LC<>From: Lucy Cronin <[log in to unmask]>
  <>Date:         Mon, 8 May 1995 12:18:40 -0400
  <>Subject:      mildew on honey frames
 
LC<>Have just taken the insulation off of our hives yesterday.  Found one hive
  <>to have been abandoned, apparently early last fall after honey extraction.
  <>There was approximately 80 lbs. of honey in the abandoned hive.  There were
  <>no dead bees or disease to be found in this hive.  (number of dead bees fou
  <>50).  We have decided to extract this honey, however, the wax cappings seem
  <>to be covered by a greyish film (mildew?)  There is no foul smell or smell
  <>mildew.  Does anyone know what this is?  Do you think we can still safely
  <>extract the honey.  Some of the honey is still liquid (quite a lot of it)
  <>despite -40 degrees F. this winter.
  <>Lucy Cronin
  <>[log in to unmask]
 
Hello Lucy,
 
That blue mold is called wax bloom hear about's and is natural. When we
use to store wax blocks from one year to the next they all would have
it come spring and we would put them out in the hot sun to bleach the
blocks before shipment to the candle makers or scrape it off and re-run
it in a solar melter.
 
   Don't know how it would taste if mixed with extracted honey, as most
honey kept here from season to season get's as hard as a bull's rear
end and is only used for feed honey ware it does a good job seeding the
next years crop with crystallized honey.<G>
 
                                ttul Andy-