[ggoodman]

So we lost our hive to hive beeltes, have gotten bottom board traps and beetle baffles and we are getting another nuk from a friend. Severall of the old hive frames were well drawn and some even loaded with honey. my question is all the frames have been in the freezer for a week now. Can I give the drawn frames to the bees? how about the one's with honey in them. we are getting into our fall flow here soon so i shoulbe be able to get this hive built up before winter comes here in North Florida (January).

 

[ruthiesbees]

I had a 3 frame nuc just a couple of weeks ago get trashed by SHB larvae after it got robbed by a stronger hive. Worker bees crawling on the ground and dead in the hive. Thing smelled horrible. Only one frame was capped brood and it just made my stomach turn. After leaving that frame in the sun for a few hours, I decided I was only allowing the larvae to crawl out onto the ground and I didn't want any more to pupate, so I soaked it in a tub of water. That seemed to drowned all the larvae, but after doing a bit of reading (here somewhere), I read that the slime can cause health problems for humans and it was only one frame, so I decided to throw it out. I don't have an answer for you, but I don't think I'd want my bees eating honey that might have some other stuff in it.

 

[Pete O]

If the foundation or cells were slimed, I wouldn't use them; that contamination will ultimately end up in the honey. If they are clean, go ahead an put them in another hive now that you've frozen them. Let them thaw first.

 

[Pete O]

Forgot to mention that if there are just small areas of damage or contamination, those areas can be scraped off using a melon-baller while they are still frozen. Any residue from that process can be removed with a garden hose.