If the bottom box is empty (likely this time of year) I would pull it and clean it all up. Drawing comb is what bees do. It is not "stress" it is what they do...
Replacing Old Comb
My bees overwintered in a standard set-up of deep brood chamber and deep food chamber. The lower deep is a tangled mess of old comb in frames without foundation. It's simply impossible to do an inspection without causing major damage. The food chamber, however, is in great shape. Several folks have suggested that I reverse the hive bodies and replenish the now upper chamber with new frames of foundation. I would really love to have easier inspections this year, but I want to do what's best for the bees. I'm so relieved they made it through a very tough KY winter! Would it be too stressful to have them begin spring by drawing out 10 frames? Thanks.
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Hello, I don't have bees yet and have a zillion questions. I bought an old beehive box at an auction, and the first thing I need to do is clean it up before I even think about getting bees. What products should I use to make sure it is clean?
I'm not much for buying equipment where I can't talk to the previous owner... if I bought an old box, the first thing I would examine is the comb and look for evidence of AFB. Scale in the bottom of cells would be very suspicious. The nearest you can come to "making sure it is clean" is to scorch the inside of the box and burn the frames... I often buy used equipment and use it, but I usually talk to the owner and get an idea of what happened to the previous occupants of the hive... try a search on beesource for things like "used equipment" for discussions on the topic.
Koopa:
Yes, if they're in the top box and the bottom box is empty, just take that box off completely and let box #2 become the new #1, then you can put fresh foundation in a box above that. I would definitely keep the crazy messed up comb however, because it would be very useful for swarm traps.
Deborah:
At the very least I would burn the frames and then wash the box down with a bleach solution. I don't think its overly likely that its all infected with anything, but better safe than sorry.
Yes, if they're in the top box and the bottom box is empty, just take that box off completely and let box #2 become the new #1, then you can put fresh foundation in a box above that. I would definitely keep the crazy messed up comb however, because it would be very useful for swarm traps.
Deborah:
At the very least I would burn the frames and then wash the box down with a bleach solution. I don't think its overly likely that its all infected with anything, but better safe than sorry.
That's great news. I'll get it done ASAP. Should I supplement with sugar syrup in this situation?
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