REGARDING           RE>Free Honey?
 
Cullin Hall wrote:
"I have a friend that has given me his old hives and a couple of supers full
of honey.  He has kept the honey in a refrigerator since last winter when
found that his bees were dead.  The wax in the Brood chamber is black.  He
says the bees just froze due to a cold winter.  He did not wrap the hive.
They did not starve (one full super of honey).
 
How can I check or have it check for diseases before I put the honey on one
of my hives that needs feeding.  I have gotten three swarms in the last week.
 Yes I know I need to read the chapter on swarm prevention.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
I have checked two hives that have no brood.  There are about ten queen cells
in each hive.  In one a the queen has emerged and I think I saw her in the
hive.  How long does it take a newly emerged queen to begin laying?
 
What causes black wax in supers?"
 
The main disease that can be carried in used equipment as well as honey is
American Foulbrood (AFB).  If your brood patterns appear solid, no puncturing
of scattered cells is present, your colonies don't have this disease.  If the
honey came from these colonies last year, it is likely that it will be OK as
well.
 
Wax darkens because of the pigments and excreta from developing brood and
their cocoons.  It also is darkened because of the addition of small amounts
of propolis into the wax.  If you look at some new comb that is often built
in package bee packages, it is pure white.  I have never seen wax this white
in a working hive, although it comes close at times.
 
Ted Fischer