temporary storage of

[JackM]

Need to pull a super off a hive.  One super just seems like a lot of work to harvest by itself.

I don't have freezer space, nor refrigerator space.  I do have a nice cool basement. 

Should the box and frames be inserted in a big trash bag and sealed, or should I make a big bag out of cheese cloth and let it breathe until the time I am ready to harvest or place the frames in weak hives.

The hive I am pulling from is very strong, but I have two splits that are very, very light even for this time of year and have concern that they will not get enough stores for the winter....such, I wish to save this box in case it is necessary to supplement their stores before the onset of winter and thus not have to feed.

[Joe D]

I am not sure Jack, I do have a couple in a 55 gal drum plastic trash bag sealed.  That is what I do with drawn frames also.




Joe

[rober]

i let some supers sit for a month last year. they were indoors in a finished area of my basement. when i went to extract there were some wax moth webs on several frames.

[JackM]

i let some supers sit for a month last year. they were indoors in a finished area of my basement. when i went to extract there were some wax moth webs on several frames.

That is exactly what I want to avoid.

[duryeafarms]

With your concern about the splits why not put the honey frames in their hives now?

[Rick_Sprague]

Why not leave the super on? If the hive is strong, then they can handle the hive beetles. Easier to let them take care of it until you are ready for harvest.

[mrspie]

A small-time way to do this is to put the super in a plastic bag, pull as air as possible out of it, and drop in some dry ice. Then seal the bag well. The dry ice melts into gaseous carbon dioxide, and the lack of oxygen keeps wax moths from being able to live. It's a short-term thing, and you need to store it in a cool place like a basement, and if you have rodents you are SOL, but it works for me and a couple of other backyard beekeepers I know.

Since I changed to crush and strain, a whole super is worth harvesting right away, so I only do this for supers I'm saving for winter feed.

[Kathyp]

Jack, the biggest risk is probably something like ants getting into the super.  i have the ones i pulled in my dining room just so that they are not out where stuff can get into them.  i have never had wax moth in honey frames.  just used drawn stuff and not much of that. 

[JackM]

Ya Kathy and the ants are really bad this year.

This box of honey is early spring honey, mostly maple, would like to consume that over letting the bees have it, the late summer honey isn't as tasty.

Yes I could split it among the weak hives, want them to get to work instead, and save if necessary. 

Why not leave on?  Well that box makes the top of the hive too tall for me to lift heavy stuff.