Why dont you just scrape them off leaving a bit of the wax on them for the bees to restart the next lot of cells? the bees are masters at cleaning up old frames or in this case dead out frames. Its no trouble for them to do all that work for you. There doesnt appear to be any wax moth infestation and even if there was you would take those and put them into the freezer and freeze them killing all the larve. then take them out and give them a scrape but leave some of the wax for them as a foundation to build more quickly off of. naked plastic foundation is not as easy to build comb on compared to waxed plastic foundation. You made so much work for yourself and the bees my man. All you needed to do is scrape them and reuse. Oh and if you must wash them you must make absolutely certain you get ALL the soap rinsed off or it will kill your bees. The surfactant in soap is a killer to bees. If you want to kill a hive quickly just pour soapy water on the hive. Bees die instantly. This is how to euthanize a hive without using chemicals or poisons. Professional bee keepers who hire their bees out to farmers as pollinators have to make sure that the farms they take their bees to dont use surfactants in their chemicals to protect their crops from pests or in the herbicides they use so the bee keeper doesnt wind up with major hive losses. Hope this helps.
I remembered not thinking, I tried to clean the foundations with soft metal brush. It worked ok but never could get the stain off. Soaked and pressure washing is the best but messy.
I am surprised you did not use warm or hot water to get stuff off. I wonder if this would work, certainly for someone who doesn’t have a pressure washer. Or stacking them in the dishwasher and running on a cycle...
Probably would help with hot water. Not a good idea using the washer. It would make a mess and can clog up the drain. The best time to clean these is during summer month where you can leave them out in the sun then you can easily scrap the wax off.
Have you ever tried cleaning up a hive with bees in it? My hive has gotten really dirty on two sides and was wondering what was safe. I was thinking just water and dish soap, keeping the towel pretty dry. Any ideas?
Some of the frames were so infested with so much cocoons that i need to scrap the honey comb off. I guess i can let them clean them off but i some many extra frames that i didn't have the patience. You can soak them 90% water/10% bleach mixed. Then rinse them off then left then air dry. A leaf blower works too. Best way to clean them, is on hot sunny day. When the wax melt, you can gently lift it off the plastic foundations. The melted wax also help coat your plastic foundations at the same time. If you see some reusable drawn out comb frames, the will push it the larvae and kill any eggs. Now you know the heat treated drawn out comb frames are safe to stick back into a hive.
Sorry. I was skimming thru your question. Do you have a lot of hive boxes? Try this. Have a 5gal bucket fill with hot water. Get an old towel, cut into manageable size and soak them into the hot water. Before you clean the outside of your boxes, smoke the bees. If not, they will come out and sting you. Squeeze out as much of the water as you can then wipe the outside of the boxes. You might need to repeat if need. That should remove anything sticking to the boxes.
@@tonedubb4325 This is perfect. I was leaning in this direction but was questioning the safety of things. It's getting cold soon so thats when I plan on doing it--blocking the entrance and going to work. I will bring some Dawn dish soap just in case. Grateful
Do you coat the plastic frames with wax before returning them to the bee hive? Also, when I have wax that I obtained from harvesting honey, I have found that it is relatively easy to render that wax into a pure form suitable for making candles and other uses. However, when I have cleaned up old brood frames such as in your video, it seems like I get very little pure wax. I usually try to separate the white or yellowish wax from the darker material, and just throw away the darker material.
I didn't coat the foundation with wax. You could. You can boil the the brood frames and get s much wax out as possible. Or you make a heat box to melt and have the wax drip to a catch can. Every time you have extra combs, toss them it the box, the sun heat will do the rest.
I guess you could but it didn't do it. I think put them in the hot summer sun is the way better and less messy. Since the sun heat up the wax, it also lubricate the plastic foundations.
I think plastic foundation cost a bit less than a $1. Renting pressure washer, using gasoline for it and a lot of water because pressure washers they use a lot of it. On top add your time and labor. After all of that looks like 5-10 % of washed cells still kind of dirty so bees cannot build the cells in them to raise worker bees, because it’s like building a house on a pile of trash. So you can do the math.
Hi Tone Dubb, I’m working on a new Cleaning TV Series for Ricochet TV Production Company (the makers behind The Repair Shop on BBC One) & we’d potentially like to feature this video. What is the best way to contact you please? Could you add your email address to your channel for business enquires? Thanks, Ravi
Why dont you just scrape them off leaving a bit of the wax on them for the bees to restart the next lot of cells? the bees are masters at cleaning up old frames or in this case dead out frames. Its no trouble for them to do all that work for you. There doesnt appear to be any wax moth infestation and even if there was you would take those and put them into the freezer and freeze them killing all the larve. then take them out and give them a scrape but leave some of the wax for them as a foundation to build more quickly off of. naked plastic foundation is not as easy to build comb on compared to waxed plastic foundation. You made so much work for yourself and the bees my man. All you needed to do is scrape them and reuse. Oh and if you must wash them you must make absolutely certain you get ALL the soap rinsed off or it will kill your bees. The surfactant in soap is a killer to bees. If you want to kill a hive quickly just pour soapy water on the hive. Bees die instantly. This is how to euthanize a hive without using chemicals or poisons. Professional bee keepers who hire their bees out to farmers as pollinators have to make sure that the farms they take their bees to dont use surfactants in their chemicals to protect their crops from pests or in the herbicides they use so the bee keeper doesnt wind up with major hive losses. Hope this helps.
If those the frames were filled with brood, they can't be easily scrapped off. It's better if you let the sun heat it up then scrap off.
I have already scrapped them off. But there were still cocoon material stuck on the plastic foundation. Washing it would remove the left over.
Great information! Thanks for sharing.
The paper material is the cocoon the larva spins. That is the primary cause of brood frames turning black.
I remembered not thinking, I tried to clean the foundations with soft metal brush. It worked ok but never could get the stain off. Soaked and pressure washing is the best but messy.
Helpful. Thanks
I am surprised you did not use warm or hot water to get stuff off. I wonder if this would work, certainly for someone who doesn’t have a pressure washer. Or stacking them in the dishwasher and running on a cycle...
Probably would help with hot water. Not a good idea using the washer. It would make a mess and can clog up the drain. The best time to clean these is during summer month where you can leave them out in the sun then you can easily scrap the wax off.
Nice ! Thanks
Have you ever tried cleaning up a hive with bees in it? My hive has gotten really dirty on two sides and was wondering what was safe. I was thinking just water and dish soap, keeping the towel pretty dry. Any ideas?
Some of the frames were so infested with so much cocoons that i need to scrap the honey comb off. I guess i can let them clean them off but i some many extra frames that i didn't have the patience. You can soak them 90% water/10% bleach mixed. Then rinse them off then left then air dry. A leaf blower works too. Best way to clean them, is on hot sunny day. When the wax melt, you can gently lift it off the plastic foundations. The melted wax also help coat your plastic foundations at the same time. If you see some reusable drawn out comb frames, the will push it the larvae and kill any eggs. Now you know the heat treated drawn out comb frames are safe to stick back into a hive.
@@tonedubb4325 I was asking about cleaning the outside of the hive with bees inside
Sorry. I was skimming thru your question. Do you have a lot of hive boxes? Try this. Have a 5gal bucket fill with hot water. Get an old towel, cut into manageable size and soak them into the hot water. Before you clean the outside of your boxes, smoke the bees. If not, they will come out and sting you. Squeeze out as much of the water as you can then wipe the outside of the boxes. You might need to repeat if need. That should remove anything sticking to the boxes.
@@tonedubb4325 This is perfect. I was leaning in this direction but was questioning the safety of things. It's getting cold soon so thats when I plan on doing it--blocking the entrance and going to work. I will bring some Dawn dish soap just in case. Grateful
Do you coat the plastic frames with wax before returning them to the bee hive? Also, when I have wax that I obtained from harvesting honey, I have found that it is relatively easy to render that wax into a pure form suitable for making candles and other uses. However, when I have cleaned up old brood frames such as in your video, it seems like I get very little pure wax. I usually try to separate the white or yellowish wax from the darker material, and just throw away the darker material.
I didn't coat the foundation with wax. You could. You can boil the the brood frames and get s much wax out as possible. Or you make a heat box to melt and have the wax drip to a catch can. Every time you have extra combs, toss them it the box, the sun heat will do the rest.
@@tonedubb4325 thanks for the reply
I did the same way
do you have to re wax it after?
I guess you could but it didn't do it. I think put them in the hot summer sun is the way better and less messy. Since the sun heat up the wax, it also lubricate the plastic foundations.
I know I would. It's just a small step to ensure success.
I think plastic foundation cost a bit less than a $1. Renting pressure washer, using gasoline for it and a lot of water because pressure washers they use a lot of it. On top add your time and labor. After all of that looks like 5-10 % of washed cells still kind of dirty so bees cannot build the cells in them to raise worker bees, because it’s like building a house on a pile of trash. So you can do the math.
This method is pretty standard. It works perfectly fine. Have you seen what bees use in the wild. Much worse than a little bit left. lol
Hi Tone Dubb, I’m working on a new Cleaning TV Series for Ricochet TV Production Company (the makers behind The Repair Shop on BBC One) & we’d potentially like to feature this video. What is the best way to contact you please?
Could you add your email address to your channel for business enquires? Thanks, Ravi