Using Old Comb

[Jim Ray]

First time post; first time bee keeper!

I have ordered two packages of Italians for my first experience at bee keeping. My father-in-law has given me all his equipment because he's had bad luck on an isolated ranch in dry country and during a five-year drought (Cimmaron County, Oklahoma). His colony was hard hit by the drought. He had been feeding, but his hive had run out of food quicker than he had expected; he lost his bees.

Here is my question. He has advised me to leave the old comb on the frames "to give the new bees a head start." When I look at the frames I see pretty tan comb, but some frames have darker comb. This darker comb has trace amount of webbing, but not major like photos of web moths. Some of the dark comb is very fragile and is full of dark, I'm guessing, pollen, but there may be some mold there.

Does any of this cause concern? Should I scrape off the dark comb? Throw the dark comb frames away? Is keeping comb for the new package bees of any benefit or should I be worried about keeping any (disease, etc.)?

Also, should I conduct the various medicine applications recommended for spring this first go-around or do package bees come "clean" (and treatments can begin in the fall)?

Your advise would be appreciated.

Jim Ray
Canyon, Texas (near Amarillo in the Panhandle)

[brooksbeefarm]

It!s a roll of the dice?Yes drawn comb will give your bees a jump start.The workers will clean it and the queen will start laying.If you hold the dark comb up toward the light and can!t see light through it i!d throw it away the lighter you could use.If you are sure the host bees died of starvation and not AFB or some other virus,then I would use it,but bees are not cheap and foundation isn!t that high.Like I said it!s a roll of the dice.Good luck.Jack

[Jim Ray]

Thanks, Jack. I appreciate it.

[fat/beeman]

I like to use fresh wax and sanatise your box just as a precaution my thoughts. at that time you could also make a dicssion about going small cell.
Don

[Ben Brewcat]

I'd recommend using the comb. It does allow the queen to start laying right away and gives them a head start, and the bees'll clean it up. Freeze the combs if you can to kill moth eggs and larvae for winter storage. But begin feeding and drawing out new comb right away, and gradually rotate out the older comb as they develop new frames. Just rotate older combs to the outside of the broodnest. When they're empty and can be culled cut out the old stuff and put the now-empty frame back in the broodnest (once it's warm enough that this won't chill brood); the bees will re-draw it as foundationless natural comb. This is typically drawn pretty quickly, even faster than with foundation when a flow or feed is on, and also starts the regression to small-cell comb. Even if you're not into the small-cell thing, foundationless is just so EASY that especially with used equipment to rotate out of service it makes all kinds of sense to do.

Welcome to beekeeping!

[Tom G. Laury]

Get yourself some bee instruction literature. You need some background in basics. There are many good reasons why people build bee equipment the way they do. Wired frames, foundation, cell size, has all been tinkered with before and valid conclusions reached. Check out the Hive & the Honeybee, Walter Kelley publications before making choices and your experience will be more rewarding.;)

[brooksbeefarm]

Ben is right about rotating old foundation out,but I would keep the old frames of wax foundation.When you get more experience and want more bees you can use them in swarm traps with lemongrass oil.If you do keep them you will have to protect them from wax moths.(para moth balls or freezer]:thumbsup:Good luck.Jack

[Jim Ray]

Thanks, guys. I have read "Backyard Beekeeping" and "Beekeeping for Dummies". I'm hungry for more.

Based on these comments so far, I am leaning towards freezing the old light colored cone and getting rid of the dark comb that has the fragile section.

When I say fragile, I mean I can it crumbles out very easily when I scratch it with my fingers. Does that description indicate anyting, or that normal where pollen is stored. Again, the contents are dark, but seems to me to be pollen.

[Ravenseye]

Based on these comments so far, I am leaning towards freezing the old light colored cone and getting rid of the dark comb that has the fragile section.


That's exactly what I would do. And, the fragile, crumbling comb is typical of older comb. Over time, it collects all sorts of junk and the mix is less wax and more junk. Yes, there is wax in there, but who knows what else. Good beekeeping includes rotating old comb out of the hive. I pull mine and toss it into the solar wax melter, replacing it with fresh foundation. Damaged comb that is poorly repaired gets pulled as well. Moving old comb to the outside of the brood area until it's clear is good advice as it lets the girls do their thing without too much interference.

[Jim Ray]

Thanks. I like your signature. We have 3 teenage boys, plus a male lab. We also have a female pixie bob. But, more girls around here would be OK. Looks like I am going to get that. :)