Wax Dipping Bee Equipment

Wax dipping is also an effective way of disinfecting wooden parts and can be used to salvage equipment exposed to foulbrood as spores are eradicated by the extreme heat involved.

Wax dipping bee equipment.

The term dip means a brief immersion into a liquid. A small amount of wax may drain from the dipped item. The initial set up for wax dipping is both complex and costly. The only alternative methods of sterilization are gamma irradiation and complete destruction by fire.

This shows how we cook woodenware at 300 degrees fahrenheit for 10 minutes in a mixture of 20 microcrystalline wax and 80 paraffin wax. What is wax dipping. Parrafin wax is one of the industrial wax that you can use to dip your boxes in. Coating the wood in wax is beneficial for the bees and the hive itself.

Dipping is often conducted during the winter months when the active beekeeping season has finished and apiarists have time to attend to maintenance of hive material and other equipment. Hivefive apiary bee supply llc 149 trident point rd. Wax dipped beehives and beekeeping equipment. Wax dipping beekeeping equipment.

It would have been nice if it were taller but it works ok and i didn t have the time or money to get a better one made. This process is quick does not require space for drying and should last much longer than paint or stain. It is the placement of various beehive components or parts in hot molten wax. Fully refined with 0 8 oil content.

I got the tank from a friend who had it custom made. I haven t switched to using beeswax because it is so low temp and will get sticky. When to wax dip wax dipping can be done at any time of the year subject to the precautions listed below. Melt temperature range from 60c 62c.

Wax dipping bee equipment. The wax is super expensive but having it full means i can do 6 deep boxes at a time compared to 4 which really makes a difference when you are doing a lot of equipment. This process cooks. However when apiarists dip their hive parts in molten hot wax it is usually for periods of up to 15 minutes the molten wax consists of 80 90 paraffin 99.

Even better it can sterilize equipment including killing afb spores and is a recommended method for dealing with disease risk.