Cleaning up of old broods etc?

[acepestdetective]

 Hi all.

 I've kinda inherited some old brood boxes, supers etc that have been stored for around 20-30 years on a dusty old granary.

 Just wondering how to go about cleaning them up ready for use as someone suggested using a blowtorch to lightly go over the timber to kill off any existing disease that could be still present. I've also been told to use caustic soda but believe that's more so for sterilising frames in. Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks, Rob.

[Brian D. Bray]

The only reason to use a blowtorch is to sanitize for disease such as AFB.  If you do that make sure you disassemble the boxes otherwise the spores in the nucks and crannies of the boxes will not be affected.  The spores in the seams and box ends won't be affected by indirect heat--it has to be direct.

[Bee1]

This cleaning question is interesting. 

I was told the bees would clean the equipement up for themselves. 

All my hive equipement was given to me - The equipment had  been in storage and not used for a number of years - it was dusty, dirty, with signs of old moth damage.  I didn't see anything active so all I did was wipe it off, scrap it out and put it out for the bees.

Do you think it needed more of a cleaning?

Bee1

[Brian D. Bray]

If you were confident that it did not contain AFB spores the answer would be no.  No other cleaning would be necessary as the bees will take care of it.

[asprince]

Now you have me concerned. I was given a truck load of supers and frames. I just washed the dust off, gave them a paint job, installed some foundation and put some on my hives. I have no idea if they were contaminated with AFB. I did notice that some of the boxes had lots of holes in the wood and some had carved out scoops in the wood.

Steve

[Michael Bush]

>Just wondering how to go about cleaning them up ready for use

Personally, I'd just use them unless I had reason to suspect them.

>I did notice that some of the boxes had lots of holes in the wood and some had carved out scoops in the wood.

Those are from wax moths.  Nothing to worry about.

[acepestdetective]

 Thanks guys.

 Michael- Isn't carrying on as normal unless I'm suspicious slightly ostrich like, i.e. burying me head in the sand though? Not being funny but surely with some diseases so rife it's better to be safe than sorry.

 Or is you way of thinking because the boxes have been unused for so long possibly? Trouble is I have no need to be suspicious because I have no idea what I'm looking for in terms of disease being contained in boxes etc.