# Mold



## Ravenseye (Apr 2, 2006)

Unless it's very, very thick I just let the bees clean it up and all is well. I suppose you could get rid of the comb and scrub the frames (vinegar would be safe but I don't think you need to do that) but it seems like overkill. I've seen some frames that were nothing but mold and those I pulled but what you're describing is stuff the bees will clean for you.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

>My hive got mites late last fall.

Your hive always had mites up until the bees died.


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## Sky (Jul 7, 2015)

Michael Bush said:


> >My hive got mites late last fall.
> 
> Your hive always had mites up until the bees died.


LOL... reality is harsh.... 

Kyle, I am up north of you a ways - every year I end up with some deadout frames that look the same - the bees will take care of that for you - if it makes you feel better, you can vacuum some of the fuzz off the combs, as long as your combs are not full of wax worms you should be ok to reuse them. Since you left them out over winter, and we're in the NW, expect to find a shiny dry film over the combs - dehydrated slug slime (don't get it wet) ! it's dry and flakes off easily- use a dry rag or brush and wipe all that off... my bees tend to avoid areas covered with it if I leave it behind...
You could clean the frames, but that is a lot of effort and not really necessary (well scrape the old chunks off) the bees will come along and re-clean or seal anything they want to use anyway.


Sky


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## orthoman (Feb 23, 2013)

I have had similar experiences and our climate is similar. They will clean up the mold but what do they do with it?

I have soaked the frames and comb in a chlorox solutions and let it dry -- this helps a little and the bees didn't seem to mind - however, I really don't like it in my hives. So, if it is really heavy, I get rid of the foundation and comb, soak the frame in chlorox and then give them new foundation. Run the old stuff through the solar melter this summer.

Its up to you


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## orthoman (Feb 23, 2013)

duplicate post


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

>They will clean up the mold but what do they do with it?

Well, if it's blue, it's penicillin... no reason to believe it's a problem. They just haul it out.


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## orthoman (Feb 23, 2013)

Michael Bush said:


> >They will clean up the mold but what do they do with it?
> 
> Well, if it's blue, it's penicillin... no reason to believe it's a problem. They just haul it out.


I'd like to believe that but I don't. And if someone is allergic to penicillin and it's not hauled out?


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

I'm allergic to penicillin. I let the bees clean up any such problems. I've never had a problem. Bees are very meticulous. All those tiny bits of mold are huge items to them.


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## JWChesnut (Jul 31, 2013)

It takes an act of confidence to add water-mold affected frames back to a hive. However, the bees clean up the frames quickly and completely. 

Last week, I added a 10 frame deep to the top of a hive stack. It was fuzzy with blue mold due to a leaky top cover feeder hole. I inspected today, and every frame was a glowing, shining waxy brown color, bees were busy backfiling the spring nectar into the center 3 frames.

I use those cleaned up frames into nucs, the nectar gets consumed and rearranged in the nuc. Adding the boxes to a strong stack provides "cleaning and polishing" service before they go into the nuc splits.

I overstack strong hives in the warm spring (80 F here this week) to store boxes and avoid wax moth explosion. As the winter shifts to spring and temperatures warm up, brood comb that was safely stored outside is suddenly at risk to be moth-eaten. The live-hive storage boxes get pulled off and repurposed weekly.

There is a disease risk in cycling boxes through the same hive, but very careful inspection reduces my concern. The nucs build quickly when the combs are already cleaned and nectar filled.


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## rixon.kyle (Apr 13, 2015)

Here are some pics of the mold.







I've ordered 3 Nucs for this spring. Hoping I'm not going to have to replace all my frames.


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## Ravenseye (Apr 2, 2006)

I wouldn't think twice about letting the bees clean them up. Not for a second.


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## rixon.kyle (Apr 13, 2015)

So does that mean yes let them do it, or no and clean it before I put the bees in? 

If i need to clean it...
Can I save the parts with honey, for the bees to eat? 
What do I clean the frames with?


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## Vance G (Jan 6, 2011)

The bees will clean it up. They live in soggy hollow trees. They understand cleaning mold.


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## Ravenseye (Apr 2, 2006)

Yes, let them do it.


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## squarepeg (Jul 9, 2010)

since the microbiology of the hive isn't well understood it's just as plausible that the mold might be providing something beneficial to the colony.


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## Tejones121 (Apr 28, 2015)

Not sure of your hive setup, but you may want to shim up the cover and open the entrance to allow more air to circulate through the hive. This may help slow the spread of the mold and mildew until you get the next batch of bees in there. I'm sure swarms move into places just like this all the time and clean them up.


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## EastSideBuzz (Apr 12, 2009)

squarepeg said:


> since the microbiology of the hive isn't well understood it's just as plausible that the mold might be providing something beneficial to the colony.


No it does not provide any usefulness. They just don't complain in a way you understand.


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## crocodilu911 (Apr 17, 2015)

do not worry. just let the bees clean it. if you install a new package on those frames, i would give them sugar syrop to stimulate the cleaning process. you can add vinegar in small dosage in the sugar syroup. it kills mold and bacteria and does not hurt the bees. i mean like a 1/16 of a cup to 1 gallon , of regular store bought honey vinegar or white vinegar. ( i use apple vinegar myself but if i could get honey vinegar i would). vinegar in the syroup also helps with the bees intestinal problems like nosema in spring. i always use that in spring feedings. 
if you do not like the frames, i will buy them from you 




rixon.kyle said:


> My hive got mites late last fall. All the bees died. I left the remaining comb and honey on the frames and in the hive out in my backyard. This week we have had a few nice days here in WA and so I went out and looked at the hive to make sure it was in good condition for a new batch of bees this spring. When I opened it up, I found quite a bit of blue-ish/gray-ish/white-ish mold on almost every frame, and even on the comb, along with some black mildew/mold looking stuff on the wood inside the boxes. I can blow on the mold and it flies off (not completely) like dust. At this point I am assuming the mold is a result of leaving the hive outside in the cold/moisture of the WA winter.
> 
> Here are my questions:
> 1) What do I use to clean the mold off the frames and comb?
> ...


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## tonysea (Jan 22, 2014)

I did a cutout last summer,rubberbanded some brood and stores to ritecell and filled the rest of the box with frames that looked like yours,they had them ship shape within a week.


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## ericweller (Jan 10, 2013)

orthoman said:


> I have soaked the frames and comb in a chlorox solutions and let it dry -- this helps a little and the bees didn't seem to mind - however, I really don't like it in my hives. So, if it is really heavy, I get rid of the foundation and comb, soak the frame in chlorox and then give them new foundation. Run the old stuff through the solar melter this summer.


I had some frame get slimed by SHB and tried cleaning them with water. A lot of the frames were ruined as a result. The glue (Titebond) holding the frames together weakened considerably and they were wobbly and certain to come apart if I used them in the hives. No, they weren't soaked but hit with a standard hose nozzle and left to dry.
I no longer use water to clean up frames.


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## tazke (Mar 23, 2015)

ericweller said:


> I had some frame get slimed by SHB and tried cleaning them with water. A lot of the frames were ruined as a result. The glue (Titebond) holding the frames together weakened considerably and they were wobbly and certain to come apart if I used them in the hives. No, they weren't soaked but hit with a standard hose nozzle and left to dry.
> I no longer use water to clean up frames.


Do you use titebond ii or titebond iii?
I use TB iii and have dunked frames in warm water and never had a problem


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## ericweller (Jan 10, 2013)

TiteBond II


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