In article <[log in to unmask]>,
Jerry Scott <[log in to unmask]> writes
>Hi,
>        I wanted to bound this off all of you since I really don't know
>what I'm doing yet.
>        I managed to be given a bunch of brood boxes and supers with
>frames from a friend of a friend who stopped doing bee's several years
>ago.  These boxes and frames have been barn loft kept for several years.
>        I thought it would be save to use them because the wood is all
>still in really good shape.  I was going to wash them and then repaint
>them (just the outside of the box not the inside of the boxes, did read
>that in a book).
>        My question is:  Since I don't know the guy who owned these
>boxes and why he stop keeping bee's (ie: did they all die off), is there
>anything else I should be concerned about or do with these boxes before
>using them.  I didn't know if any germs or mite treatment to the wood
>should be done, other than washing them.  Which bring up, I was just
>going to use dish soap in water to wash them, like I would wash my car.
>Should I use some special Bee soap (if anything like that exists.
>        Any opinions would be helpful and really appreciated.
>
>Thanks to all and Merry Christmas.
>
>Jerry Scott
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Dear Jerry
 
I would just like to re-inforce Bob Barnett's instructive posting.
 
In the past we have bought second hand equipment and treated it broadly
in the manner described, with no adverse results. On one occassion
several years ago (the situation was similar sounding to yours), the guy
had more or less given up, and most of his equipment had just been
stored in a barn. It was an incredible mess, with few combs left intact
after the activities of the wax moths. I was a bit strapped for cash at
the time and could not afford the large numbers of new frames that were
needed to replace them, and those in the boxes were in very mixed
condition, some fine but some heavily scarred with the cocoons of
greater and lesser wax moths, some of which had even made holes right
through the wood.
 
We cut out any remaining wax, scraped the frames and interiors of all
the boxes clean, and then flame torched the lot, as Bob says, till its
just browning. No need to char it at all, just a good toasting. We wire
brushed the outsides and gave them a fresh couple of coats of paint,
stencilled them, rewaxed the frames, put the whole lot into service, and
never had any trouble.
 
Nowadays I would probably not begin such an undertaking with messy
frames, because the work involved and risks of recovery should really be
balanced against the cost of buying new. In the US new frames are cheap
and, if you can afford it, we would probably recommend new frames in the
sterilised and recycled old boxes. However, it shows it can be done
using the old frames, and if that is your chosen option it should be OK.
If the frames have been stored away without wax then a quick toast will
probably be all they will need.
 
Good luck
 
Murray
--
Murray McGregor, Denrosa Ltd., Scotland
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