Propolis: Propolis, or bee glue, is a combination of bee spit and botanicals such as flower bud nectar and tree saps.Virgin honeycomb is capped off and remains clear and clean, while brood cells are left open and are exposed to the air. Atmospheric dust: Especially in arid climates, lots of dust can get kicked up into the bee frame, and this dust can help discolor brood cells.Dirt: Hundreds of bees track dirt in on their feet day in and day out in the hive as they care for juvenile bees, and this dirt becomes embedded in the soft, warm wax of the bee frame.
![eating honeycomb eating honeycomb](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/nM_EWvBwnCE/maxresdefault.jpg)
Pollen: Pollen is used to feed juvenile bees, and this pollen becomes built-up in the wax of the brood cells over time.Instead, the darker color of brood cells can be attributed to several other substances: This is not the case-worker bees are disciplined about making sure that the brood cells of young bee larvae are kept immaculately clean, and each cell is sterilized for the next generation. Some people may be worried that the darker coloration of brood honeycomb is due to the presence of feces. What Substances Cause Bee Frames to Appear Black? There are several different substances used in brood honeycomb that cause the honeycomb to appear darker than a virgin honeycomb. So, when beekeepers find a darker core of honeycomb in their bee frames, it is an indication that all is well. The truth is closer to the opposite- brood honeycomb is evidence of a healthy, expanding hive with a functioning queen. The reason that bees set up their honeycomb in this way (with the brood at the center and bands of pure honey on the edges) is because the honey acts as a cooling insulator for the brood during soaring summer temperatures, helping prevent the young bees from becoming overheated.īecause the appearance in brood honeycomb and virgin honeycomb is so different, it can lead novice beekeepers into believing there is something wrong with their hives when they do an inspection and find brood honeycomb. While the lighter, translucent frames on the edge of the hive are usually used for storing honey through the winter, the frames at the center are used for raising baby bees after they are laid and stored there by the queen’s workers. Black or dark-colored honeycomb is an indication that a beehive is brood-rearing-or raising baby bees within the darker bee frames.