Beehive Frames

Most beehive frames can be used for several seasons as long as the wood isn’t rotting or the plastic isn’t warped. Reusing them is a huge benefit because the bees don’t have to spend energy drawing out new wax from scratch. However, if a colony died from a disease those frames must be destroyed rather than reused to prevent spreading the infection. For healthy hives, it is a good practice to rotate out a few of the oldest, darkest frames every year to keep the wax fresh and minimize the buildup of environmental impurities.

Cleaning beehive frames usually starts with using a hive tool to scrape away excess propolis and burr comb. This keeps the frames moving easily and prevents the bees from gluing everything together too tightly for the next inspection. If you are dealing with frames that have seen several seasons of use, a solar wax melter is an efficient way to strip them down to the bare foundation. For plastic frames, a quick soak in hot water mixed with a bit of washing soda can help remove the last bits of residue, making them ready for a fresh coat of wax.

Once the extractor is finished, you are left with “wet” frames that still have a thin coating of honey. The easiest way to handle these is to put them back into the hive for a day and let the bees clean them up. They will lick every drop of honey out of the cells, leaving the beehive frames dry and ready for storage. If the season is over, make sure to store them in a way that prevents wax moths from moving in. Stacking them in tight boxes in a cold area helps keep the drawn comb safe until next year.