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How to Clean Bee Equipment

Beekeeping is an ancient hobby. In primitive times, bees were kept in baskets or pots and killed at the end of the season to simplify harvesting the honey. Modern hives are more highly evolved than their predecessors, utilizing a moveable hive design that allows beekeepers to harvest the honey without disturbing the bees. It is one of the most important pieces of equipment a modern beekeeper can purchase.

In addition to a hive, beekeepers need a scraper; a smoker; and a beekeeping suit with gloves, a hat and a veil. For someone just starting out, the cost of all this equipment can be prohibitive, which makes used bee equipment a true bargain. Before secondhand equipment can be safely used, it must be cleaned and disinfected--or you may end up killing your bees rather than raising them. Follow the directions below to clean your bee equipment.

Things You'll Need

Metal scraper Newspaper Kerosene Matches Water Small blowtorch Bleach 2 large buckets or container Dish soap Washing soda Materials Protective clothing Goggles Rubber gloves

Instructions

- 1
  
  Remove the lid from the hive. Using the metal scraper, remove debris from the hive boxes, catching the bits of propolis and wax on sheets of newspaper. Propolis is a glue-like substance that bees gather from the sap of various plants. Gather up the newspaper and burn it.
- 2
  Smear the inside of the hive box with kerosene, and touch a lit match to it. Allow it to burn until the inside is charred. Douse the flames with water and quickly put the lid on the box to extinguish the fire. Alternatively, the surface can be scorched with a blowtorch, but be sure you have burned away all the wax, particularly in the corners.
- 3
  Scorch the scraper by touching the surface with flame from a small blowtorch. Be careful not to damage the metal. The goal is simply to burn away all the clinging debris.
- 4
  Combine 1 qt. of household bleach and 6 qts. of water in a clean container. Place any plastic beekeeping components into the bleach water and let them soak for 30 minutes. Bleach water at this concentration will kill many types of bacteria and microscopic pests, including American Brood Spores.
- 5
  
  Scrub the smoker in hot, soapy water and rinse thoroughly, taking care not to get water into the bellows. Invert the smoker on a flat surface and allow to air dry.
- 6
  
  Place the beekeeper's suit and gloves in the washing machine. Add 1 cup of washing soda and your regular detergent to the tub. Wash in hot water and tumble dry. Wash the veil and hat by hand, soaking the veil in hot water and detergent, while scrubbing the hat with a fingernail brush.
- 7
  Dissolve any remaining propolis by scrubbing it with washing soda mixed with water. The solution needs to be fairly strong to dissolve the wax--approximately 2 lbs. of washing soda to 10 qts. of water and 1 squirt of dish soap.

Insects & Science