Old comb.... How useful for honey production?

[joker1656]

I have several boxes with fully drawn frames.  I lost several hives last winter.  These frames may have/probably did have brood in them last summer.  Could they be used in my supers?  Will the fact that some of them had brood in them affect my honey taste/quality? 

[AllenF]

Bees will clean them up good.  If they were unfit, the bees would not use them.   I think they are fine to use.

[deknow]

....if you used any treatments (apistan, checkmite, essential oils, fumigillin, antibiotics, etc) at any time in the broodnest you should not use these frames for honey production.

deknow

[iddee]

Why?... I would like to read which ones stay in wax at a level dangerous to humans, and for how long.

[Kathyp]

if you want cut comb honey, you want new comb.  it's one of the best reasons for foundationless, but baring that, make sure you use the very thin foundation.  if you are going to extract or crush, it doesn't matter.

[Michael Bush]

http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0009754

[Scadsobees]

Brood in the honey supers won't hurt anything.  Some people say it makes the honey darker, but I've not noticed any quality difference having a few frames that were used for brood in the honey supers.  And I notice more tiny specks in the honey from darker comb as it gets crunched up and cut during extraction, but that is just me being super observant.

The main downside to me is that moths attack comb used for brood and pollen quicker than clean white wax.

Rick

[joker1656]

I have used no chemicals, so I guess it should be fine.  Thanks for the input!

[deknow]

Why?... I would like to read which ones stay in wax at a level dangerous to humans, and for how long.

well, as far as food contamination, i wouldn't worry about formic acid...anything else is either something that you don't want in your customers food, or will add a smell/taste.

deknow

[iddee]

Can you guide me to some articles or research papers to that affect. From my understanding, most all of them are mute after 6 weeks. Of course, I don't have links to papers for that, either, so it's just my opinion for now.

[deknow]

errrr...try reading the label instructions for starters...they always tell you to remove honey supers, not to let the treatment contaminate food, not to use the wax for human consumption, etc....of course not following the label instructions (or using something that isn't labeled) is illegal (and in the case of any contamination incident, would leave the beekeeper in a bad position).

also, the penn state data is pretty clear that fluvalinate and coumaphos especially contaminate wax, bees, brood, and even TRAPPED POLLEN (that has never seen the inside of a hive)...and they didn't test the honey (because funding was from the national honey board).

deknow

[iddee]

I can't read the labels, since I've never used anything other than apistan back in the 80's, but from what I've read, it seems to me they say it is safe to super within weeks after using. If it was as potent as you lead me to believe, I think the label would say NEVER eat honey from the hive after using.