Meh, moldy frames in a beehive. I guess the online sources say it's no problem and the bees will clean it out, but I think we'll just compost these. #beekeeping
@smitty LOL we're running down on our 2023 honey stores now... will see how 2024 goes. That reminds me, I need to check the mead brewing in the backyard (it's happily aging in the brewing fridge)!
@mlanger Thanks!! The foundation is fine for sure... It's an empty hive and trying to convince a swarm to move in, but they do seem to avoid the mold there. I may have to shift those to a bigger hive for cleaning... but, we current have plenty of waxed frames, so no loss if we compost this stuff.
You know you can use the crap that comes off the top when you melt it to make campfire/fireplace fire starters, right? Scoop it into cardboard egg cartons using a slotted spoon. There should be enough wax that goes with it to help it burn.
@mlanger Thanks! Yeah, actually one of the folks where we host hives has been using the crappy wax for that. I didn't know the cardboard egg carton trick, that is FABULOUS!!
@ai6yr mine are a little moldy as well. Always a tough call on what they can clean without slowing them down in the spring vs what should just be scraped.
@brianb The big active hives seem to be good at keeping this at bay... the small ones do not; in this case these were in an empty box we are baiting, so they're coming out.
@ai6yr I know less than nothing about bees but a question - does the mold actually provide some important or missing nutrient or otherwise impart some benefit to the bees that we aren’t aware of? Thinking back to evolution (sorry I’m not a god created the earth in 7 days guy) - does mold often occur in the wild for bees, say during change of seasons or time of threat/distress (floods?). Nature is amazing and just wondering if its actually something they’ve evolved to benefit from.
@amart Well, it only occurs in EMPTY hives, the occupied hives don't like mold. And bees foraging won' land on moldy frames. That said, this is penicillin of some sort (for sure -- smells exactly like moldy bread, or also a VERY strong blue cheese).
@amart That said, to your question -- wax moths are a huge pest for beekeepers, but they are ABSOLUTELY necessary for wild beehives... they have evolved to lay eggs and eat VERY DARK, OLD wax that bees do not like. They often will infest the abandoned parts of hives that the bees no longer like because that wax is all old and crappy (it's got dirt and all sorts of other stuff in it), and make that part of the hive liveable again (for a new swarm to move it, etc.).
@mjausson 🤷
Bees will regulate the amount of moisture in a hive to avoid mold; I think this is just a problem with empty hives with no bees keeping house.
These are some kind of penicillin mold... smells EXACTLY like moldy bread. Left a few clean/dry/not moldy frames and baited a hive. Decided it would be better to remove the nasty stuff so the bees are more likely to move in -- I don't think they like to deal with mold, either.
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