Old Dry Brittle Comb

[Sundance]

I am working on the aquired hives and supers from last fall.

The drawn comb looks pretty bad. Some is down to the plastic foundation. That I am tearing out for replacement with small cell.

Much is looks OK but is extremely dry and brittle.

Is this worth using?? Or does it need to be replaced.

Lots have old pollen cells. Is this OK? I mean this stuff is probably 5 to 10 years old.

Is wax that old still worth recycling? Or should I toss it?

Thanks

[Sundance]

I already removed the old comb from some very bad frames. It was dusty dry....... very brittle.

[Michael Bush]

Wax is almost always worth recycling. But I sort it into brood and not. The brood comb will not yield very much and it will be dark. The white wax, since it doesn't have cocoons, will yield much more.

The bees will clean it up refurbish it and use it even though it seems brittle now.

[Curry]

Even brand new wax, when left out of a hive, will get real brittle and dry. That's because it's real humid in the hive, which keeps the wax from getting dry. But you can put it in the hive, and the wax will get pliable again, and will be used.

Now, regarding old wax... that's another story. I get rid of old brood comb, just because it builds up disease spores. But if it's not brood comb, I'd reuse it if you're short on drawn comb.

[Sundance]

What about the cells filled with pollen. They are in medium supers. Just leave it there?? Will the bees use the pollen?

[Dave W]

Greetings . . .

I think COLD wax, is brittle. The warmth of the hive (NOT humidity) or any place about 90 degrees, will make "brittle" wax SOFT.

Right?

[Michael Bush]

I don't realy understand what makes older wax papery and brittle. I've always speculated that the wax somehow changes it's structure and crystalized or something. Or possibly there are oils in it that dry out and evaporate. The problem with the "oils" theory is that when you melt that papery wax down it seems very normal again, which brings me back to the crystalization theory.

I'm really not sure. But NEW wax is very soft and pliable. Mature wax is quite strong, not nearly as soft as new wax, but not at all brittle or papery. But older wax gets papery and brittle. You can put it in the hive and it seems to change by the time they fill it. But until they get to working it it seems to stay brittle. So I assume the bees DO something to it.

All I know for sure is they will use it and it seems to work fine when it's all said and done.