Hi Jennifer,

Bees can clean out frames from a mouse nest. If they aren't too gross, you could use these frames in the broodnest (not the honey supers where you will extract honey for human consumption). Strong colonies will be better able to clean out frames than smaller colonies. If there is a lot of nesting material/contamination that will be difficult for bees to clean, you may consider tossing these frames. In addition, sometimes mice eat pollen and destroy the comb so that there isn't enough wax on the foundation to encourage bees to draw it out. Tossing these frames may be easier than trying to clean them yourself and recoat them with beeswax.

Also, normally use deadouts as an opportunity to toss certain frames. Here are the frames we consider culling:

1. Brood frames that are older than 4-6 years: it's good practice to rotate out brood combs at least every 4-6 years. You can also toss any frames that you received with a nuc (if you purchased a nuc) that are of unknown age.
2. Frames that are full of pollen: Pollen loses nutritional benefits with time, and bees can’t clean it out.
3. Frames with dead, capped brood: We don’t have data to know whether or not dead brood can contribute to pathogens in the next colony, so we often suggest beekeepers consider tossing frames with dead brood as a precaution. (Adult bees use their mouthparts to break apart and remove dead brood.)
4. Frames that are thick with mold: Some mold is fine for bees to clean out, and mold isn't known to harm honey bees. Frames that are really thick with mold will take the bees a lot of work to clean, so we recommend tossing these frames.
5. Note: if you suspect American Foulbrood, you will need to follow recommended guidelines to prevent spreading the disease.

Here is a helpful article by Meghan Milbrath about Dealing with Deadouts.

Thanks,