BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER > GENERAL BEEKEEPING - MAIN POSTING FORUM.
Keeping the garage floor/shed/equipment/ tidy & organized
FloridaGardener:
I have no idea how tiny flakes of beeswax fall from the sky, land all over my garage floor, and need to be scraped & scrubbed constantly.
Anyone have tips on keeping tidy?
Also - propolis is a sign of a healthy hive, right? Except when its bond is stronger than your frame, and the frame splits. How much propolis does everyone clean off?
What about cleanup of frame/rinseout "after the freezer" - is it just biomass? Or does the washup water from SHB slime /wax moth frass & web become an attractant to the undesirable species?
The15thMember:
--- Quote from: FloridaGardener on July 26, 2021, 07:05:51 pm ---I have no idea how tiny flakes of beeswax fall from the sky, land all over my garage floor, and need to be scraped & scrubbed constantly.
Anyone have tips on keeping tidy?
Also - propolis is a sign of a healthy hive, right? Except when its bond is stronger than your frame, and the frame splits. How much propolis does everyone clean off?
What about cleanup of frame/rinseout "after the freezer" - is it just biomass? Or does the washup water from SHB slime /wax moth frass & web become an attractant to the undesirable species?
--- End quote ---
I clean off propolis in a hive rarely, only when it gets to the point that I can't inspect with efficiency because of it. As far as cleaning up frames from a deadout or otherwise, I freeze and scrape as clean as I can of wax and propolis, with no rinsing. Drawn blanks go in plastic bins during the active season, and in stacked up stored equipment during the offseason. I don't have this problem of wax and propolis everywhere, although my garage floor is very old and beat up, so if I did, I doubt anyone would really notice.
Beeboy01:
I have just started using the smaller moving dollies from harbor freight for my extra boxes. The real small ones need a piece of plywood on top for the boxes to fit and I keep the frames in the boxes for storage. Having everything on wheels make a big difference. Propolis stays where it is till it gets to be a problem and then it gets scrapped off or I wait till the winter when cleaning up other wooden ware.
Small hive beetle slime gets hosed off and the frames get air dried with the bees cleaning up any useable honey. I have started to switch over to plastic foundation mainly because it survives small hive beetle larva infestation. Most of the time wax foundation gets pretty destroyed by SHB larva and wax moths so I cut it out, toss it and save the frames.
Ben Framed:
--- Quote from: Beeboy01 on July 26, 2021, 08:53:47 pm ---I have just started using the smaller moving dollies from harbor freight for my extra boxes. The real small ones need a piece of plywood on top for the boxes to fit and I keep the frames in the boxes for storage. Having everything on wheels make a big difference. Propolis stays where it is till it gets to be a problem and then it gets scrapped off or I wait till the winter when cleaning up other wooden ware.
Small hive beetle slime gets hosed off and the frames get air dried with the bees cleaning up any useable honey. I have started to switch over to plastic foundation mainly because it survives small hive beetle larva infestation. Most of the time wax foundation gets pretty destroyed by SHB larva and wax moths so I cut it out, toss it and save the frames.
--- End quote ---
Beeboy01
I have learned by accident, that with the use of a harbor freight multifunction power tool, 'the oslitating type', during cold temps, you can easily remove all propolis from your boxes using the flat type non serrated edge type blade, "the scraper blade" fast, simple, and very easy...
FloridaGardener:
--- Quote from: The15thMember on July 26, 2021, 08:23:08 pm ---I clean off propolis in a hive rarely, only when it gets to the point that I can't inspect with efficiency because of it.
--- End quote ---
Yeah, It shouldn't take 3 minutes to pry out only one frame... that looks like it's embedded in boat varnish ! :cheesy:
What size tubs do you use for ? Do you tape them off for security? I picked some up from target for medium bars of honey until I get more 1 lb containers delivered. https://www.target.com/p/home-logic-58qt-latching-storage-tote-tan-white/-/A-81476028#lnk=sametab
It fits the frames nicely lengthwise. But it holds only 8 frames. Not very efficient.
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