RE: Sulfur fumigation

For years I fumigated my small honey house with sulfur fumes. I would by powdered 
"flowers of sulfur" and put a handful or so in a metal pail. I'd put a little charcoal lighter 
on and throw in a match. I liked it and didn't worry about fire, as it was fully contained in 
the metal pail. I would fumigate frequently throughout the summer to rid the honey house 
of bees, moths, etc.

I have heard that over many years it can ruin a metal building or exposed metal conduits. 
I think the chief drawback for most is the smell. I always sort of liked it, smells like 
fireworks. Larger beekeepers generally use more sophisticated approaches like 
refrigeration, gas fumigation, etc. It all depends on how much comb you store, when you 
store it, etc. In hot weather moths can be a real problem. 

PDB is a very bad solution to moth control. I have used it a lot, and always preferred 
other ways. Sometimes the other ways simply are not feasible. If you have thousands of 
boxes you maybe can't criss cross all of them and keep them expose to light, which 
generally prevents moth infestation. Also, if you have a lot, it is very difficult to monitor 
them. 

The best method I saw was a refrigerated warehouse, supers stacked on pallets two 
stories high, using a forklift.

pb

             ***********************************************
The BEE-L mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned 
LISTSERV(R) list management software.  For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html