The color of brood cappings

[Bob Wilson]

I don't remember brood cappings this dark before. Is this common?

[The15thMember]

All the brood combs will gradually get darker with use and the cappings usually match the comb color in my experience. Not sure exactly why the cappings are also dark. I guess they use recycled wax.

[BeeMaster2]

The color of the wax is determined by what is used to make it. Honey cappings are made of pure wax. Usually freshly made by the bees. If the flow stops before the cells are capped, it may bee recycled wax.
Brood cappings are made from wax and pollen. The pollen is added so that the cappings allow oxygen to flow through it. Again, during a flow the cappings are made by the bees. When there is not a flow, the bees recycle old wax. Hence sometimes it is light and sometimes it is dark. The pollen used also affects the color as well as how old the capping is. Bees walking on it makes it darker.
Jim Altmiller

[Bob Wilson]

They are fascinating creatures. Thanks for the info.

[The15thMember]

They are fascinating creatures. Thanks for the info.

X2

[Michael Bush]

Actually brood cappings from an established colony are generally  a mixture of wax and chewed out cocoons.  But when a colony is starting off there are no cocoons, so they use pollen.  The first brood cappings will be somewhere between white and slightly yellow.  The next turnover will be slightly brown.  A well established colony will have very dark brown cappings because they will be almost exclusively wax and cocoons and almost no pollen.  The reason for mixing in pollen or cocoons is that they have to breath.  Larvae and pupae need oxygen as Huber proved 200 years ago.  He also proved that they mixed in pollen at first and cocoons later...

[Acebird]

Actually brood cappings from an established colony are generally  a mixture of wax and chewed out cocoons.  But when a colony is starting off there are no cocoons, so they use pollen.  The first brood cappings will be somewhere between white and slightly yellow.  The next turnover will be slightly brown.  A well established colony will have very dark brown cappings because they will be almost exclusively wax and cocoons and almost no pollen.  The reason for mixing in pollen or cocoons is that they have to breath.  Larvae and pupae need oxygen as Huber proved 200 years ago.  He also proved that they mixed in pollen at first and cocoons later...

Thanks Mike.  Bob this is why it takes so long to learn everything about bees.  You have to wait until the right question is asked and then someone like Mike gives you the answer based on what has already been written or discovered.  Maybe I should say discovered and written.

[Bob Wilson]

Jim, Michael, Brian. Thanks for investing in the forum.

[Ben Framed]

Jim, Michael, Brian. Thanks for investing in the forum.

I agree, thanking Member as well for her above input, adding her to this list.....