Frost! "It does what it says on the tin.....", well, thats what the TV advert used to say! So I thought...painful sometimes! ...why not use this burst of wintery weather to my beekeeping advantage!
Hive & apiary hygiene are so important these days, and we don't have a chest freezer at home in which to freeze bits of hive to kill pests and harden off wax. So, why not use mother nature instead!
Hence, I put out our brace combed queen excluder and Miller feeders to let Jack Frost do his thing with them! After an hour or so, tapped the comb with the hive tool and, kerr-ching! Wax shatters into dust! Sooooo much easier to clean up!
Now for a Soda crystal wash up, and then re-varnish the feeders to seal them and...presto! Nice clean hygienic feeders ready for the Spring feed when required!
Also, we are in the process of ordering a shed for our garden apiary.....too much bee equipment for the spare bedroom!, as well as our allotment produce from this years harvest! Anyone who has seen the UK television series 'The Good Life' (from the seventies) will know what we mean! lol!
1 comment:
What a great idea to use the frost to clean your hive! With all this cold weather, it makes a lot of sense.
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