[TurtleSpider]

I have one frame with mould/mildew. No eggs and no honey in that frame. What should I do?

We had a dreadful summer, record dry for this area, record breaking heat, weeks of thick choking smoke from nearby bushfires. The hive went into winter with few stores and not a lot of workers. One frame on the edge of the brood box was completely empty, the second frame had honey, the third had brood.

It is the beginning of spring, the weather was warm so I opened the hive today and noticed the empty frame is now covered in white mould/mildew. The queen is present and laying well, the number of workers is low but the hive has a good amount of honey and pollen and brood, the hive is starting to make drone brood, and generally looks like we are a lot further through winter than it is. The hive has a mesh base so ventilation should not be too much of an issue.

Should I remove the frame and freeze it? Or should I leave it in the hive and let the bees clean it up? If I leave it, should I swap its position? I would love to hear your suggestions.

 

[little_john]

I get the odd mildewed comb from time to time - I just leave 'em where they are, and the bees clean them up and re-use them as and when they need them.
LJ

 

[bushpilot]

You can leave it as LJ says, or you can spray it with water to wash it out, and then let it dry. I have a nozzle on my hose that has a spray pattern like a shower, and it does a real nice job without damaging comb.

I have done both, and they both work out fine.

 

[Nicksotherhoney]

Cut the mold out of the frame..Bess will rebuild.. or let them clean it.

 

[JWPalmer]

Agree with the others. Mold is not a big issue. But, if there was pollen on the frames that got funky, I would wash it out. I soaked some really nasty super frames in an ice chest full of water and some bleach. After rinsing and drying, they were ready to store.

 

[Akademee]

I find mold happens when bees can't patrol certain areas. If you are noticing mold, it probably means they have too much space and not enough bees. Try reducing the space in the hives if you can, they will clean up the mold.

 

[Honeyeater]

I was reading on this topic of mould the other day and apparently one of the moulds often found in hives is Penicillium waksmanii which can actually inhibit the growth of certain bacteria, including AFB.

 

[TurtleSpider]

Thank you for the replies!

I did swap the position of that frame before asking on the forum. I figured the bees would need to go past the dirty frame to get to the frame of honey. I didn't have many bees in that hive but there is a lot of capped worker brood so that should be fixed soon. It was pretty nasty, so I was worried that it would take the bees a long time to clean it.

I opened up the hive yesterday, all the visible mould was gone. The frame is completely clean, had I not seen it I never would have known it ever had any mould.

 

[JWPalmer]

Aren't bees amazing? When presented with a problem, they work together to fix it. A little teamwork and it is as if the problem never existed. Glad that things worked out .