# Salvaging and Storing Damaged Frames



## KQ6AR (May 13, 2008)

If the frames got slimed the honey probably isn't even usable. The beetles can do a lot of damage.
Depending on the amount of damage, & slime. you might be better of cutting all the wax out, & starting over. I think it really depends on the extent of the damage.
We don't have beetle problems where I live, but I've read a lot about them.


----------



## dlobb (Jun 19, 2011)

Thanks Dan. If I learn anything in the process, I'll report back.

Daniel


----------



## fish_stix (May 17, 2009)

As Dan stated above, if the frames were slimed the bees probably will not use them again. Last year after an extraction we placed supers out for the bees to clean up. SHB got into them heavy. We washed all the frames in a solution of bleach water and rinsed well with clean water. That was over a year ago and the bees have still not used those frames, they just remain empty. It's worth a try at cleaning them if you didn't get too bad a sliming, but don't be surprised to find the bees not using them. This is by far the worst of the pests we have in FL! Varroa doesn't come close to SHB.


----------



## david lloyd (Oct 1, 2010)

SHB is a fact of life here. I hose the frames down, freeze them in a large chest freezer in my honey house to kill any larvae then put them back in the boxes and have never had problems with the bees not reusing them. It is the yeast the SHB introduces that causes the slimming and the larvae destroying the cells that makes the bees give up on a badly infected hive.


----------



## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

Fire works well. That's what I do w/ most of my damaged frames.


----------



## WPG (Mar 28, 2010)

Build yourself a solar wax melter and reclaim the wax before destroying or cleaning the frames.

There is value in the wax.

Goodluck


----------



## dlobb (Jun 19, 2011)

What do you all mean by "slimed"? Some of the pollen frames do seem to have sort of an oily looking coating... Is that what you mean?

All of this info is really helpful.


----------



## bwhitecpa (Jul 30, 2008)

Try putting the slimed frames on a fire-ant bed (if you have them in NC), they will pick them clean! They won't do much for cleaning up the webbing from wax moth damange, but they will eat the WM larvae (which makes me smile, in a sadistic way).


----------

