Beekeeping: Wax Experiment & Repairing Wax Moth Damage
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 14 พ.ค. 2024
- Beekeeping is fun to try experiments and today I'll finally be running my experiment to see how much of the added wax we add to frames becomes part of the actual comb. Come join my LIVE AUDIENCE LIVESTREAM on June 6th, 2024. Limited seating. Check it out here: www.honeybeesonline.com/live-...
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In today's beekeeping video I'm finally trying my experiment of honey bees that I've wanted to do for years. I want to see if the wax we add to our frames is 1. Used by bees for the entire comb or 2. Just barely used to help them start adding their own produced bees wax.
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Whoa, you made it all the way down here! Thank you ♥️ Love you
Another method is to dip the frames/foundation in a deep pot with wax floating on a layer of hot water. Even coverage corner to corner. Glenn
I don't think the leftover cocoons deter the bees. I think it was a lack of wax on the plastic foundations. Interesting experiment.
This will be cool to see the outcome. I have been using a brush to put extra wax on my plastic foundations. I take them to the carwash and blast the old comb off when they get really black, or if they get infested with the nasty little hive beetle.
I love the experiment! Can't wait for the results.
If you pop the plastic foundation out of the frames, you can get full coverage with your roller. Yes, it takes a lot of wax to cover them well.
ACCESSIBLE BEEKEEPING TIP: On moving heavy honey supers.... does take a bit more time, but if you have a broken back like I do, you don't have a choice... Instead of moving the entire honey super, bring an empty box with you, then move the frames one at a time from the honey super to the empty box, then you have moved the entire box without having to lift anything heavier than a single frame. Then just reverse the process.
Or another option is to buy or make a horizontal hive.
I always wondered about this. Another experiment I would love to see you do is see if they move honey around the hive. The reason I ask, is we often feed to get "Their food stores" to full, but then stop if there is a flow and that honey is "Our Honey". However I have always wondered what is to prevent them from moving the "funny honey" from the brood box up into the honey supers and thus we are actually harvesting "Funny Honey" even though we were not feeding during the flow.
I love the red wax experiment. You should try it again with a stiff foam paint roller. It will deposit the wax on the peaks of the foundation and make it more user friendly for the bees.
Another method is to dip the frames/foundation in a deep pot with wax floating on a layer of hot water. Even coverage corner to corner. Glennglad to know about the wax moth. That has been my experience also. I think the moth larvae eat ALL of the wax off the foundation and the bees ignore it. My question now is will the bees clean and repair pollen frames that shb larvae have been in but not slimed?? Glenn
I've see a similar thing with paper wasps. They had the wasps in an enclosed area, and put in colored construction paper. Changed the color every few days. It was an interesting nest to see.
I'm my parents' hives, the bees wouldn't touch polluted wax. Dad ordered wax for use on his frames like what you've done here and it was supposed to be beeswax, but it came from China and the manufacturer must have mixed in another kind of wax because the bees wouldn't touch it at all.
This is soooo cool!!! I love that you think outside the box!! Thank you for everything!!
Sheri, I wanted to wish you a belated happy Mother’s Day.
I would recommend foam roller with sharp edges to also wax corners and edges but I guess edges aren't important in this case
Those that make their own foundation can try food dye to colour things up... for fun. Hopefully bees won't eat it.
Speaking of fun and red, if you find yourself working with bees in poor light or darkness, red light might be helpful.
I’m excited to see what the red wax looks like!! I guess they would make own wax!
Will be interesting to see how this works. I am very curious on the red color as I think bees see red as black. New wax is generally light so wondering if that matters or due to beehive being dark inside no difference or maybe even improvement as darker. How fun.
This is fascinating! Can't wait to see the results.
Hey David
I’m excited to see what the red wax looks like
With my brush I can get up next to the frames
Thanks for all you do for us Sheri & David
This is awesome, can't wait to see the results.
Thank you for all the videos and knowledge you give us!
This is a great experiment! Can't wait to see the results.
Another fun experiment would be to text different colors of wax as well
I have been using a wire brush attachment for my drill it works good on cleaning the frames up from wax moth.
I was shocked when I had a swarm move into a dead out that was full of wax moths' cocoons and seem to be doing ok.
Thank you for these awesome experiments, curious how it turns out!!
I don’t remember where I read or heard. That swarms like old cones left over by wax moths. If they do is for the free wax & there is nothing left for the moths to go back. But I had seen bees getting stuck on the wed they leave behind. by their legs so it will be an interesting result.
I used yellow wax foundation before and they draw all white with a few yellows spots that Ithought it was pollen at first, but it was untouched foundation I didn’t used plastic only wax.
Good idea..I’m excited to see the results
Thankyou for doing these experiments. I learn so much!
My bees do draw comb alot faster when I wax the frames. I've been using a crock pot to melt the wax and it takes FOREVER. I have an old electric skillet that will be going to the bee garage haha thanks for the tip
Thanks for all the tests, I've seen an alternative to the smoker, the apisolis.
Are you thinking of doing a video test?
Love your experiments!
Cool, can't wait to see the outcome of the red wax
I might do an "unboxing" during my livestream this Thursday...Maybe. Here's the link: th-cam.com/users/live1v9Ufo_uKBY
Your wax melter is similar to a guy I knew about 30 years ago. He used an old electric hot plate and his wax storage wax an old 12” round cookie tin (remember those old 3.5” deep danish butter cookie tins that always appeared around Christmas? My grandma had a few that she stored bobbins, thread, crayons, etc in) that he put directly onto the coil and heated it so that the wax was always at the melting point (also the freezing point) so that he had between 2 quarts and a gallon of liquid beeswax at any given point when working. He made beeswax candles (primarily tapers) and poured them. Keeping a bunch of wax inside the melting vessel was the biggest key to keeping the temperature perfect; only having part of the wax molten guarantees that it isn’t overheating and will harden quickly without melting back off of what you were working on.
I love the experiment and I can’t wait to see the results!
I can't wait either. I think we are going to do the "unboxing" on Thursday!
I use a foam 4 inch roller. I think the foam holds up better over time than the fiber rollers.
Keep a close eye on the foam roller. I thought mine was better too, but after repeatedly dipping it in hot wax, the foam started coming off onto the frames. Small little particles. I went back to fiber immediately. I don’t want microplastics in my honey.
I like to use the foam rollers, they won't sling the wax as much when you roll fast.
I recently waxed some foundation for a super I’m using in my backyard. I checked it today and noticed they are drawing white wax on the waxed foundation, but yellow wax on the wood for bur comb.
will be interesting. I used food coloring in 1:1 to be able to see where they put it.
I'm going to fallow you on this.
I prefer a cheap natural-fiber brush. I find that the roller s=wastes a lot more wax and can't get into the corners and edges as well..
My dad had the brilliant idea of using premier triple waxed frames and sometimes it worked other times it did not. So today I am going through every non production hive and replacing frames its like 2 to 4 a hive. I really like to heavily wax them. I am trying to get honey from my production hives in Texas and its my first year so it can be frustrating.
I wonder if you should've left the excluder for the experiment? Now we don't know if it was the wax moth or the excluder keeping them off those frames 🤔
I wonder how accurate it would be to measure the weight of each frame before and after extracting honey.
If you just put the wax on in blobs instead of spreading it out, would they till use it to build comb?
I started my hives with undrawn frames (no extra wax. Seems like it taking them forever so before I add the other deeps I’m going to wax the frames and see if that helps.
Snap Crackle Pop wow😅
Boy, that was fast! HaHa!
Yes, short haited rollers do well. One question... why did you leave the excluder off, you have supers on...?
Yes, mostly I leave them off and let the first super play the role as my excluder.
I have a couple of frames of old drawn out comb that I put in with a swarm I caught. The bees won't touch it. What is the best thing to do with old comb? Melt it down? Keep it for a swarm trap? Try it in another hive?
Where did you find the red wax? Is it beeswax?
I love the roller you show it's working better and I think it will be underwear pink😊
Maybe use food coloring for the wax
David, GREAT VIDEO! Like the red color experiment. What are the odds of red honey? The weather last 3 days in Orangeville NY has been better since last Saturday's frost BUT high temps in the mid to upper 60's. My bees are working hard as I watch them flying all around. HAVE A GREAT DAY!
Where did you get the red wax sheets?
I like using a roller when spreading wax. The only “drawback” is the amount of (perceived) waste of wax held by the roller. Btw: I HATE wax moths.
I’m wondering if bees recicles old dried wax, All the time I find a wild one they have abandon empty cones on the hive. The cones are very brittle if squished it will crumble in pieces.. Will the bee’s reused old dry wax?
red dye is considered a neurotoxin
causes TDS too.
Where do u buy the red wax sheets ?? The MADD Scientists needs to know ! Lol😅
I bought it from Dadant
I wonder if you could have put dye in yer wax
Excellent! Where do I get wax for my hive?
I keep wax in the freezer in a gallon bag. Freezing will kill any wax moth eggs or larva that might be present and will keep any unfortunate larva or pupae from breaking down.
Why do my comments keep getting deleted?
Make friends with a local beekeeper and you’ll probably get the wax for free. Save your excess wax scrapings from burr or wonky comb during inspections. A little bit of wax each week adds up. Make sure to save wax in the freezer to kill wax moth eggs and larvae
I lost so many frames due to wax moths. Really hurt my honey crop.
Fun facts, female bees have 16 pairs of chromosomes, they are mentioned in chapter 16 verses 68 and 69, That chapter is called The Bees
Unfortunately the wax moths ate all the wax off the plastic foundations.