[cconnell]

Hi all. I'm beginning to go through my equipment now that spring is near. I have around 50 or 60 frames that were damaged in a bear attack last year. Most of the wooden ware is reusable. But the plastic foundation is a mess. Dirt, gravel, and dead grass was ground into the foundation. Much of the comb (some with pollen) was flattened and squashed into the plastic cells. I've had the frames in brood boxes and stacked up on my back porch; bees regularly visited the stack last year, so much of the honey has been removed, which is a plus.

So what's the best procedure? How much crushed comb and dirt will the bees tolerate? Is washing the best idea? Or scraping? The foundation is a combination and Dadant and Acorn double wax, if that matters at all. I'd appreciate knowing what's worked for others.

 

[crofter]

Pressure washer does a good job. They can be rented if you dont have accesss to one.

You should do a rewaxing to get the comb redrawn. Kamon Reynolds has a good video of rewaxing making good mileage out of the wax.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6urrht0Falk

 

[JWPalmer]

Yep, scrape the frames, render the wax, and watch Kamon's video. He puts it on lighter than I do with good results. As far as cleaning, once scraped, a bucket of warm water, soap, and a scub brush have worked for me. I am not sure renting a pressure washer for 50 - 60 pieces of foundation would be worth it after labor too. I did about 30 wax moth damaged comb on plastic foundations earlier this year.

 

[cconnell]

Thanks for the replies. I was hoping not to scrape but that looks like the best thing.

 

[Ravenseye]

Yes, pressure washer is good. If your bees don't like bare foundation then you'll have to re-wax. It can be a chore. And if you toss it, it's plastic so try to recycle. If you re-use the frames during a strong flow you'll likely get them built out better.