On Jun 24, 2021, at 10:56 AM, 'jeanne hansen' via madbees <mad...@googlegroups.com> wrote:
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Marvin is exactly right. It really depends how old the pollen is. If it’s still ‘fresh’ the bees will use it (usually at a lower preference to actual fresh pollen coming in) but if it is older, they will ignore it and encapsulate/mummify it. Once it reaches that point, they just won’t use it no matter where you put it. I have read that some of the liquid protein feeding additives can be used to drench old pollen and make it appealing again. I planned to give it a try this year, but haven’t even had time for my routine maintenance this year, so experiments will have to wait.
Nucs and splits that don’t have a large foraging force are more likely to use subpar pollen since they will have a need for protein but won’t have much coming in. It is also probably why Jeanne sees her bees using old pollen when mine often just ignore it until it goes bad; she always complains she has a shortage of pollen and needs to supplement, where I end up with hives plugged with pollen.
Plastic foundation can always be power washed back to plain plastic and rewaxed as if you’re starting over. It’s one good thing about plastic foundation. Of course, wax foundation can just removed, melted down and replaced. I just hate to see more plastic end up in landfills, so like to see plastic foundation reused whenever possible.
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On Jun 24, 2021, at 2:09 PM, oliver...@gmail.com <oliver...@gmail.com> wrote:
I need to clean up some plastic comb after wax moths infestation. What a mess! Can you pressure wash plastic foundation when its still in the wooden frame or is it better to remove, wash, and reinsert?
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