[Omie]

.

 

[Iddee]

I am a lime believer from a long ways back. It is one of the best insecticides around. Kills those 6 legged critters quick, but doesn't hurt humans or the ground. I use it on all my non-flowering fruits, berries, veggies, and grapes. I also use it around the base of my home to kill the ants, slugs, and other undesirables.

PS. Radiation doesn't harm dead bees.

 

[Crofter]

I would be doing a search on things that really do cause those symptoms. Trachael mites and some of the mite born viruses come to mind for openers. Some people are especially easy prey to "gurus". Lime will cause burns on skin, eyes etc. It is calcium hydroxide; Lye is sodium hydroxide. Lime is the major component of masonry mortar cement and plaster.

Bugs wouldn't last too long crawling around on it or licking it off their feet but aside from it altering Ph it is not technically a poison. I worked for 2 years as a lime kiln operator and decided that was enough irritation!

 

[lazy shooter]

To start with, radiation is in the form of gamma rays, beta particles or alpha particles, none of which could possibly be affected by lime on the ground. Once a radioactive particle has collided with the atoms that make up your body, the damage has been done. There is precious little that can be done to repair radioactive poisoning. If it's killing her bees, she herself is in deep doo doo.

 

[reidi_tim]

Well I guess I'm a like believer .. My hives are placed on painted skids and elevated off the ground about 20". Used treated 4X4 for post and then made an apron at the bottom with treated 2X4. First a layer of weed fabric the a mix of ag lime and pea gravel. So the hives have almost a concrete slab under them.

 

[lazy shooter]

We have on rare occasions, used agricultural lime in our drilling mud. The person handling the lime must wear long sleeved coveralls complete with gloves taped to the sleeves and a full face respirator. It's a oxidizer and can and will oxidize in one's lungs under favorable conditions. Since it kills beneficial insects, I don't have any use for it.

 

[riverrat]

wow. This is a new one on me.

 

[Zulu]

Not sure that AG lime and Hydrated lime are being mixed up here

Hydrated lime will burn you, AG lime won't

 

[Zulu]

Also creating a AG lime ground barrier WILL help against SHB lavae , as they cannot take the alkaline soil.

but I would use pellet lime , not powdered lime. Most but not all powderd lime is hydrated lime or quick lime, which is why her bees died.

 

[Iddee]

crofter, lime isn't necessarily a poison, but it will heat if it becomes wet. Insect feet and bodies are wet. That's why I like to use it. No poison, but kills insects without damaging the environment, and only when they walk in it.

 

[pistolpete]

I've heard of similar bee poisonings from farmers planting corn or wheat nearby. Apparently pretty much all seed crops these days are treated with nicotine based insecticides (thanks Monsanto) and the dust that results from seeding operations can kill bees. researsh is underway to find better binding agents for said insecticides, but right now we're stuck with this problem.

 

[Slowmodem]

At our last meeting, the state apiarist told us of one beekeeper that keeps 6" of lime all around his hives. His bee yard looks like the moon. But he doesn't have much trouble with SHB.

 

[Nature Coast Beek]

Well I guess I'm a like believer ..

So you think the lime is going to help with the radiation?

 

[tecumseh]

well I don't know Omie... at least in my little world a 'smart person' questions any and all statements no matter what authorities might suggest or state.

and at least it seem to me any connection between radiation in Japan and lime as a shield from this small hazard is a bit of a stretch to say the least.

by your own description the behavior of the bees sounds like one of several virus associated with varroa. if so the lime may be a humane way of killing the afflicted quickly.

 

[jb63]

Your friend should visit this forum.Then if she has a new technique for radiation abatement, she can run it up the flag pole here first.This is the friendliest forum .

 

[Gypsi]

ok, so I have carpenter ants living in/on the bee tree in the garden, farming aphids on my 2 year old grapevine.

And I have bees freshly moved into the old bee tree stump (it is so pretty I kept it) would dusting lime on the ground be a good way to kill the ants but not the bees? The bees are using the front door.

and radiation is not going to be blocked by lime...

 

[Iddee]

Lime for the grape vines and cinnamon for the stump.

 

[Gypsi]

Carpenter ants ate part of my front porch framing last year before I managed to get them out. I have a neighbor who is a tree trimmer and provides them adequate food in his fenced "dump lot that is about 1/3 to 2/3 acres", and provides us with plenty of carpenter ants. Found them in the hives in the apiary yesterday evening too. I'd forgotten about cinnamon.
And lime for the grapevine? May not need it, if I get rid of the ants, the aphids can be squished and don't return. Thank you.

 

[reidi_tim]

So you think the lime is going to help with the radiation?

Not for radiation but for ground cover

 

[Slowmodem]

As a former nuclear power plant worker, I can say with certainty there are only three things to reduce radiation exposure: Time, Distance, and Shielding.

If you reduce your time around radiation, you reduce exposure.
As you increase your distance from radiation, your exposure decreases exponentially.
Shielding is not practical, as it takes lead or concrete or massive amounts of water.

[/nuclear lesson]