Old original flow frames + dirt particles?

1

I am an original flow hive beekeeper and have 3 flow hives. My first flow frames seem to have very very small black, almost like dirt, particles in the harvested honey. They are black and very small so when having trouble finding a filter small enough to get those out but not needing hours and hours to go through:

  1. What are these black dirt like particles only in my old flow frames. I don’t think it is pollen or bee parts or wax or propolis.
  2. Should I be “cleaning” out the old frames thoroughly at season end and rewax them next spring? If so, how is best way to clean them.
  3. What filter would you recommend I use to get rid of these ugly black specks?
2
  1. Could they be wax moth poo? It looks like tiny black cylinders. A photo would help :wink:
  2. I wouldn’t do that unless they have brood in them. The bees do a nice job of cleaning them up before refilling. If the wax is getting very dark in the frames, you may need a bigger clean up, but that can take several years before it needs consideration
  3. The best one is a pair of unused ladies tights/hose/whatever they call them in your part of the world. Tie off the legs, and then put a knot in the waist line so that it fits snugly inside a funnel, colander or large sieve, with the waistband over the outside. The fine denier weave catches all important crud, leaving you with lovely clean strained honey. Very effective, and cheap enough to throw away rather than wash up the mess! :blush:

Hope that helps!

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