What to do when they abscond

[Charlie_A]

Hi, new beekeper here. I have one hive that absconded. I think I just fed them too little or gave them too many new frames when i thought they were expanding fast. I can't see anything obviously wrong with the frames they left behind.

My question is can I just scrape the frames and use them again next  year?

 

 

Edited July 18, 2020 by Charlie_A
left out text

[Bret Fisher]

Charlie,

I'm sorry to hear your bees decided to go somewhere else to live. Those are some nice frames of drawn comb, and it looks like they contain a fair amount of pollen/bee bread. Unless there are signs of disease we cannot see in these photos, there is no need to scrape these frames down and waste all that beautiful comb. Put them in the freeze for 3-7 days and then store them in airtight translucent plastic containers to keep them safe from wax moths. They will give your bees a head start next spring. 

https://www.kelleybees.com/blog/kelley-beekeeping/dealing-dead-outs/

https://americanbeejournal.com/dealing-with-dead-outs/

[Charlie_A]

I'll store them in the freezer tonight! Glad they can be reused. I could see no signs of disease. There were no dead bees, no mites, a few ants but otherwise it  was just empty.

Thanks for the quick response!