REGARDING           RE>Spring Cleanup
 
  Gerry Visel writes:
" I was just out in my workshop/garage cleaning up the hive equipment
for spring, and found the consequences of not using para crystals on
hive bodies and honey supers over the last year.  Lots of wax moth
damage, (plus a mouse nest or two.)  I guess I deserve it for not taking
precautions, but here I am.
 
Question:  How much of this will a strong hive clean up?  Should I
pitch/burn them all, or can I  just scrape them clean and replace with
foundation?"
 
I have always found wax moth damage very depressing.  Bees will not clean out
severe moth damaged frames, but if there are only several moth tracks in the
comb, you can scratch them out with a hive tool and the bees will repair it
.The wooden ware is usually still OK, unless the worms have tunneled into it
excessively making their cocoons.  If so, I pitch out the whole frame and burn
it.  If sound, just replace damaged comb with good foundation.
 
Mouse damage, on the other hand, is usually easily repaired by the bees.  I
usually put each frame where the mouse nest was between two very good frames ,
and the result is as good as new.  I have lots of frames with a round patch of
new yellow comb in the middle of dark comb.  In the same way, mouse nibblings
on the side of a comb are quickly repaired.