Lethargic Hive

[TheHoneyPump]

Full strength vinegar, or better the double strength cleaning vinegar.  Apply in a cool place. Spray on and let dry completely.  Leave for a couple days then rinse off and put out in the sun.  Good to go after that. 

[The15thMember]

Full strength vinegar, or better the double strength cleaning vinegar.  Apply in a cool place. Spray on and let dry completely.  Leave for a couple days then rinse off and put out in the sun.  Good to go after that. 

Great, thanks so much.  Should I do this for all the equipment, or it is only necessary for the bottom board? 

[van from Arkansas]

HP is correct about the vinegar, as vinegar deactivates Nosema spores.  I spray vinegar on the entire inside of the hive if I see signs, I throw away frames.  I do not wipe down the hive, just spray and walk away and let dry.  Bees don?t like vinegar so let the stuff evaporate before use.

[TheHoneyPump]

Just to be clear what I was saying and promoting. Sorry I did not mean to imply destroying the bottom board.  I was meaning collect the dead bees and debris off the bottom board treating them as a biohazard and to not just dump and scrape those off onto the ground.
- No need to destroy any equipment or frames. Just spray treat, let dry, followed by rinse a day or two later and open air sunshine exposure to all the parts and frames.
- Yes, do collect the bees carcasses and debris and burn them.  Do not toss out on the ground or the compost pile.

Hope that clears the air.

[The15thMember]

Just to be clear what I was saying and promoting. Sorry I did not mean to imply destroying the bottom board.  I was meaning collect the dead bees and debris off the bottom board treating them as a biohazard and to not just dump and scrape those off onto the ground.
- No need to destroy any equipment or frames. Just spray treat, let dry, followed by rinse a day or two later and open air sunshine exposure to all the parts and frames.
- Yes, do collect the bees carcasses and debris and burn them.  Do not toss out on the ground or the compost pile.

Hope that clears the air.

Okay, that makes sense, thanks for clearing that up. 

So, I'll liberally spray everything wooden with vinegar, let it soak in for a day or so, then rinse it off and set it all out in the sun.  The dead bees themselves will be burned.  Thanks again all.       

[CoolBees]

I think you did the right thing 15th.

Last year I had a hive that didn't progress. It started the season at 12 frames of bees. Lots of brood and stores. 3 months later it was at 7 frames of bees, and still plenty of brood. By then, my other hives were 4-6 boxes high. ... I did exactly as you - bagged it and froze them. 6 weeks later, I put a new hive in that location - and it is very productive. Sometimes it's what ya gotta do ...

[The15thMember]

I think you did the right thing 15th.

Last year I had a hive that didn't progress. It started the season at 12 frames of bees. Lots of brood and stores. 3 months later it was at 7 frames of bees, and still plenty of brood. By then, my other hives were 4-6 boxes high. ... I did exactly as you - bagged it and froze them. 6 weeks later, I put a new hive in that location - and it is very productive. Sometimes it's what ya gotta do ...

Thanks, Alan.  It was obviously disappointing, but it wasn't a hard decision to make this morning.  The amount of bees that died between last evening and this morning was shocking, probably the sugar roll was at least partially to blame.  It was clear that the best thing for them was to put them out of their misery.