On Fri, 14 Feb 1997 08:44:21 -0700 Jerry J Bromenshenk
<[log in to unmask]> writes:
>Hi:
>
>At the risk of having billiard balls thrown at me, I can attest that
>bees
>will not rebuild comb that has been taken down to a slick plastic
>surface.
>I have examined thousands of commercial colonies and seen lots of
>frames
>with previous mouse damage.  The bees never fix it.  In fact, it looks
>like they polish the bare spot.
>
>Jerry Bromenshenk
>The University of Montana-Missoula
>[log in to unmask]
>http://grizzly.umt.edu/biology/bees
>
 
        Comb on a billard ball?? maybe, must be some source and cramped
quarters. Also my experience with 'Duragilt'. Pierco is a different
story. I have recycled numerous of these frames previously used for
brood. I have taken down the old wax to the plastic cell wall using care
not to damage the cell edges. This proves to be a tedious job and
cleaning the cell bottoms, well against my better judgment I kind of left
this up to the bees to take care of. The fact being that I recently
introduced a few hundred Pierco frames into my operation I can't fool
around carefully scraping down old wax. For those of you who haven't
tried this on old brood comb you are in for an experience. The
manufacturer wars against over heating, 175 deg. F. Well I went and
bought myself a modest pressure washer (my excuse for something else I
thought I needed some time ago). Got an old honey drum and poked some
holes in it around the bottom and hung a grate inside about a foot down.
I can now clean up all my frames and supers and whatever else needs it
without damage to critical areas. Ain't modern technology nice?
 
                Regards
 
Alden Marshall
B-Line Apiaries
Hudson, NH 03051
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tel. 603-883-6764