Author Topic: 20 Drone Plugged Frames All Cleaned Up! Amazing (Read 8238 times)

Jen · « **on:** August 18, 2015, 02:27:14 pm »

I had a hive go queenless waaay tooo long this last spring, pulled 20 drone plugged frames out. I was wondering if I was going to have to pull all those drones out of the cells by hand. It was suggested by several of the beeks here... to simply put them into a hive maybe one or two at a time, and let the bees clean them up. I did. Now all 20 frames are cleaned up and back in use, and I saved all that nice drawn wax

Perry · « **Reply #1 on:** August 18, 2015, 02:36:30 pm »

I just did something similar with a laying worker hive I shook out. I uncapped all the drone brood first though, and then put a few frames into several hives.

Jen · « **Reply #2 on:** August 18, 2015, 02:39:19 pm »

So impressed with these efficency girls.

Now If I could get them to clean up my pollen plugged frames in the freezer. They don't seem to want to clean those frames, guess they consider it food.

Riverrat · « **Reply #3 on:** August 18, 2015, 02:56:20 pm »

Quote from: Jen on August 18, 2015, 02:39:19 pm

So impressed with these efficency girls.

Now If I could get them to clean up my pollen plugged frames in the freezer. They don't seem to want to clean those frames, guess they consider it food.

Dont believe they will move pollen once put in a cell unless mixing bee bread.

Jen · « **Reply #4 on:** August 18, 2015, 03:25:01 pm »

Yah, I've noticed that. I have about 20 frames of plugged pollen in the freezer. I don't know what to do with it. Scott suggested putting the frames in the hives next spring when the season starts to ramp up.

pistolpete · « **Reply #5 on:** August 18, 2015, 09:43:14 pm »

Yes, put the pollen in there very early spring, next to the brood nest. You will get your bees to build up faster and you will get lots of very nice swarms:) er I mean Nuc sales.

Riverrat · « **Reply #6 on:** August 18, 2015, 09:50:21 pm »

or we can give you a tootsie pop and a paper clip

Zweefer · « **Reply #7 on:** August 19, 2015, 01:07:06 am »

Quote from: Riverrat on August 18, 2015, 09:50:21 pm

or we can give you a tootsie pop and a paper clip

Jen · « **Reply #8 on:** August 19, 2015, 01:12:35 am »

Scratching head.... Okay Riverrat and Zweefer.... what am I missing here....

apisbees · « **Reply #9 on:** August 19, 2015, 02:20:29 am »

You could try to contaminate it. I would only try it on one frame first though. It works to get bees to remove honey from frames. Fill a 5 gal bucket of water and soak the pollen frame in the water I would leave it in for 10 minutes so it soaks up the water put the other end in for 10 min then put it in the hive and see what they do with it. After a day see how they are doing and if the time soaking 10 min on the ends, 20 min in the middle where the frame was double dipped.
I think this will work to get the bees to clean it out. Try one and let us know if it works, or whether they let it mold and then clean it out.

riverbee · « **Reply #10 on:** August 19, 2015, 11:48:33 am »

"Now If I could get them to clean up my pollen plugged frames in the freezer"

as riverrat said, they won't, bees won't remove pollen. given what keith has suggested, and your bees jen............

i think i would be more inclined to do as scott suggested and use those frames in the spring, the bees will utilize them, or if you have a divide, nuc, caught swarm, use them for that.

Jen · « **Reply #11 on:** August 19, 2015, 01:52:41 pm »

scott suggested and use those frames in the spring, the bees will utilize them, or if you have a divide, nuc, caught swarm, use them for that.

Hi Riv, hope you are moving around more comfortably now

I think I'll do both the spring thing and also try Apis's idea of soaking a frame or two, I have plenty to experiment with.. will keep you posted

apisbees · « **Reply #12 on:** August 19, 2015, 01:59:48 pm »

I am in the same position as Jen is in that we get far more pollen than the bees need I leave it in the hive and move it to the out side edge and the bees cover it with honey. I give the queen clean frames to lay in. The good frames of honey on the out side get moved up into the honey supers.
Come spring the honey will have been eaten off the pollen and the moisture in the hive will have caused it to mold and then the bees will remove it to reuse the comb.
I think Jen is in a similar condition as I am in that my hives are never lacking in pollen, by the time I think about putting a pollen patty on to stimulate early brood production Pollen is already coming in.

riverbee · « **Reply #13 on:** August 19, 2015, 05:44:13 pm »

keith, have you thought about using pollen traps? maybe a thought for jen in the future?

apisbees · « **Reply #14 on:** August 19, 2015, 06:43:06 pm »

I have some. but what to do with the pollen I don't need it to feed back to the bees and to clean it to human consumption standards is a lot of work It is more work than it is worth.

Jen · « **Reply #15 on:** August 20, 2015, 01:20:04 am »

Apis, 'clean it to human consumption standards is a lot of work'

what do you mean by that?

apisbees · « **Reply #16 on:** August 20, 2015, 01:48:08 am »

First you have to dry it so it doesn't mold when it gets packaged in the jars. Remove the small grains and pollen dust. Any bee parts Legs, Wings, mites, Antennas, and the hardest to distinguish is the bits of capping that the baby bees chew when they release them self. When they chew their capping they chew around the cell and drop the center chunk of capping that is about the size of a basket of pollen, looks the same color of some of the pollen so it is a bugger to distinguish and remove. When you figure the time involved divided by what you sell it for, it turns out to be poor wages.

Jen · « **Reply #17 on:** August 20, 2015, 02:17:44 am »

I buy pollen in small sacks from one of our bee guru's here in town, I had no idea he had to do that... hu

tecumseh · « **Reply #18 on:** August 20, 2015, 06:05:57 am »

a riverrat snip...'Dont believe they will move pollen once put in a cell unless mixing bee bread. '

I think the first written reference to this was one of Jay Smith's old books (dating back to the 1920). As stated pollen in excess quantities can generate available space problems in the brood nest and at least here at some times of the year SEVERELY restrict the area in which a hive has to rear brood < frames clogged with pollen are a very handy resource if you rear queen in a swarm box.

back to original thread topic.... when I run across drone laying queens that have o messed up some fine worker comb I normally take my hive tool or a fork and LIGHTLY scratch the surface.

Jen · « **Reply #19 on:** August 20, 2015, 02:23:50 pm »

Hi Tec, nice to hear from you

And that is what my bees are, pollen junkies. As stated in the beginning of the thread I have 20 stored pollen plugged frames. From reading this thread I see that I have 2 options. Apis suggested experimenting with a frame by soaking it in water for 10 minutes, then inserting into a hive, I'm thinking a nuc because my hives are all brood bound now.

Or, taking the frames from the freezer and storing them in a plastic bin with lid, then as mold grows, put them into hives or nucs and see if the bees will clean out the pollen along with the mold.

And also, saving some for spring and spring nucs.

Good Thread, Thanks!