Questions with Mike Palmer
Mike Palmer Answers Your Questions
Mike Palmer keeps bees at French Hill Apiaries in St. Albans. We are grateful that he has agreed to answer questions on beekeeping in Vermont, his workload permitting.
VBA Members: Ask Mike your question with this form. (Requires you to login to the site.) We'll post the best questions and answers here as regularly as possible. (Personal responses to questions will not be possible.)
William Lesko writes:
Please I have several full frames with large amounts of pollen. There is no nectar or honey in any of them. Is there a safe way to store them for future use ? I was considering freezing them.
Frozen is a good way to store combs in the winter. Really, any temperatures below 50 degrees will stop Greater Wax Moths from reproducing. Freezing temperatures will kill the larvae of Greater Wax Moth, Galleria mellonella. Not so for the Lesser Wax Moth, Achroia grisella. These small, pink larvae can withstand temperatures well below zero. While they don't do the damage wrought by Galleria, they still make a mess with their webbing. Cold temperatures will slow them down, but once warm weather arrives in the spring, get bees on the combs.