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UK / EUROPEAN BEEKEEPING / Re: Hello from Berlin!
« Last post by Terri Yaki on Today at 05:37:36 pm »Welcome, asfodeltreegiver. There is plenty of information here and help from experienced beeks (not me, I'm new) to keep you going.
Is there any detriment to using dish soap to clean them? Will any residue be harmful to the bees? I need to figure out how to get my hands in there to get a good cleaning action.I usually just run jars through the dishwasher, but there is no problem using soap. Just rinse them good.
The hive tool is homemade from a picture that 15thmember had posted and I'm giving it a try. My mentor has the larger tool as you described and I see one advantage for the smaller one so far. I can keep it in my hand the whole time and not have to put it down, then have to figure out where I left it. I wasn't really struggling with it too bad just yet but they haven't really applied the glue yet either. But then, I haven't finessed the using of the tool yet and my handling of it will improve. I do, however, like that step on the back to use as leverage and will probably make one on this tool.I do also have a standard 8 in. tool (without a J hook), and I use that for cracking boxes, moving all the frames back and forth as a single unit, and for cleaning boxes. I use the small tool for all individual frame manipulations.
You might get some frowney faces for switching frames around, but be reasonable about it. I do it all the time. Moving foundation to make comb is fine. Putting a pollen or honey frame in the middle of the brood box wouldn?t serve any purpose.