Pressure washing around bees?

[beewitch]

Hi all -
I'm about to have my house painted and my hives are not far from the back of my house.  They could get some of the spray residue...
Can you advise anything re formula's for pressure washing that are OK to be used around my girls?  My painter is asking should he just use water or can he use a Chlorox mix of 1 part chlorine to 3 parts water?  Any other do's or don'ts?
Thanks!

[Michael Bush]

>My painter is asking should he just use water or can he use a Chlorox mix of 1 part chlorine to 3 parts water?

That's pretty high.  Higher than you would use to wash clothes by a long shot... Bees seem fond of swimming pool water and it does no apparent harm (although it may mess with the microbes in the hives).  I would guess if you don't exceed the concentration typically used in a pool it shouldn't hurt the bees any.

[iddee]

At that concentration, I wouldn't stand in the yard myself. At one cup to 5 gal. water, I would think it safe.

If only a few hives were involved, I would think about leaning 2 sheets of plywood over each hive to make a tent like covering over them. Once the spray has fallen, there should be no problem. I would also mow any blooming clover , etc. and cover any blooming flowers or shrubs until the spray had settled.

[Steel Tiger]

I would cover the hives with a tarp or plywood.  I wouldn't worry too much about mowing, it's really up to you. Once he's done, take a hose and spray the area for a few minutes to dilute it more. The chlorine will be completely gone the next day.