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Health & Hygiene

- Keep hive tools immersed in a tupperware tub of washing soda solution, so that they are clean and sterilised ready for use. (But don't get the soda on your hands because it will irritate the skin.) A nylon scrubbing pad won't scratch the tool and will remove propolis. (David Stott)

- Consider registering your apiary with the Regional Bee Inspectors at: www.beebase.csl.gov.uk
This will allow them to alert you promptly should there be an outbreak of disease in your area and you may receive a routine inspection by one of the seasonal inspectors, which is always an opportunity to learn. (David Stott)

- Try to adopt a systematic approach to monitoring for disease. Make a small, rigid frame from strips of wood or plastic, with an internal space measuring exactly 10 cells across by 10 cells down. (Naturally, it needs to be a parallelogram rather than rectangular in shape.) This will provide a 'window' over 100 cells and will allow you to take a diagnostic snapshot of the health of a colony during your weekly inspections. Simply place the window upon any frame of your choice and consider whether what you can see is what would be expected on that part of the frame, under normal conditions. Between 2 and 5 empty cells is indicative of a healthy colony, but if 10-15 cells or more (which equates to 10-15%) are not properly occupied by either eggs, larvae or sealed brood, then there is a chance that the colony is dysfunctional in some way, and requires more thorough investigation. (Ian Homer)

- Be scrupulous in your cleaning regime, disinfecting your hive tools, smoker and wellingtons on a regular basis. What cannot be immersed can be wiped over with a cloth or soft nylon scourer.
A 1 kilo bag of washing soda, plus a couple of drops of washing-up liquid, added to 1 gallon of water, is a ratio which gives an antibacterial ph of 13 and has a similar effect to sterilising with alcohol.
Clean seasonal equipment such as bee escapes, mouseguards and supers as soon as they are removed. Scorch woodware and do not store dirty equipment, waiting for 'a chance to clean it all up in one go.'
Wash your beesuit. Adding half a cupful of washing soda crystals to the wash will remove propolis, but do remember to reduce the washing powder otherwise your washing machine will not cope with the extra suds. (Ian Homer)

- The debris which naturally builds up as a result of the life cycle of the bees can harbour germs, so replace brood foundation regularly. If you cannot see light through the comb, then it is time to change it! It is easier to see eggs and young larvae on fresh comb, so this will also increase the speed of your inspections, thereby reducing disturbance to the colony. (Ian Homer)

- At the start of the season smear a thin coating of petroleum jelly along the runners in the brood chamber, and also apply to the underside/ends/faces of frame lugs. The bees are less inclined to propolise these areas, which makes for better handling during weekly inspections, and consequently less disruption for the bees. (Ian Homer)

- Try very hard not to crush bees. Any spores present in those unfortunate individuals will be pushed out into the atmosphere and healthy bees within the colony will become infected when they clean up the dead and dying. (Ian Homer)

- Inspect your colonies thoroughly once or twice a year with the specific intention to check for disease. Taking each brood frame in turn, shake off all the bees into the brood box and have a really good look at the state of the brood and the frames themselves. Do not check a few frames and upon finding nothing untoward, merely assume that the rest are in a similar condition. (Ian Homer)

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