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TZBZ New Bee
Joined: 05 Dec 2016 Posts: 6 Location: Minnesota, USA
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Posted: Sat Apr 22, 2017 6:43 pm Post subject: Mold |
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I have opened up my bee hives which were empty of bees all winter and some of the top of the frames have a light dusting of mold on them and the pollen that had been in the comb has a white layer of mold on top of them. It looks unsightly - is it harmful to bees? Should I try to remove it? If I catch a swarm and put them in, would they be able to clean off the mold, or is it better to have everything without mold?
Most importantly, how can I avoid this in the future. I am using plastic foundation - is that the problem?
Thanks in advance for your time. |
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Barbara Site Admin
Joined: 27 Jul 2011 Posts: 1857 Location: England/Co.Durham/Ebchester
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Posted: Sat May 13, 2017 4:24 pm Post subject: |
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Hi
Sorry for the delayed reply. I only just saw this post.
I find that bees manage very well to clean up mouldy comb and remove spoiled pollen.
That said, I would very strongly urge you to get rid of your plastic foundation and allow your next bees to build natural comb to their own size and specification. Natural comb has a mixture of cell sizes, not just bigger drone and honey cells but also a variation in worker's cell sizes. Confining them to a uniform cell size with foundation is not healthy in my opinion and plastic does not buffer moisture like natural comb.
I'm assuming this is a Langstroth hive?
I would strip out the comb and plastic foundation and use starter strips in the frames to give the bees a guide to build from.
Good luck catching a swarm.
Regards
Barbara |
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MikeRobinson Foraging Bee
Joined: 01 Apr 2012 Posts: 201 Location: Upper Northwest Georgia, USA
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Posted: Tue Jun 06, 2017 2:33 pm Post subject: |
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If you are re-activating a hive that has been empty, you should scrub it thoroughly with soap and water, and with any other cleaning agent (white vinegar is a good choice) that will reliably remove the mold, dirt, dust, etc.
Allow the wood to dry thoroughly in the sun before putting bees into it.
When I am storing an empty hive, I store it open so that air can freely circulate and moisture doesn't so easily build up. Then, I let it sit outside in the direct sun for a couple days.
I applied Thompson's Water Seal to surfaces, when first constructing the hives. This has the added advantage of essentially eliminating mold, because moisture doesn't accumulate in the wood. |
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