Bleach Affects on Bees

General Bee Chat
1

I currently have my hive up against the south side of my detached garage, where it stays fairly sheltered during the summer because of the trees.
My home insurance is requiring me to remove the moss growth on my garage roof, and after speaking with a few washers, they use a sodium hydrochloride (bleach) mixture to kill the growth and prevent it from returning.

I worry about the affect the bleach will have on my hive, either the direct spray which is then rinsed off, the overspray getting on the hive, or the residual affect as the moss dies off and is washed away by rain.

Can I drape a tarp or something over the hive during the washing process itself? Is there a safe and effective way to move my hive?

2

Some people put small amounts of bleach into the syrup they feed the bees to keep it from fermenting, and bees seem to love swimming pool water which has chlorine so I would deduce that they have very little issue with Chlorine bleach in certain concentrations. It couldn’t hurt to tarp the hive while they are doing it, and might be a good idea to even shut the hive up for a day just as a precaution for the people washing the house to prevent stings.

2 Likes
3

Hopefully that is Sodium Hypochorite, which is the active substance in chlorine bleach. I agree with all of @adagna’s comments.

4

Close the hive. Do it at night.