Sticky Frames Feeding Back

[DayValleyDahlias]

Hi All,I have 6 sticky deeps that I scraped honey off of.  A couple of the frames had really thick hard stuff, looked as though it was comb drawn from comb ( with pollen underneath )...Anyhoo it was suggested that I give the "leftovers" back to the bees.  Now if I do this by placing these sticky frames into another deep, and place that deep upon the hive...how long until the bees clean the frames up?  They won't want to move in there will they?  And if it is just a super to feed back honey, may I just have the 6 frames in there or do I have to put 8 frames in???

Thansk, Shar

[DaveKow]

I can't wait for the answer to this.  I have wondered about this also, but I figured I would wait until I actually got honey to then I'd ask.  Congrats on the harvest!

Dave

[DayValleyDahlias]

Thanks Dave

I condensed a hive I had of 3 deeps to 2 deeps...had a couple of frames pretty full...nice honey...but there is lots to give back too!

[Greg Peck]

I have already put supers on top of the inner cover to let the bees clean them up after extracting at the end of the season. They did pretty good but there was no flow on so that may have contributed.

I have also put a mostly full frame of honey upside down on top of the inner cover with an empty deep over it. It seamed to be working but then the bees started building comb on it and filling it with honey. This just happened during a big flow and they were running out of room.

What I would do now is put the frames in a box place the box on its side (so the frames are standing taller then wide) a little ways from your bee yard. The bees will find it and clean it up. I have done this several times with out any problems. If you still have comb in the frames I would freeze them after they get cleaned up if you plan on storing them just in case of wax moths. My experience has been that wax moths cant live in the light so a box on its side with the sun light coming in has never been a problem for me.

If you are going to put the frames in the hive to get cleaned up there is no need to put more in to make 10. just put what you have in but keep an eye on it because they will start using or building on them if you are not careful.

[Moonshae]

What I would do now is put the frames in a box place the box on its side (so the frames are standing taller then wide) a little ways from your bee yard. The bees will find it and clean it up. I have done this several times with out any problems. My experience has been that wax moths cant live in the light so a box on its side with the sun light coming in has never been a problem for me.

I recently did this, and found wax moth webbing on several frames. Open and exposed is not all it seems. They didn't stick around long enough to foul the frames, but the webbing was there.

[rdy-b]

Placing over inercover works OK but i have found that sometimes they will start to fill it with honey or even brood -if you just want to have them clean the frames place the box of frames ontop of another EMPTEY box and place those two boxes over the bees -that will keep them from moving in -dont leave these boxes on any longer than it takes the bees to clean them up -should be a day or two ------RDY-B

[Ross]

And what's wrong with them re-filling it with honey or even brood.  Would you prefer they swarm?  You can set frames out in the open to be cleaned if you really don't want the bees to use them.  Wax moths won't occupy frames exposed to sunlight.  I'd put them on the bees and tell them to get to work.  You might get a late summer or fall extraction, or you have more to winter on and you'll have fat hives to start the spring.

[rdy-b]

at one point in the season you are going to store honey suppers at least i do and i run white wax -many people run whats available -I like to-keep honey frames brood free and i dont worry about wax moths -one thing around here that i do worry about- starting close to july is a mass robing insodent fueled by open air feeding of empty frames(kinda like alfred hichcock ) -so any open air stacks of supers are hauled to a out yard where the bee riot is left to its own devicees-I know we are only talking about six empty frames- but for many newbee learning and understanding why and how simple manipulations and easy tricks can open the horizon to trouble free beekeeping :lol: 8-) -RDY-B

[Michael Bush]

Always fill the box with frames.  Even if the frames are just foundation or foundationless.  The bees will fill the gap if there's a flow with wild comb.  They always prefer their own comb to foundation, so they won't even wait until they have filled the rest back out...

[tillie]

I have had no good luck putting them on top of the inner cover - I keep the tops propped and that seems to invite robbing.  With my hives so close together, I would never put the box out in the open for the bees to clean.

I always put the sticky dripping box full of frames (extras filling in any blanks for frames I didn't for some reason harvest) back on the hive under the inner cover as I would any hive box I was adding to the hive. 

More often than not, the bees clean it up and immediately draw more wax and make more honey in those frames - the only time that doesn't happen is in August when we have no flow.  So then when the frames are clean, if the bees don't appear to want to use them, I take the box off and store it in the sunlight in my carport.

No harm in their using the box however they need it, is there?

Linda T in Atlanta

[DayValleyDahlias]

I should have given you all more history.  I wanted to give the frames to the colony that is weaker.  I broke the hive down from 3 deeps to 2 deeps.  I think I will leave well enough alone, and put the frames in the freezer...Thanks for your answers...

[Michael Bush]

>More often than not, the bees clean it up and immediately draw more wax and make more honey in those frames

Wow!  How horrible! ;)

[Mklangelo]

I just had the Wisconsin State Dept. of Agriculture out to inspect my hives.  He told me that if you put a wet frame back in the super, the bees really love that.  It will really get them up there in a hurry and working.  Harvest it and put it right back in.  It's messy but the bees love it.

[wayseer]

Allowing bees to rob stickies left in the open is against the law in Australia - increases the chance of spreading disease - remember, it's not only your own bees at work out there.  All stickies have to go back in the hives or kept in sealed rooms. 

[KONASDAD]

I should have given you all more history.  I wanted to give the frames to the colony that is weaker.  I broke the hive down from 3 deeps to 2 deeps.  I think I will leave well enough alone, and put the frames in the freezer...Thanks for your answers...

My second year, I had two very large hives that I used to draw and fill w, honey two mediums and one deep each. I extracted the honey, put above inner cover for them to clean, and then i used all of the frames to make and expand three nucs. The frames werer already drawn, the nucs quickly were able to fill the deep, then start on the medium above and they werre ready for winter. So yes, you canu usew these frames.