Good news is my bees are going crazy this year.
I robbed some supers and did not put a couple back on the hives but cut the wax off back down to foundation for next year.
I was going to store them but noticed that mold set up in the foundation where pollen had been plus the bees started back up with the new flow.
What do you do?
Throw plastic sheet away and buy more
Run them thru the dishwasher and re-wax them for future use
If they clean up how would you rewax them at home?
I don't even clean them up much. I've had some made very nasty by SHB and moths, I just scrape them off, and rub wax all over them. The bees finish cleaning them up and rebuild the cells.
My wax is reclaimed from cappings and in small blocks about an inch thick. I soften the wax with a torch, but not to the melting point.
I just scrape them down. I have an old crock pot with wax and a mini paint roller. Put thin coat on the foundation and your done. Try to avoid putting wax on too heavy so that it fills the cell base.
never ever ever put bee stuff in your dishwasher. even a little wax will make a mess of it. for really nasty ones i pressure wash them clean and put away till next use. i've never added wax.
Is that what you do to your suppers during the fall? Remove the wax, wash and store for the winter?
Last year I just let the bees clean up the frames and stored them in a plastic bag but did not have any pollen and such stored.
Badly drawn/drone on worker, smashed, really old, badly infested, yes. After scraping down and adding to melt, I scrub off what I can with a stiff brush and then roll on a new skim of melted capping wax.
I have a basement sink with a sprayer. I have, in the past, used it to remove the fermented nectar and other nastiness.
Then I set it on the ground outside and the ants clean out any remaining biological matter. I have reused them in hives without issue.
Since it appears that pesticides build up in the wax, I would also assume that it build up in the plastic. Therefore we replace with new foundation, tested bt Dadant.
Let the bees take care of them. Unfortunately and ultimately, you have to deal with that plastic you bought and are responsible for. Plastic has consequences in the long term.
If you don't have a pressure washer the next best thing is a roll of quarters and a car wash. I re-rinse when I get back home just because I don't know what kind of anti-spotting additives might be in the car wash rinse.
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