I grumbled: >> It's amazing how few beekeepers have any >> sort of frame age-tracking system in place. Denise asked: > Would you and others please expound on the system you use? I don't have to expound - you do! You "expound" a colored thumbtack into each frame. :) I buy colored thumbtacks that match the queen-marking colors, and when building new frames, or when reloading a frame with fresh foundation, use the hammer to sink a tack flush with the top surface of the top bar. This means that I can know the age of a frame at a glance (assuming that I replace all brood comb in all hives within 5 years, as the colors repeat every 5 years). Each year, frames with the color indicating that they are 5 years old are removed and replaced with fresh frames, and the old ones are melted and the bare frames run through "rehab" Even the thumbtacks can be recycled and reused. It's just that simple! No records to keep, no databases, no notebooks, no real "thinking" required. I manage extraction comb on the basis of appearance alone, so I do not use thumbtacks for them. But once a frame gets a thumbtack, the wood has an indent from the head of the tack, and the frame never gets used in a super, which is a handy "rule of thumb(tack)" that keeps the honey away from any possible miticide residues. jim :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: -- Visit www.honeybeeworld.com/BEE-L for rules, FAQ and other info --- ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::