Hi there, this is my first hive and so far everything seems to be going good but yesterday during an inspection I noticed some discoloured comb and was wondering if it was mold or normal?
Thank you!
Hi Alex. Welcome to the forum. What you are looking at is capped honey. This is what @JeffH would describe as wet capping, as there is no gap between the honey and the wax cap.
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Thank you very much! It’s been a very humid summer and I was worried I haven’t been providing them with enough ventilation and what not!
Hi Alex, I also welcome you to the forum. They are wet cappings, however what you’re looking at is a clear distinction between sealed brood on the right & sealed honey on the left, with a few open cells of fresh honey, as well as pollen in between. You’ll note that sealed brood has defined hexagons, whereas sealed honey doesn’t.
I never add ventilation to hives during the summer. The bees do a beautiful job of air conditioning their hive via the entrance only. We can help by painting the hive white, as well as shade or even wet towels in extreme conditions.
That’s great thank you for the information! I tried to do a bunch of research before starting bee keeping but I think you can only read so much before getting out and experiencing it!
I agree Alex. I still remember 35 years ago telling myself to remember that brood has hexagons & sealed honey doesn’t.
A great video to watch & learn from is on Youtube, “City of the Bees”. Not the religious part, unless you’re that way inclined.
cheers 