Replacing wet supers after extraction

[Saffabee]

Morning

I am in my second year and have two hives one of which is filling supers at a good rate. I have extracted one super this week and will be giving it back to the hive to clean up and repair, I also have all the capping's which I have seen people in our association put in a feeder that bees can have access to and they clean up the capping's too, my question is do the bees recycle wax, would they use old wax to repair the super or do they just discard it and produce new? I have read on the net that some people have seen recycling and wondered if anyone else had seen this.

My supers wax frames are damaged quiet a bit while i was getting the hang of the uncapping knife, the kitchen looked worse at the end though, the kids still stick to the surfaces!!

 

[Tom Bick]

If you place the super back on the hive the bees will repair the damage and will probably start to refill the super for you, depending on how long you leave it on the hive will determine how full it will get. Half filled supers at the end of the year are great for winter feed when late in the season placed under the broods.

It has been shown in the past that bees move wax around the hive so probably reuse it but it may be easier for them to use their own when the time and conditions are right. I don't know if they would take wax from a feeder as they may not consider it as not part of the hive.

 

[Finman]

It has been shown in the past that bees move wax around the hive so probably reuse it but .

Usually pieces of wax are rubbish to bees and they carry them out.

I spray a little bit water on extracted combs. So it is easier to clean the combs. Otherwise bees start to carry water outside.

 

[itma]

Best to return the extracted frames/boxes (and cappings feeder) to the hives in early evening.
Helps prevent robbing getting started.

"Cappings wax" is the highest quality wax you will get. If nothing else, just store it once the bees have picked it over until you have enough to be worthwhile and have learned what you can do with it (things to do in midwinter!)
A well-sealed plastic bucket is appropriate for storage. Try your local poundshops, or else "30 lb honey buckets" are under £2 each from Paynes.

 

[enrico]

Or......use a heat gun to 'pop' the cappings, that way there is no mess and no quandary over what to do with them. No kids sticking to the surfaces, started using one after twenty seven years three years ago and wondered why I had never used one before!
E

 

[Madge]

After the bees have picked clean the cappings in a feeder, they do start to re-use the wax, but in the feeder. They start building intricate little structures there, but of no use to the bees.

 

[Saffabee]

Thanks for the reply, yep will leave it on and hopefully they will fill it again as the flow seems to be on at the moment. As for the capping's good suggestion about doing it at dusk and will keep them once they have cleaned them so that I can exchange for wax foundation when I get round to melting it down one day

 

[fiftyjon]

.... As for the capping's good suggestion about doing it at dusk and will keep them once they have cleaned them so that I can exchange for wax foundation when I get round to melting it down one day

You can use cappings wax for candles and cosmetics, it has more value than just wax exchange.

see post #4 from ITMA.

 

[Cazza]

As for the capping's good suggestion about doing it at dusk and will keep them once they have cleaned them so that I can exchange for wax foundation when I get round to melting it down one day

I've been waiting for "one day" for rather a large number of years now. How long before wax goes off?

Cazza

 

[enrico]

I've been waiting for "one day" for rather a large number of years now. How long before wax goes off?

Cazza

Today if you put it in the microwave and wait for the. BANG,

 

[alldigging]

I've been waiting for "one day" for rather a large number of years now. How long before wax goes off?

Cazza

Wax moths are the biggest threat I think.
Freeze and bag really well so they can't get in.

 

[Headnavigator]

Out of interest only - have seen a local bee farmer place samples of coloured wax (dyed for beeswax candles) in hives. The coloured wax has reappeared a short while later incorporated into comb they are building. Suggests that recycling takes place. (And it looked quite pretty!)

 

[Swarm]

I always drop any small bits of burr between the seams for the bees to recycle.

 

[Tom Bick]

Just to point out the obvious...........foundation