Comb used to rear worker or drone brood darkens in color with bee use. You may also see darkening due to storage of bee bread and from bees walking on outer rims of comb cells. May lead to noticeably smaller diameter worker brood cells.
White or light yellow-colored, newly-constructed comb, when walked on and used to rear brood, darkens to brown and eventually black. This is normal comb aging and darkening. The cell diameter of brood cells may decrease over time as bee silk deposits grow after each use.
It is recommended to remove or replace (culling frames) old brood comb every 3–5 years. Do not allow bees to rear brood in comb intended for honey harvest, because darker cells can darken lighter-colored stored honey.
Burlew R. 2023 update. Why do brood combs turn black? Honey Bee Suite. Accessed 2023. https://www.honeybeesuite.com/why-do-brood-combs-turn-black/
Carter A. N.d. What makes Honeycomb Dark? Beekeeping Insider. Accessed 2023. https://beekeepinginsider.com/what-makes-honeycomb-dark/
Conrad R. 2017. A rude awakening. Bee Culture. Accessed 2023. https://www.beeculture.com/a-rude-awakening/
Anderson C. 2023. Black honeycomb: What to do With it? Carolina HoneybeesCarolina Honeybees:
Carolina Honeybees. Accessed October 2022. https://carolinahoneybees.com/. Accessed 2023. https://carolinahoneybees.com/black-honeycomb/
McCallum R and Menzies C. 2018. Comb Rotation. Perennia. Accessed 2023. https://www.perennia.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/11-comb-rotation-eng.pdf
