. Take a look at commercial bee operations. Not all, but many have supers that look like trash, frames a hobbyist would throw away, and cobbled together equipment. It is hard to make a living with bees and that is how commercial beekeepers survive.
It maybe hard for commercials to make a living at bees in a commercial operation, However, most commercials i know practice comb removal. 2 frames for each brood box per year. We know that clean comb makes for healthy bees, and we know that frames with unuseable comb, or comb that has alot of drone comb in it represents $ lost.
We also know the money we can get back from a renedering company for these dark, drone laden, unproductive frames.
As well, ones who raise and sell nucs will pull out frames and then replace with clean comb or foundation.
On an average year I ship out two to three oil drum pallets per year of frames that are stacked five feet high. Get a pretty penny for them too.
Practicing comb removal is something alot of commercials do...
...frames are cheap insurance for healthy bees