Cleaning old frames

1

I have been given some flow frames that have had brood in them. They are black with propolis and brood wax. I have pressure washed them and removed the old wax but the black refuses to budge. I have pulled one frame apart and soaked it in Betsy and then Napisan. A lot of grot came off but I still had to scrub each component individually to get it clean. Are these frames destined to be brood frames forever, or will the bees clean them up if I put them in the super?

2

Flow usually suggests just opening the cells to the harvest position and hose them out. Allow them to dry in the shade. The bees will probably clean up the rest once installed back in a hive.

3

One thing I found worked for a client’s flow frames that had a lot of propolis & brood wax & casings is to leave them in a shed for a few months to let the wax moths clean them up, which they do beautifully, after which they just need to be hosed out.

4

I’ve had the same issue with old brood frames, especially the black propolis buildup.

In my experience, even after pressure washing, that dark staining usually won’t fully go away because it’s embedded in the wax layers and wood fibers.

What has worked best for me:

  • Scraping off as much old wax/propolis as possible first (before washing)
  • Leaving them outside for a while so bees can “rework” them if they’re still usable
  • Wax moth treatment actually helps more than people think — they clean out a lot of the remaining residue

But honestly, I’ve found that some frames just stay “brood frames” in character. The bees will reuse them, but they never go back to looking clean like new foundation.

One thing I started doing recently is keeping a simple record of frame history per hive so I know which ones are getting too far gone over time. It helps avoid guessing later in the season.

Curious if others here actually replace them fully after a few cycles or keep recycling them?

5

Hi Faye, I have seen a post on a Flow FB group that they used an ultrasonic cleaner, pulled the flow frames apart and put them in, they came out looking brand new.