Discovering a dead colony after winter is a disheartening moment for any beekeeper, often leaving behind frames full of stored honey. The immediate question is whether this stored honey is safe to harvest and consume. The safety of the honey depends entirely on the specific reason the colony failed. A careful inspection of the hive contents is the only way to determine if the honey is a usable resource or a biological hazard.
Linking Colony Mortality to Honey Safety
Determining the cause of the colony’s death is the most important step in deciding the fate of the honey stores. Many common winter die-offs, such as starvation or isolation starvation, leave the honey safe for human consumption. In starvation cases, bees consumed all accessible stores or were unable to reach the food due to extreme cold.
Colonies that failed due to poor ventilation and high moisture may show signs of moldy comb. However, the honey itself is usually still safe, though it may have a higher moisture content. Similarly, a collapse from viruses transmitted by Varroa mites does not directly contaminate the honey. While the mites weaken the colony, the honey remains unaffected by these specific biological agents.
The greatest risk comes from bacterial diseases, particularly American Foulbrood (AFB), caused by the spore-forming bacteria Paenibacillus larvae. These resilient spores can survive in honey, wax, and equipment for decades, acting as a vector to spread the disease to new colonies. If a colony died from AFB, the honey must never be fed back to bees or extracted, as spores may be present without obvious signs. European Foulbrood (EFB) is less persistent than AFB because it does not form long-lasting spores, but any honey from a hive suspected of having EFB should still be handled with extreme care to prevent re-infection.
Identifying Honey That Should Not Be Harvested
Beekeepers must perform a detailed inspection of the dead-out hive, looking for physical signs that indicate the honey’s safety has been compromised. Foulbrood is often seen in the brood comb, visible as sunken, discolored, or perforated cappings. If a toothpick inserted into a suspect cell yields a dark, gluey material that “ropes” out several inches before breaking, it strongly indicates American Foulbrood, and the entire hive contents must be destroyed.
Honey exposed to high moisture, common in winter-killed hives, may begin to ferment. Fermented honey often smells sour, has a thin consistency, and may show a foamy layer on uncapped cells. While generally safe for human consumption, the flavor is altered, and its high moisture content means it will not store well.
Other contaminants to watch for include evidence of mice, which often reside in dead hives, leaving behind nests, droppings, and urine that contaminate the honey and comb. The presence of webbing and larvae from wax moths or excrement from small hive beetles also renders the immediate area of the comb unusable. Any honey contaminated by pests or showing signs of mold should be discarded.
Processing and Extracting Salvageable Honey
If the hive died from a low-risk cause like starvation and the honey shows no signs of disease or pest contamination, it can be harvested, but often presents unique challenges. Winter honey is frequently crystallized in the comb, which makes standard centrifugal extraction difficult or impossible. To address this, frames should be warmed gently in a controlled environment, ideally between 90 and 100 degrees Fahrenheit, for at least 24 hours to help liquefy the honey before extraction.
Beekeepers should consider using the crush-and-strain method for heavily crystallized honey, where the comb is crushed and the honey drains slowly through a filter. This method is often more efficient for stiff winter stores, though it sacrifices the drawn comb. After extraction, it is important to test the honey’s moisture content with a refractometer. Honey should ideally be below 18.6% moisture to prevent fermentation in storage, as dead-out hives often have higher humidity.
The extracted honey must be filtered to remove all debris, including dead bees, wax particles, and any pollen or propolis. Even safe honey from a dead-out hive requires more filtering than a typical summer harvest due to debris accumulated over a long, static period. Taking the time to properly process and filter ensures the quality and shelf-stability of the salvaged product.
Preparing Equipment for Future Use
The final step is managing the hive components to ensure no disease is transmitted to new colonies. If the cause of death was low-risk, such as starvation, frames of drawn comb can be frozen for at least 48 hours to kill lingering wax moth eggs or small hive beetles. After freezing, the boxes and frames can be safely reused, provided they are scraped clean of propolis and dead bees.
If American Foulbrood was suspected or confirmed, the protocol changes dramatically to prevent the spread of the highly persistent spores. All frames and wax must be immediately destroyed, typically by burning. Wooden hive bodies, lids, and bottoms that came into contact with the diseased colony must then be sterilized. This is often done by scorching the wood with a propane torch until it is lightly charred. Alternatively, equipment can be soaked in a 0.5% solution of sodium hypochlorite (bleach) for at least twenty minutes, though this requires thorough pre-cleaning to be effective.