Mouldy Frames

[JamezF]

Also found the study he references, but there's no indication of the age of the old comb they tested with and their conclusion is just

These findings suggest that beekeepers should eliminate very old brood combs from their operations​

which isn't entirely helpful.

James

 

[pargyle]

Hi Jeff,Not quite anthropomorphic thinking but I get where your coming from.
I’m all for reusing frames and I’ve just recently re- waxed 2017 frames .
I would allso stick my neck out and say if a colony has mould frames like that there is other issues with the colony .
Phil what’s this three year mantra stuff ? allso is it penicillin growing on pollen frames.

Mould is generally not harmful ... it may not be pencillin that is growing in those frames but it's derived from a mould and actually found that it grew profusely on a canteloupe melon ... I've scraped mould off the edges of bread and I like a good ripe cheese like Gorgonzola which is enhanced with mould.

I have frames that are still in use that are 10 or 12 years old ... I swap them out when the bees stop using them ...or I decide it's time they had a change ...

The BBKA and some others recommend rotating frames out over a three year cycle which I consider nonsense ...

 

[user 6228]

Mould? which one ... There are millions of species, some are pathogens some are food. Some insects(hymenoptera) use moulds to break down plants to make digestable protien and sugars.

 

[Swarm]

Mould is generally not harmful ... it may not be pencillin that is growing in those frames but it's derived from a mould and actually found that it grew profusely on a canteloupe melon ... I've scraped mould off the edges of bread and I like a good ripe cheese like Gorgonzola which is enhanced with mould.

I have frames that are still in use that are 10 or 12 years old ... I swap them out when the bees stop using them ...or I decide it's time they had a change ...

The BBKA and some others recommend rotating frames out over a three year cycle which I consider nonsense ...

I've done the same with bread, cut the mouldy crust off but then I saw a programme about food waste. The little patch of mildew is just a small part of an extensive network throughout the entire slice.

 

[pargyle]

I've done the same with bread, cut the mouldy crust off but then I saw a programme about food waste. The little patch of mildew is just a small part of an extensive network throughout the entire slice.

If it doesn't kill you it's probably good for you !! I didn't know that though ... I might toast it in future before eating it !

 

[JamezF]

What doesn't kill you merely delays the inevitable

James

 

[rolande]

What doesn't kill you merely delays the inevitable

James

It may also reduce the quality of life before the inevitable - a far more concerning thought!

 

[Sutty]

I've just removed a super I nadired to get emptied as it was full of old crystallised honey.
I needed to get rid as the frames were so old they had got brittle/fragile, I think they may be over 25yrs old!
Not sure how much useable wax I'll get out of them.