Millions of Plastic Frames Saved from Landfill
The conundrum of what to do with plastic beekeeping frames when they are damaged beyond repair or, more commonly, it’s time to turn to fresh wax, is an increasing challenge for the industry. New Zealand Beeswax is tackling that challenge head-on though, with a solution that not only benefits beekeepers and their bottom line, but the environment in a myriad of ways.
“Save time, save money, save the environment, why wouldn’t you do it?” asks NZ Beeswax General Manager Nick Taylor when discussing the beekeeping supply company’s Hamilton frame Wash & Wax plant.
The plant has been in operation since 2018 and with the onset of plastic frames over the last 20 years and in particular the last 5-10 years – driven by the mānuka story –a rapid increase in the total number of plastic frames in the market has resulted. Frames which are now reaching the end of their useful life, at least for “round one”, Taylor explains.
“Traditional wooden frames can either be rendered, discarded or have wax removed and be re-waxed using techniques that have been around since the 1800s. Plastic frames, however, required some fresh thinking. That technology is out there now, we have refined it in our plant and, for many beekeepers, using it and markedly extending the life of plastic frames will be a no-brainer once the benefits are fully understood,” Taylor says.
Why do frames need swapping out?
Beekeepers have observed that around 20% of frames in brood boxes and 10% in honey supers, require cycling out annually. The primary reason is to aid bee health, as beeswax that has been used repeatedly by the bees, especially for brood rearing, accumulates greater levels of contaminates, such as viruses, pathogens and residues.
Additionally, the cell diameter in old, heavy, black, brood comb can shrink from an accumulation of these materials, along with faecal matter and cocoon silk left behind by each emerging bee. A three-year field study from the University of Georgia concluded “Colonies full of old, dark, heavy comb will have smaller bees and fewer of them”.
It was shown that, “On average, colonies with new comb produced a greater area of brood, a greater area of sealed brood, and higher weight of individual young bees.” Also, “Bees reared in old comb may weigh up to 19% less than bees reared in new comb”.
What are the options?
“A big hole in the ground is not a valid option,” Taylor stresses.
“It might be tempting to just throw away aged-out plastic frames and start again with new frames, but it doesn’t make any sense. It is obviously horrible for the environment, but it is also increasingly financially a bad call.”
Beekeepers have been known to refurbish the frames themselves, with some going to the effort to assemble their own small cleaning plants. However, for the most part it requires the laborious and triple-handling of scraping back wax, water blasting, then rewaxing.
Efforts to remove the wax with heat almost certainly result in warped frames.
“If ever there was a task to be outsourced by beekeepers, to specialists, this is it,” Taylor says.
“The NZ Beeswax plant is continuously being refined, but after our six years and millions of frames through the operation we are at a stage where we can put through hundreds of frames an hour and return them almost completely devoid of old wax and with a fresh new beeswax coat.”
Lessening Environmental Impact
While avoiding a huge amount of landfill or carbon release in burning is the obvious and most significant environmental benefit to recycling frames, there are many more. NZ Beeswax’s frame washing plant has been designed to lessen environmental impact, compared to do-it-yourself processes:
- Water used is almost entirely from rainwater capture and storage from the roof of their Hamilton facility.
- The washer is set up in a specifically built room to reduce noise externally.
- An advanced filtration system is used, which separates the solids for composting. Beekeepers cleaning their own frames generally have limited means of dealing with the dross resulting in environmental impacts.
- Any water discharge is to municipal waste which provides ‘sweet water’ with active microbes, which are beneficial to the sewerage treatment process.
- Doubling/tripling, or even more, the life of a frame allows beekeepers to greatly reduce their carbon footprint. A project undertaken with Toitu estimated a reduced carbon impact of 58 – 87%, or approx. 1kg carbon per frame.
Who’s it for?
While it’s hard to deny, given the choice, bees love wooden frames and beeswax foundation best; the use of plastic frames has become increasingly common across beekeeping in New Zealand, from the largest commercial apiarists, down to the backyard enthusiasts.
“It’s no secret, the plant has been designed with the goal of putting through large quantities of frames, as that is where the biggest concern for our industry lies,” Taylor explains.
“Those beekeepers putting through tens of thousands of frames or more, are saving significant amounts of money, while looking after the environment. With a minimum run size of 1500, what we recommend to beekeepers who don’t have that many frames themselves which need washing and re-waxing is, ring a fellow beekeeper in your area and get as big a run as you can together. We have procedures in place to make sure the right frames go back in the right box, and thus beekeepers won’t end up with their neighbour’s gear.
“It’s increasingly becoming a no-brainer decision for an increasing amount of beekeepers. We enjoy providing this service as the environmental benefits provide a feel-good factor, but also because – for most – it’s a way to save beekeepers money over the alterative options out there,” Taylor says, adding “we would love more beekeepers to get in touch and talk through the process, that way we can determine whether it will work for them and, hopefully, make their beekeeping operation that much better.”
Original Publication: Apiarist’s Advocate – September 2024
