new beekeeper needs help

[deggary]

Ok, here goes.

I have recieved lots of bee equipment from a local guy who has kept bees for many years. Up here in Northern Maine, it is just begining our spring. My bees should be arriving tomorow or the next day. Anyway, I just now have had the chance to look over all the wooden ware i have recieved. One thing to keep in mind is that the beekeeper I got this equipment from kills the bees every winter. so....

A lot of the brood boxes has mold on the comb. is this ok?

Also- alot of the honey that was left in the brood boxes has seeped out and flowed down over the comb, making a terrible mess. Can the bees clean this up? It looks so bad, I cannot imgain anything wanting to live in it....makes me want to scrap it all and start from fresh. After looking at the magority of the boxes, I cannot imagin bees having no problem cleaning this up. The honey smells like fermented wine.

Also- One some of the frames is an orange powder. I cannot tell if it is pollen or it is some sort of mold spore. It is an orange/redish powder that looks like sawdust, and it is all over some of the comb.

Many of the frames are just all wet from the fermented honey. Can the bees clean this up with out getting sick? They beekeeper who had had bees forever tells me that the bees will not have a problem cleaning this up, but it does not look like I would want anything living in this. My natural reation is to tear out the infected comb and put in new......

anyone care to comment? thanks in advance.

[hoosierhiver]

it is really amazing how the bees clean all the mess up,the orange stuff could be a kind of mold,the bees will clean it all up, they will us the fermented honey,no problem.you may want to feed them some fumidyl to be safe.the real horrible stuff can be scrapped,scraping off frames with a wire brush works pretty well.making wax and creating comb is hard work for the hive, if the drawn comb is at all salvagable it will be easier on the bees to clean it up than start from scratch.

[Michael Bush]

Without actually seeing it it's hard to say what I would do, but the bees are quite adept at cleaning up messes. My guess is they will clean it up fine.

Honey doesn't ferment unless it gets wet. did these boxes get wet? The mold and fermentation would lead me to believe they did. The bees can eat fermented honey and will actually clean it up also.

[loggermike]

The main problem with the fermented honey is that the bees will fly upside down and bump into things for awhile,but after they sober up they should be fine.
I agree that bees can clean up some awful looking combs very quickly.If it is too bad they will chew it out and rebuild(probably with drone comb).You cant help them with cleaning the comb,it is too delicate an operation.But you can make sure the bottom boards are scraped clean of debris.That will help considerably.
---Mike

[Michael Bush]

>The main problem with the fermented honey is that the bees will fly upside down and bump into things for awhile,but after they sober up they should be fine.

I know you're trying to be funny, but one of the amazing things about bees is they are the only creature known to be able to consume alcohol and not be affected in that way.

[BjornBee]

When I'm plastered on a Saturday night, I think I'm normal and uneffected. I'm sure lots of people feel the same........

[Michael Bush]

Maybe the bee stings have tranfered that power to you. Have you had any of your hives irradiated? Maybe you're turning into that creature that used to be on Walter T. Kelleys catalogs. "Beeman".

[hoosierhiver]

i think alot of us might be making that metamorphosis.if i turn into a giant drone,does that mean i don't have to go to work anymore?

[Michael Bush]

It's a free country. You don't have to go to work now! Of course your creditors may take all of your property...

[hoosierhiver]

no creditors,but there's always the government.

[deggary]

Thanks for all the advice, I feel a little better....

Also, Spell Bee Co screwed up and did not ship my order on the 12th when they were supposed to, now shipping it on the 19th. Guess it gives me more time to worry....thanks again. -deggary

[BULLSEYE BILL]

At least it was the 12th of May and not the 10th of April, and I'm still waiting...
Bill