How do you cycle out old comb?

[J-grow]

The nuc's I started my hives with had old black comb in them.  How do I work them out of the system?

Start moving them towards the outside of the box? 

Seems like they will always have brood or something in them? .........

Thanks

[Bakersdozen]

I think it is easiest to do it in the spring/late winter.  When you reverse brood boxes, the bottom box will usually be practically empty of bees, brood, eggs etc.  That  isn't always the case (like this spring) but it typically is.  The colony has worked their way to the top leaving the bottom brood box empty.  The queen is ramping up, but the population is pretty much contained in the top where the remainder of the food is.  If there is brood in the top and bottom, I leave it as is.  You don't want to split up the brood pattern.

[Bakersdozen]

Ah oh!  I just read you are in Florida.  I may have not recommended the best thing for a Floridian.  Surely, there is a time when brood boxes should be reversed.

[apisbees]

If using deeps for brood and med for honey, Combine frames from multi hives and move a full super above the queen excluder let the brood emerge and the bees back fill them with honey. Then extract them and render the wax. you can place 8 9 or 10 frames in the super just space them evenly.

[J-grow]

Ok kinda confused ........  Is the goal to give them no room to store honey in the super so that as the brood leaves they fill in those cells in the old comb with honey so that I can get them out without hurting the population?

Move them to the outside of the brood box?

[Chip Euliss]

I think the solution Apis suggested is a good one, providing your comb isn't contaminated with miticides but the main reason for cycling out old comb is to reduce chronic contaminant exposure in the hive.  Way back before mites and the chemical fight was waged (aka the good old days), old black comb was highly valued and was passed down from generation to generation.  If you feed the honey back to the bees, that would work but why bother extracting?  I work old comb to the outside and take it out when it's brood free.  Just put them a short distance from your hives and the bees will clean them up for you.  After they are honey-free, recycle.  I stockpile old comb and sell it to a rendering plant every 2-3 years.

[Perry]

I sell a lot of nucs so I have a high turnover of frames.

[J-grow]

Ok I got it now thank you.

The more I read the more I am wondering what the nuke frames I bought had been exposed to before me.  So I am thinking its best just to work them out of the system.

Thanks again!

[tecumseh]

since I don't treat old comb is really not an issue.  in addition sale of nucs essentially rotates my comb out pretty quickly.  if I did want to do what you are thinking about doing I would do SOMETHING like Apisbee suggest < I would have no problem taking a hive just like you have configured in you attached picture toss a excluder on to then a deep and then place the combs I want to cycle out in this box ( even if there was only 3 or 4 combs and lots of empty space in the top deep).  three weeks later all brood should be gone and then you could remove these old frames.  or send them here I will use them!

[J-grow]

Good stuff thanks everyone. 

Wife asked for bee suit?!  We will be going through the hives Monday so get ready for the next series of questions please.

[Barbarian]

Just for info.

I don't use Langstroth hives. In my hives the frames are parallel to the front of the hive .... "warm way". To clear an old comb, I place it in the position nearest the entrance. The brood is cared for and raised but the queen does not lay eggs in the empty cells. I think the bees prefer a warmer frame.

When all the brood has emerged, the frame can be lifted out and comb rendered.

[apisbees]

Good information to know Barbarian Across the pond there are so many hive choices and frame size style as well I find it confusing. I am glade Langstroth Root And Dadant decided to stick to one style and super size other than depth of frame. And the ones that followed like Kelley, Hodgson, Jones and all the other did not feel the need to reinvent the hive.