From wild country gardens to small city rooftops, people across the UK have been discovering the joys of beekeeping! The benefits of keeping bees go beyond producing honey - studies have shown it can be entertaining and even help to relieve stress.
Regardless of the size or location of your beehive, regular maintenance is essential to keep happy bees and achieve high quality honey. Keeping apiaries clean and disinfected greatly reduces the risk of disease spores - like the potentially fatal foulbroods - from infecting the hive. Due to the cooler weather and reduced activity in the hives, autumn is the ideal time of year for giving your apiary a thorough clean.
An effective and low cost method of keeping your smoker, scraper and hive tools clean is to scrub them using a solution of Soda Crystals, water and a small amount of washing up liquid. The alkaline solution cuts through grease, cleans petroleum oil, removes wax and propolis, and neutralises odours. A simple warm water Soda Crystals solution can also clean the floor of your honey shed and remove excess propolis. Even bee suits and gloves stained with soil, beeswax and propolis can be cleaned by adding a couple of tablespoons of Soda Crystals to your usual washing powder.
Soda Crystals release no harmful fumes and will not harm your bees. They contain no bleach, phosphates or enzymes and are bio-degradable.
NB do not use Soda Crystals on aluminum or waxed wood (unless you intend to remove the wax)
