Knowledgebase

Is it safe to reuse #824259

Asked April 02, 2023, 8:59 PM EDT

One of my hives was found without life last Fall. I have ordered a new nuc but I am unsure what caused the hives demise. I want to know if I can reuse the frames

Ingham County Michigan

Expert Response

Hello,

Thanks for reaching out with this question! 

You can reuse frames with empty comb or with stored honey by giving them to new colonies of bees in the spring, assuming you don't suspect you the colony had American Foulbrood. American Foulbrood has spores that can remain in equipment/honey for deadouts.

I typically recommend tossing the following frames:

  1. Broodnest frames older than 6 years old: we encourage beekeepers to rotate out frames older than 6 years. Deadouts provide a nice opportunity to sort through frames. If the frames are from a nuc you acquired from another beekeeper, you may consider tossing those frames.
  2. Frames full of pollen: it may feel counterintuitive to toss frames full of stored pollen given how important pollen is to bees, but stored pollen loses its nutritional values over time.
  3. Frames thick with mold: some mold on frames is fine, but if the mold is really thick it will take the bees a lot of work to clean them up.
  4. Frames with dead brood: we don't really have enough information to know if frames with dead brood present a pathogen concern to a new colony, but given the lack of information, we often suggest tossing frames with dead brood as a precaution.

Dr. Meghan Milbrath's Dealing with Deadouts article provides more information.

The frames in the photos you sent look fine to me, assuming they aren't too old.

Happy beekeeping!

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