Treatment of frames after wax moth

[pukakoe]

moved this from the Beekeeping 101

Newbie question about the wax moths.

So.... if you had wax moths and then you stored the frames in the freezer to kill everything, what do you do to the frames afterwards?
Do scrape everything off the foundation?
Do you give them a quick brush to try and not disturb the comb?
Do you replace the foundation with clean new foundation??

thanks,
Geoff

[Pete0]

Drawn comb is one of our greatest assets. If the comb is salvagable then I would make every attempt to use it. Clean off the moth webbing as best you can and cut away any cocoons or dead larva. The bees will clean it up but help them out as much as you can. Even giving them back a half a frame of drawn comb gives them a head start.

Good Luck

Pete0
Bena, VA

[CSbees]

Put the frames in a strong hive come the end of February and stimulate feed them. They will cut out all wax moth debris and repair all the comb in no time. Did you try to store without para-moth? I myself do not use this cancer causer myself. Just curious.

[pukakoe]

I just picked these up from someone that was downsizing and they were stored in "warmer" garage. I have had them outside at -2 to -4 for the last 3 days.

I will try to "clean" up the webbing and see how it goes.

Thanks you for the responses.

Geoff

[Michael Bush]

>So.... if you had wax moths and then you stored the frames in the freezer to kill everything, what do you do to the frames afterwards?

If it's all webs, scrap it. If there are only one or two tunnels through it, I'd let the bees fix it.

>Do scrape everything off the foundation?

If it's plastic and it's all full of webs, yes.

>Do you give them a quick brush to try and not disturb the comb?

What are you brushing? Bees have no trouble getting dirt and feces off. They do have trouble getting webs off.

>Do you replace the foundation with clean new foundation??

Is it plastic or wax? If it's wax and they have really torn it up there is no foundation. If it's plastic, I'd brush it off and give it back.

[HarryVanderpool]

If it's plastic scrape the frame clean.
Do you have acsess to a pressure washer?
Lay the frames on a board, hold them in place with your boot and blast away.
They will look almost like new.
Reuse them when a big flow is on.
No need to coat with wax.