Dark brown almost black honeycomb

[hagermanc]

I have 2 hives that have been doing well and i got a dead hive given to me from a guy at work. when i picked it up there were no bees. there were 2 deep hive bottoms and the top is full of honey and lokks fine but the lower one all the center frames have turned turned a dark brown if not black and look a bit deformed. there are some dead bees left and one spot that reminds me of a mold almost. the bottom board has a lot of crumbs that are unidentifiable to me. i have photos but i want to know if i can clean and reuse any of the frames or if something can spread to my other hives if i use it. any help would be appreciated.

[JP]

Old dark comb many say harbors disease and should be thrown away or melted down. You could also use some in swarm traps.

It is advised that old comb be replaced about every third yr. You can use the frames just fine.


...JP

[Michael Bush]

Black is the normal color of old brood comb.