How to Store Empty Frames and Keep Wax Moths Out

Drawn comb, the wax cells your bees have already built, is like money in the bank. Bees use a lot of energy and honey to make wax, so giving them frames of ready-made comb in spring saves them a huge amount of work. But stored comb has a natural enemy: the wax moth. Leave a box of frames sitting in the garage, and you might open it in spring to find a mess of webbing, tunnels, and chewed-up wax.

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Meet the wax moth

Wax moths are small, grayish moths that lay eggs in beehives and stored comb. It's the larvae that do the damage. They tunnel through the comb, eating wax, pollen, and the leftover cocoons from brood cells, and they leave behind sticky silk webbing.

In a strong colony, the bees keep wax moths under control. The problem comes when comb is left without bees to guard it. Comb that has held brood or pollen is the most attractive to them, while frames that held only honey are less appealing.

Step 1: Let the bees clean up

After you extract honey, the frames will be sticky. Many beekeepers put these "wet" supers back on the hive for a day or two so the bees can lick them clean. Dry frames store better and draw fewer pests. (Place them on the hive in the evening to reduce the chance of robbing.)

Step 2: Freeze the frames

Freezing is one of the simplest, most reliable ways to kill wax moths at every stage, including eggs you can't see. Put the frames in a freezer for at least 48 hours. A chest freezer works best if you have one. Let them come back to room temperature before stacking so condensation doesn't cause mold.

Step 3: Store them sealed or in the light

After freezing, you have two good options:

• Seal them up. Store frames in airtight storage bins, sealed bags, or tightly stacked supers with the ends taped closed, so new moths can't get in.
• Light and air. Wax moths prefer dark, warm, still spaces. Some beekeepers stack supers in a crisscross pattern in a cool, bright, well-ventilated spot so light and air reach every frame.

Step 4: Keep mice out too

Mice love to nest in stored boxes, and they'll chew right through comb. Store equipment off the ground, and make sure boxes are fully closed or screened.

Step 5: Check on them

Peek at your stored frames every month or so. If you see webbing, tiny tunnels, or larvae, pull those frames and freeze them again.

What if moths already got in?

Don't panic. Lightly damaged frames can still go back on a strong hive, and the bees will clean and repair them. Badly damaged comb can be cut out and melted down. The wood frames can be scraped and reused. For turning that old wax into something useful, see How to Render Beeswax From Cappings.

The payoff

When spring arrives and your colony is booming, you'll be able to add a box of clean, drawn comb, and the bees can get straight to storing nectar instead of building from scratch.

Keep track of what's in storage (and what goes on which hive) in our Honey Harvest Journal.