply #4 on: October 29, 2018, 11:46:27 am »
Good website Baker, same site was sent to me last night. Looks like I'll be bringing out the dragon.

Yep Ted, bleach doesn't cut it, has to be fire
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Offline Mikey N.C.

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Re: Washing Contaminated Hive Tools
« Reply #5 on: October 29, 2018, 12:29:12 pm »
Our state inspector Nancy , doesn't wear gloves or veil.  She has a small canvas pouch (3-slots) with magnets that has a belt clip. Before she leaves any apiary she will wipe down knife and hive tool and pouch wirh 99% isopropyl alcohol.  She told me that was good enough for tools but as far as woodenware i think its burn it.
Please research this, don't take my word.

Offline riverbee

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Re: Washing Contaminated Hive Tools
« Reply #6 on: October 29, 2018, 09:04:38 pm »
for hive tools, fire......like ted said.
fire up your smoker, get it good and hot with some good 'coal's' and rolling smoke and stick it in there, or take a butane/propane torch to it.

then i just use sudsy yellow ammonia to wipe hive tools down with, and have used isopropyl alcohol, have both in my 'bee bucket'.

good practice anyway jen, if you are helping others and peeking in their hives. use the smoker to stick your hive tool in.
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Offline Lburou

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Re: Washing Contaminated Hive Tools
« Reply #7 on: October 29, 2018, 09:23:06 pm »
... jen, if you are helping others and peeking in their hives. use the smoker to stick your hive tool in.
  I almost always leave my tools at home when visiting another apiary.  Use their tools and your tools can't carry anything home.  JMO   :)
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Offline Jen

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Re: Washing Contaminated Hive Tools
« Reply #8 on: October 30, 2018, 02:11:16 pm »
Like this idea Lee, but I'm working with five new beekeepers, I never know what I'm walking into. I have a couple new beekeepers that had no tools, they took their new packages/nucs home in the spring, got the hive in place, and never once opened the hive all summer long.

River, I rarely use a smoker, good idea tho  ;)
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Offline rober

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Re: Washing Contaminated Hive Tools
« Reply #9 on: October 30, 2018, 08:46:04 pm »
I leave a pair of hive tools at every apiary. no cross contamination & I never have to worry about forgetting to bring tools along with me.

Offline riverbee

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Re: Washing Contaminated Hive Tools
« Reply #10 on: October 30, 2018, 10:01:25 pm »
"I'm working with five new beekeepers, I never know what I'm walking into. I have a couple new beekeepers that had no tools, they took their new packages/nucs home in the spring, got the hive in place, and never once opened the hive all summer long.

River, I rarely use a smoker, good idea tho" 


no hive tool and never once opened the hive all summer long? 
okay. hive tools are inexpensive and sort of a basic piece of equipment.......

rarely use a smoker? why jen?  anytime we open a hive, we ought to have a smoker fired up, i am gonna be like iddee. especially with newer keeps.
smoker ready irregardless.

i keep wild things in a box..........™
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Offline Barbarian

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Re: Washing Contaminated Hive Tools
« Reply #11 on: October 31, 2018, 08:21:52 am »
The UK Bee Inspectors store their hive tools in a solution of Washing Soda  ...... sodium carbonate decahydrate.
" Another Owd Codger "

Offline tecumseh

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Re: Washing Contaminated Hive Tools
« Reply #12 on: October 31, 2018, 08:33:30 am »
Rober sezs...
I leave a pair of hive tools at every apiary. no cross contamination & I never have to worry about forgetting to bring tools along with me.

I do that also but it is never on purpose... I wish I could blame that on an old and obsolete cpu but I did the same thing when I was young..  The thread just got me to wondering... anyone seeing AFB?  Can't say I have seen any in decades.

Gene in Central Texas

Offline rober

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Re: Washing Contaminated Hive Tools
« Reply #13 on: October 31, 2018, 08:50:43 am »
I've not had a problem with foulbrood but like to error on the side of caution. I also have a small quarantine yard I use to isolate hives started from swarms & cut-outs. once I know they are clear I move them to my actual bee yards.

Offline Lburou

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Re: Washing Contaminated Hive Tools
« Reply #14 on: October 31, 2018, 09:58:32 am »
...I do that also but it is never on purpose...

Gene in Central Texas
There is a lot of that going on at my house.  Last year, I still had my original hive tool from 1976, but can't find it now.  I'm still hoping it will turn up.  I'll know it by sight, because it is the real rusty one.  ;)
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Offline tedh

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Re: Washing Contaminated Hive Tools
« Reply #15 on: October 31, 2018, 10:44:24 am »
Tecumseh: We had one hive with suspected foul brood a couple months back.  It smelled of dead fish.  I called and emailed the state dude to schedule an appointment to either confirm or rule it out.  Having two other hives at that location, and recalling that it could take a few days for him to respond and a few more days to schedule a time, i screened the hive closed that night and we torched it, along with our gloves, the next day as a precaution against spreading the possible foul brood.  It was windy the day of the inspection, when we first suspected foul brood,so you had to get your nose right down next the the frames to smell the dead, rotty, fish smell.  When I went back to close the hive up that night the wind was calm and I could smell it as i walked up to the hive.  The state guy came a few days later to inspect the other hives at that location and said they looked like good strong healthy colonies.   That was a relief.  We hated torching the one colony/hive but was more concerned about contamination of the other two.  Ted
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Offline Jen

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Re: Washing Contaminated Hive Tools
« Reply #16 on: October 31, 2018, 02:44:03 pm »
"no hive tool and never once opened the hive all summer long?"

In the spring a flat bed truck pulls up to the Ag office. Many of us beekeepers and first year beekeepers are milling around and chatting. We are given our nucs and packages and checked off. What happens to those nucs and packages after that, we do not know. Until, we get posts on our county agriculture facebook page asking "Where did my bees go?" "Why are there bees on the ground with no wings?" "I lifted the lid and the bees don't like me so I put the lid down and haven't been in there again"

That what I mean by 'I never know what I'm walking into.' I'm sure many of you on this forum have run into the same thing. I have two new beeks that have never lifted the lid, they were told as long as you have bees coming and going.. everything is just fine.

Palm on forehead 'Oy Vey'
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Offline Bakersdozen

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Re: Washing Contaminated Hive Tools
« Reply #17 on: October 31, 2018, 03:32:08 pm »
"no hive tool and never once opened the hive all summer long?"

In the spring a flat bed truck pulls up to the Ag office. Many of us beekeepers and first year beekeepers are milling around and chatting. We are given our nucs and packages and checked off. What happens to those nucs and packages after that, we do not know. Until, we get posts on our county agriculture facebook page asking "Where did my bees go?" "Why are there bees on the ground with no wings?" "I lifted the lid and the bees don't like me so I put the lid down and haven't been in there again"

That what I mean by 'I never know what I'm walking into.' I'm sure many of you on this forum have run into the same thing. I have two new beeks that have never lifted the lid, they were told as long as you have bees coming and going.. everything is just fine.

Palm on forehead 'Oy Vey'

We call those "bee-havers"  not beekeepers.

Offline Lburou

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Re: Washing Contaminated Hive Tools
« Reply #18 on: October 31, 2018, 11:52:59 pm »
Jen, you have my praise for helping those bee havers.  I have chased around the country doing one visit miracles often enough that I'm burned out.  I expect you to have a similar experience over time. 

I talk half the prospective beekeepers out of it on their first Club field trip or hive inspection at my apiary.  In my view, keeping bees successfully over time requires a commitment to a long term education.  Some folks should not keep bees.   :)
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Offline riverbee

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Re: Washing Contaminated Hive Tools
« Reply #19 on: October 31, 2018, 11:55:34 pm »
jen,
i think sometimes folks are fooled into thinking bees are set and forget?  when they realize honey bees do need some attention panic sets in because either there has been no direction, or perhaps they thought keeping bees was going to be easy, and also have not educated themselves or sought some education/direction from an experienced keep from the get go. too many think you take a box of bees and set it out in your garden and all is good, not knowing and not educating one's self.  there seems to be a lot of this going around. good intentions but not willing to figure out the science and passion of keeping bees. i think most of us have a passion, cuz we are not in it for money ......... :D

also, those who are telling these folks "as long as you have bees coming and going.. everything is just fine." ? who are these people? they surely are not beekeepers. it is unfortunate.

i have helped many and mentored many and have fielded questions from those interested in keeping bees. like bakers said, beehavers and beekeepers.
lot's of funny stories on this; some sad, and sometimes best that the person not keep bees....... :D

honey bees are an amazing social insect.

and to what lee said, very true......
i keep wild things in a box..........™
if you obey the rules, you miss all the fun.....katherine hepburn
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