I am posting this for safety, I am not advocating euthenasia NOR sulphur
as safe in the long term for beekeeping. I am posting this to add to the
safety of those people who will choose to use suplhur for euthenasia
despite the fact that it is a long term contaminent of woodenware. I
would prefer that the beekeeper requeen and be patient leaving the hive
alone for the 6-8 weeks needed for workforce replacement. Even though
euthenasia might be 'easier', a lost colony is a lost resource. Waiting
8 weeks is a lot less than waiting for a repopulated hive to build back
up.

That said,

Another source of sulphur is coopers (barrel makers), and winemaking
supply shops. Sulphur is used by winemakers to treat barrels prior to
long periods of inactivity. They can come in coil form similar to bug
coils which are lit and placed in the bottom of the barrel (with a dish
to catch the resinous ashes which can add a noxious element to any wine
stored in the barrels). To use this, seal hive. place an empty chamber
above the brood nest, a dish on top of frames, coil in dish and replace
cover. In the morning all the bees will be dead. The hive will be stinky
for a while, but will be usable. It is safer to the beekeeper than
powdered sulphur which if mishandled can do more than burn your
eyebrows. You can asphixiate yourself, and if somehow the smoker gets
clogged while burning can explode and injury you. Sulphur is not a
normal fuel, it won't go out if you don't keep pumping, and it requires
much less oxygen than cellulose based fuels (burlap, paper, wood).
Sulphur isn't merely flammible, its an explosive.



--
Scot Mc Pherson
The Mc Pherson Family Honey Farms
Bradenton, Florida USA
Davenport, Iowa USA

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