how to clean my 2nd hand super frames

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bbadger07

House Bee
Joined
Aug 31, 2010
Messages
174
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0
Location
Barnoldswick, lancashire
Hive Type
Commercial
Number of Hives
3 colonies
just a start to say again thanks for all your help and support so far it is much appreciated. I have two more topics on which i would really appreciate some advice.

Firstly I bought a load of 2nd hand supers some of which have old frames with foundation off my mentor so i know the source but how do i get the frames into a clean state. Some have just drawn foundation which is straight forward but some have slight capped and crystalised combs. (picture attached, please excuse the grotty skirting boards its been taken in my front room which is my den/toolroom)

Now my mentor says i can put them in next year and the bees will clean em up and re-use, so my question to everyone is, "is this the norm, or should I clean em right back and re set foundation and be dammed".

And one final question ive got a couple of uncapped super frames with honey in which is all i got this season as they were new colonies, my understanding to get the honey out i would have to "scrape em back, put it in some kind of jelly bag and drain in a warmish oven"....

Oh i do apologies for sounding dumb but this forum is a really good help and again i really appreciate members adding their thoughts to my problems.

kind regards

MB
 
if you really trust the source of the old frames you could just put them together with your uncapped honey frames into a super above an empty super above the crown board and let the bees take the honey down for the winter and clean all up in process.
 
thats sounds like a good solution, i would really like the bit of new uncapped honey meself,

thanks for youre reply
 
Freebies are always tempting esp in Yorkshire but are you certain of their disease status, it could be an expensive bargain in the longer term? Source and status are not necessarily the same thing.

I'd be tempted to clean with a blow torch but not stop! You have the 2011 early season ahead of you and the girls will readily draw fresh foundation in new clean frames.
 
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Considering the cost, I'm suprised some people just dont buy new ones.
 
And one final question ive got a couple of uncapped super frames with honey in which is all i got this season as they were new colonies, my understanding to get the honey out i would have to "scrape em back, put it in some kind of jelly bag and drain in a warmish oven"....
MB

Hack it off with a spoon back to the foundation and pile it in a sieve over a bowl. Only put it in the oven if you have to- heating reduces the quality. Most should come out overnight, the last bit will take days. Worth the wait though! :)
 
melt the wax, burn the frames, clean and torch the super, buy a new set of frames and foundation - job done. But that would be my solution for the problem.

LAuri
 
Scrape carefully (as long as there are no cappings intact), with something like a S/S paint scraper, back to the mid-rib and separate, with warming, by gravity filtering through a fine sieve. Further finer filtering, if necessary, through a small filter sock.

Your honey may need using fairly quickly if the water content is too high, or it may ferment. Heat treatment would kill off the yeasts but it would likely impair the honey quality; ensuring the water was removed (down to a suitable level) is another better option if you are able to measure the water content.

Regards, RAB
 
You should never trust second hand frames.
I repeat the advice given above, burn the lot.
Ruary
 
The frames look ok
. I would dump all the wax - scrape all the frames after dismantling where pos- then boil them all in water. I am lucky enough to have found an old Burco boiler (£1 from scrap dealer). This sterilises the wood. Job done. I dont care if the frames came from your best friend... never use another colonies wax and food content- not worth the risk.
 
well they came with the supers i think i will over winter em on top of crownboard and see if the girld clean up em some
 
well they came with the supers i think i will over winter em on top of crownboard and see if the girld clean up em some

Well the advise to get rid of is about 90% of posts so far. Add mine to it.

Why ask if you had your mind made up?
 
well they came with the supers i think i will over winter em on top of crownboard and see if the girld clean up em some

Well, I'll try one more time then give up and leave you to it!
You have a potential disease vector you cannot validate, do you want to risk you colony for a few frames and foundation, the fact it is drawn is accademic. the super you can scorch, but not frames and of course not the foundation. If you leave a hole in the crown board with these on top for the winter then you are giving the girls a massive extra area to keep warm. This is a no,no proposal on several levels. No one is always right, often there can be multiple solutions as well. You dont have to accept any advice given on a forum, but it would be nice to see some recognition you have considered it, why else should we waste our time posting for you?

:mad:
 
no im i guess a shall go with the majority, ive got more new super frames no, it just seemed a waste to a newbie like me but i will go with poll opion
 
no i definately go with the majority and get shut of the frames and scorch the supers, flippin eck they only cost a tenner each, i will take the advice, thanks everyone putting me in the right direction
 
If it wasn't for the fact that the frames came from your mentor I would say get rid of them (and not to another beekeeper!). However over a crown board with porter bee escape removed will allow the uncapped honey to be drawn down to the colony underneath. It can then be stored for next year. Fumigate with Acetic Acid - be careful though - it's not to be breathed in!
 
As Hebeegeebee, but only if they were used by your mentor and you acquired your bees from the your mentor, otherwise as the majority.

Don't know about commercial frame costs but shallow national would be little more than a pound a frame (with foundation), if that.

RAB
 
thats exactly it the equipment and bees are all from the same source, thats what makes me drift from the majority. Ive seen all equipment been stored.

thanks for youre response.

MB
 
Boil the frames in washing soda. A few minutes dip and they come up good as new. The boiling sterilises them and the washing soda removes all the wax and propolis. If you have ten frames for a small outlay on soda and power you have saved yourself £10. I did 40 frames last Sunday. I did not believe the club members when they said how well thay cleaned up. Our club even has a boiler that they loan out for this purpose.
 

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