Is this comb usable?

[Fishing-Nut]

I've got lots of frames of old brood comb. It's not black but is a leather brown color. It's still soft. I was wandering if I put it on a hive will they use it? Also will they store honey in it? Another question is, if it is to small in diameter for the queen to lay in will the bees clean it out some and open it up for her? Thanks

[little john]

Leather brown ain't old comb.  Coal-black and as hard as wood is old comb - and even then they'll happily use it.  So the answer is "yes" - it's ok to use.

LJ

[Fishing-Nut]

Lj will the bees open it up if the queen can't lay eggs in it? Or is that something to Even worry about.

[Van, Arkansas, USA]

My experience is the queens love to lay in that dark brown brood comb.  Not sure what you mean by open it up?  My main concern is where did the comb come from.  If an agriculture area, heavily treated and the comb is years old, then I would question pesticide accumulated.

It would help is we had some history of the comb???

[eltalia]

As in all things bee related FN it is the premise which lays out an expectation as reality. Where that premise may not be shared by the bees they then tweak the given situation to fit their reality.
An important tenet of beekeeping, as it is exactly that which saves many a colony from stress - or worse, collapse - where external factors cause a shift in bee management of their colony.

Using the above in applying what is seen as widely accepted "norms" the bees will take to whatever comb we force on them to make of it what they will in light of what they require within the colony.
An example can be found in introducing foundationless comb (aka "small cell") in positions #4 and #6 to a brood chamber which exclusively uses foundation based comb. The population of resulting brood patterns may well shrink on those introduced combs, with an expansion of honey and pollen over that which the foundation comb they replaced presented.
An exemption is found in where grandfathered plastic foundation frames (long used) hold cell builds of cocoons which (so) bees cannot use for brood rearing and also cannot tear down the cells to rebuild replacement cell groups. Often left bare these may be filled with honey and pollen in times of flow despite their position at #4 and #6.

In accepting the premise a queen may be so large in the abdomen as to
not lay in cells presented by us the likely outcomes form around two possibilities.
1. The bees will tear up cells to build new "right size" cells.
2. A collective of bees - or in worst case, all bees - will encourage swarming with that queen.

So it is in choosing to introduce resources one should look at the material
in terms of an expected outcome, forming the premise around the reality bees will produce.
For your questions it is simply a matter of examining the general formation of the drawn comb in respect of cell size and make a decision. Experience will tell you at a glance, however for the uncertain there exist standards in
cell size which can be applied by simply measuring a scope of cells.
A sized mandrel may be handy for the newer BK in quickly deciding.

And for what it is worth it has been my experience on introducing a new queen to find bees tearing up old comb - which was not old "old" - in getting the new queen to begin laying. As messy as that gets it is observation that quickly has new foundation introduced every other frame
in positions #2 through #7. Once that is drawn the remaining brood frames are also replaced.
It is probably relative to your questions to note it takes many generations of
brood rearing to find brood cells so small as to no longer function as successful bee nurseries, I would offer usually beyond the life of a single queen.

Cheers.

Bil

[cao]

>I was wandering if I put it on a hive will they use it?
yes, definitely.

>Also will they store honey in it?
yes, if needed.

>Another question is, if it is to small in diameter for the queen to lay in will the bees clean it out some and open it up for her?
I've not come across that yet.  I have some comb that they are still using since I started five years ago.

[paus]

Today I wanted to place a frame of old pollen which also had some mildew is that ok?

[little john]

Today I wanted to place a frame of old pollen which also had some mildew is that ok?

It's ok in the sense that they'll deal with it - but they won't be using that pollen of course - they'll cut it out and you'll then find little pellets of dried-up and manky pollen either on the bottom board or on the ground just outside the entrance.   My girls just drop it onto the Open Mesh Floor, and leave me to sweep it up ....  Then they'll simply re-build those cells which they needed to cut-down.

In the Natural World, bees live and thrive amongst rotting wood, fungi, stagnant water etc., and so a little bit of mildew is well within their remit.
LJ

[Acebird]

Having a screen bottom board answers the question of what bees will do with what you give them.  It is surprising how fast they do it.  About the only thing that is detrimental to a hive is infected comb.  Comb that is from an active wax moth or hive beetle infestation.  Of course one that is infected with AFB spores would not be good but simply freezing frames for a couple of days takes care of wax moth and hive beetles.  Wash them first if the frames are slimed.