The purpose of freezing wax combs is to kill the eggs and larvae of wax moths. Wax moths can destroy beeswax combs, especially combs in weak colonies and those in storage. A strong colony of bees does a good job of controlling the moths, but a weak colony can become overrun.
Although the moths cannot survive long periods of cold, a healthy hive stays fairly warm all winter long. The moth larvae chew cavities in the frames, spin their cocoons, and spend the winter as pupae kept warm and toasty by the honey bee cluster. In the spring, they emerge as adult moths.
The larvae of wax moths destroy combs while they search for food—mostly cocoons of bee pupae and bits of pollen. For this reason, comb that once contained brood is much more susceptible to attack by wax moths than comb that has contained only honey. On occasion, however, the moths will destroy comb that has never contained brood. Such is the lot of beekeepers.
Freezing overnight will destroy all stages of wax moths. It is not necessary to store combs in the freezer—only to freeze them overnight. But freezing will not prevent the immediate re-infestation of wax moths if the comb is placed where moths can reach it.
Combs that are frozen and immediately returned to the hive will immediately become re-infected, but a strong hive will manage them. Combs frozen and placed in a shed or garage will also become re-infected if adult moths are in the area. Only combs kept away from adult moths will remain moth-free.
Comb can be frozen even if it contains honey. Honey is low in moisture and will not expand and break the cells. If handled carefully, it can be frozen and thawed with no loss of quality and no change in appearance.
Comb honey producers routinely freeze their honey before packaging it. Even if the probability is small, no comb honey producer wants creepy crawlies writhing over the lovely comb—and certainly no customer wants to buy it. So combs are frozen and thawed before going to market.
But producers of extracted honey can freeze their frames as well, especially if they want to delay extraction until the entire crop is in. As long as the thawed comb is kept away from moths, it can be easily held until extraction time.
One word of caution about freezing: condensation. Condensation will form on combs that are taken from the freezer. If the combs are stored before they dry, mold will appear in a spectacular display of gross. An easy way to prevent mold is to wrap the combs tightly in plastic wrap before you place them in the freezer. After you remove them from the freezer, allow them to come to room temperature before removing the plastic.
Rusty
Hi Rusty,
What is your opinion on using shallow supers that show some
evidence of wax moth? I’m just leery of using
frames & foundation, since people will be eating the
honey..
I’d appreciate your opinion.
Thank you,
Bruce
Bruce,
I’m not clear on what you’re asking. Do you mean there is wax moth damage on the supers and frames, or on the comb, or on the foundation? Are you planning to extract or make comb honey?
If there is just some damage, and you put the supers on a strong hive, the bees will control the wax moths as long as the hive remains strong. The bees will repair any damage to the comb itself.
The most critical time is harvest time. You should either freeze your frames immediately after harvest or extract within two days of harvest. If you do one or the other, your honey should be fine–assuming the colony was strong enough to keep the wax moths from seriously damaging the new comb.
Bruce, if I haven’t answered your question please write back. Your situation isn’t totally clear to me. Thanks.
Hi Rusty,
I found some debri (webbing) on the shallow frames that were in storage from last years honey harvest. Is it okay to re-use those frames? I do not want to contaminate honey that would be used for human consumption.
I really wasn’t clear with my first post..
Thanks,
Bruce
Bruce,
If you want to be absolutely sure your frames are not infected, you can freeze them overnight. Or, if they are wooden frames with no comb, you can take a hand-held propane torch and sweep it across all the wooden surfaces to kill any of the moth life stages.
However, if your hive is infested with wax moths, they will re-infect the frames in no time. The most important thing is to freeze or process your honey as soon as you harvest it.
The larvae are most unattractive and can ruin the comb, but they are not harmful to humans. Freezing kills the eggs, but the remains of the eggs are still there. People eating these would never know it and it won’t hurt them. It’s just like eating all those insects parts that are in your cereal. Out of sight, out of mind.
Here’s an idea: Because I don’t have a freezer big enough to store all the unused pollen/brood frames over the winter, I’ll freeze a batch for 24 hours, then put them in a hive box that’s screened on both ends. I staple the screen on, and take it off when a box is needed. So far, no wax moths.
Laura,
Great idea! It is inexpensive, effective, and solves the storage problem. I think I will try this. Thank you.
Thanks Rusty,
There was no sign of larvae, just some webbing and what looked what looked like moth debris.
Thanks Again!
Bruce