# novice keeper has some questions on comb color and mites



## silvergirl (Jul 30, 2006)

Hi, all,
One of my two hives did not survive this winter, and I am curious about a few things. I took the hive boxes apart and removed them from the hive site - I just installed a new hive box and nuc - and when I took the hive boxes apart, I noticed that the really old comb was a very dark brown. This was comb the bees were allowed to draw out by themselves, without a celled wax panel. The newer comb was drawn up from waxed panel frames and it was a the normal cream color. Why was there such a striking difference in the color of the comb?

Also, can the comb be reused? Can I introduce a new batch of bees to the salvaged comb/frames and give them a head start or alternatively can I use some of the newer frames that the bees had drawn out by adding them to a shallow super for the new nuc in a month or so when they are ready for another layer? I'm assuming that would save them a good deal of labor and they could go straight to making honey...

The only concern I have is why the old hive of bees didn't make it... I know they were weak last fall because I had allowed someone to 'help' me with the hives after my ex left me, and he left the cold guard off the bees through an entire winter, and they never recovered fully the following year. But when I opened up the hive, there were very few bee bodies in there... I would have expected a lot more, and nothing I could identify as the body of the queen. Did they leave, by any chance? or if they died of a disease, how could I tell? If there were mites in there, for instance, how could I tell? And should I sprinkle DE on the ground where the hive had stood just in case? I don't want to hurt the new hive or my surviving established hive...

Thanks for any and all input!
Silvergirl


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

You can use the old frames of drawn comb. the darker stuff is most likely dark because they walked on it with their dirty feet more than the frames with foundation.

If you never treated for mites that could be a good bet in what happened to your hive, Also if they were in a weak condition going into winter that could be another reason. Requeening would havwe helped in that reguard. A hive that doesn't build up is a result of a queen not laying a lot of eggs or a hive full of honey leaving no place to lay. 
Of course during a drought the queen will slow down her laying and they will get rid of drones.

 Al


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