On the correct cleaning of hives in the spring

Many novice beekeepers, having enriched themselves over the winter with theoretical knowledge from the Internet, including from our website, are eagerly awaiting the onset of spring, wishing to quickly implement the information received in practice.

And one of the first questions that they have to solve sounds something like this: how to clean the hive in the spring, when exactly it is necessary to do this, how not to harm the development of the bee colony.

The content of the article

  • 1 The importance of cleaning
  • 2 When to clean?
  • 3 How to clean?
    • 3.1 Cleaning algorithm

The importance of cleaning

I think there is no need to talk too much about the importance and significance of cleaning the hives after wintering. Any beekeeper understands that cleaning the hives in the spring is a mandatory measure, preceding the disinfection of the hive and aimed at helping in the spring development of the family, preventing the occurrence of mold, various diseases, etc.

To read:

About disinfection inside the hive in different ways

How to deal with mold in hives after winter

When to clean?

Many beekeepers are used to combining the cleaning process with the spring revision, so as not to disassemble the nest once again and not to overcool the bees.

To read:

How to properly insulate the hive in the spring?

But this is only justified in small apiaries.

The spring cleaning process itself is quite laborious and time-consuming, which can cause a delay in the spring revision. And the delay in revision is fraught with great danger for the apiary. The beekeeper may not notice the lack of food in the families and may not replenish them in a timely manner. Thus, bees can starve to death without waiting for the opportunity to get sick from unclean evidence.

Important! Therefore, our advice. If the weather is steadily warm and its worsening is not expected, you can safely combine cleaning and disinfection of bee houses with revision. If the spring weather does not indulge in constancy and the number of bee colonies is large enough, then it is more important to make an audit, provide the bee colonies with food and heat, and only then, at the first opportunity, to clean the dwellings of their winged wards.

How to clean?

You need to clean the hive at a temperature of at least +15 degrees in the shade. It is advisable in calm weather and in the presence of at least a small supporting bribe in order to minimize the danger of an attack and the beginning of bee theft.

fire treatment

Cleaning algorithm

1.Cleaning should start from the free, not occupied by the nest space of the hive. First of all, it is necessary to remove all the entrance barriers, thoroughly clean the entrance doors on both sides, since it is in them that debris, dead soil, mold, etc. accumulate most.

2It is also necessary to collect the propolis so that it does not interfere with normal ventilation.

To read:

Hive bottoms with a net – a whim or a necessity

The importance of ventilating the hives

3Then, with a chisel from top to bottom (paying special attention to seams, joints, corners, cracks), we mechanically scrape all internal surfaces. We remove all the debris from the bottom of the hive.

4After this, it is advisable (and if signs of mold or traces of diarrhea are found, then it is imperative!) To process the walls of the hive with a gas burner fire. We burn the surfaces inside the hive until all propolis remaining there melts and flows down to the bottom. But do not forget about the fire safety rules, we do not allow the beginning of decay!

5After that, we take out one frame from the nest and carefully clean them from wax growths, mold and traces of diarrhea. Then we put it in the cleaned part of the hive.

6We pay special attention to the frames with the brood, since it is on one of them that the queen is most quickly. To avoid injury or loss in general, it is better to find it visually and cover it with a special cap.

To read:

How to find the uterus correctly and quickly

7.After cleaning and rearranging all frames, we also clean the rest of the hive in the same way. Then we proceed to disinfection.

8Then we put the nest in its original place, usually on the south side of the hive and carefully insulate it.

I think there is no need to explain that wax and propolis collected during cleaning are not thrown away with other garbage, as they are highly valuable beekeeping products. The wax is melted down, and the propolis is collected for subsequent sale. Podmore can also be collected for the preparation of various medicines..

To read:

Features of the treatment with bee dead

How to cure prostate adenoma with dead bees and other bee products

The remaining debris is usually burnt or buried in the ground to prevent the spread of infection throughout the apiary.

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Anna Evans

Author ✓ Farmer

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