Flow Hive 2+ ------ Is the tray dishwasher safe?

Flow Hive
1

I’ve had my bees for about 25 days, and all is well, but the bottom tray is filling up with debris. And I noticed a small amount of mold on the debris in the tray.

How often should I clean out the bottom tray? Also, is it possible for me to run the FH2+ tray through the dishwasher? Is it okay for the hive to be without a tray for 2 hours while it’s being cleaned?

I know a dishwasher might be overkill, but it’s easier for me, and I want to be sure it is 100% mold free afterwards.

Thank you for any help and suggestions.

2

I would not put it in the dishwasher. It has wax in the debris. It would be a disaster. I only have my tray in during varroa treatment.

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3

Congrats on the FH2.
When I first got mine I washed the tray a couple of times (just by hand not the DW). I soon worked out that mould is just inevitable. Don’t worry about it just periodically clean out the bulk of the debris (every week or two).
I agree with @Wizard that the wax will trash your dishwasher.

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4

:honeybee: :honeybee: Thank you for the helpful replies! :honeybee: :honeybee:

I shall do as you both suggest. No dishwasher. And I won’t worry too much about mold.

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5

What I do is line the tray with a puppy pee pad. It collects all the debris and absorbs all the moisture, then once a week I just lift it out and replace with a fresh one. So much easier than cleaning the tray all the time.

6

My advice would be to check & empty the tray once a fortnight. That should keep you on top of the mold.

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