Author Topic: Storing Empty Comb (Read 7833 times)

Pond Creek Farm · « **on:** December 11, 2008, 10:56:48 pm »

If this is a dead horse, please forgive me. I have been wondering how exactly it is that a beekeeper stores all the empty frames of drawn, extracted comb that result from the harvest. Obviously those who crush and strain do not deal with this (like me at his point in my experience), but those who extract must have drawn comb. I have read that these frames area a valuable resource. There must be some way that these are protected on a long term basis until they are needed in supers during a flow. Are they kept inside, outside in a barn, covered, treated with some agent to prevent infestation of parasites and scavengers, etc. How long do they keep?

annette · « **Reply #1 on:** December 11, 2008, 11:00:36 pm »

Yes this has been mentioned many times and you might want to do a search to read all the different ways, but I will tell you what I do. I freeze the frames of drawn comb and after a few days, I place them back into a super and then I Place the super into 2 garbage bags and tie them tightly. I have them in an outside barn stacked up on top of one another. Also some of the supers fit into a plastic container I bought at Target and I placed a few supers into those containers as well (after placing into a garbage bag)

That's it for me!!!
Hope it helped.
Annette

Nelly · « **Reply #2 on:** December 12, 2008, 12:19:59 am »

Yes, I follow the same method. I freeze the frames then store them in a sealed plastic trash bag. The freezing will kill any wax moth larvae.

Nelly

mathispollenators · « **Reply #3 on:** December 12, 2008, 07:22:21 am »

We have a fumigation room for our supers. In our honey house we have thousands of supers it seems that are stored in a seperate room that the extraction area. As they are brought in we put them in the sealed room place a light over a empty hive of drawn comb the catch the bees that didn't leave the supers robbing the honey. Few hours of that (over nights best) take these bees out and gas the room to kill the rest. Sometimes I can catch 4 to 5 hives that way depending on the trucks we have. For storage we put them back in there and gas again off and on through the year to control the Wax Moths and such. That's how it's done on the large scale, smaller scale I may would use the little room in lots of garages store them there duck tape the doors to seal and have at it. That's how it's done on the comercial end of it. As far as how long they last I replace more boxes than frames and use them as long as they hold together. You are right a drawn super is very valuble as our bees don't have to waste time drawing comb while they could be storing honey. And the bottom line for us is how many barrels we are going to have at the end of the flow and how much maintance is required to prepare for the next season.

reinbeau · « **Reply #4 on:** December 12, 2008, 08:36:32 am »

If I find evidence of them when I'm extracting, the combs go right into the freezer. For the rest I've purchased the BT Zetari (sp?), a biological control for caterpillars - We've got ten or twelve supers that Woodchopper sprayed yesterday with that solution. Then once it gets cold enough out they're all going out into the freezing cold garage. In the early spring I'll recoat the ones we don't use right away for honey or new hives.

Now, if you don't protect them, you'll end up with a mess like this! Hopefully you have the same removal system to clean up the mess! :lol:

Robo · « **Reply #5 on:** December 12, 2008, 09:05:48 am »

I spray with BT and stack in the barn. I have had some go unused for 2-3 years with no wax moth issues, just mice once in an while.

dpence · « **Reply #6 on:** December 12, 2008, 12:39:31 pm »

Where do you get BT?

David

Robo · « **Reply #7 on:** December 12, 2008, 12:53:57 pm »

Quote from: dpence on December 12, 2008, 12:39:31 pm

Where do you get BT?

David

http://forum.beemaster.com/index.php/topic,18795.msg140408.html#msg140408

bassman1977 · « **Reply #8 on:** December 12, 2008, 04:43:56 pm »

Quote

If this is a dead horse, please forgive me. I have been wondering how exactly it is that a beekeeper stores all the empty frames of drawn, extracted comb that result from the harvest. Obviously those who crush and strain do not deal with this (like me at his point in my experience), but those who extract must have drawn comb. I have read that these frames area a valuable resource. There must be some way that these are protected on a long term basis until they are needed in supers during a flow. Are they kept inside, outside in a barn, covered, treated with some agent to prevent infestation of parasites and scavengers, etc. How long do they keep?

For me, I keep them wrapped up in garbage bags and duct tape any openings. Two bags for each with the openings reversed.

For big time guys, I am not 100% certain but I have seen one commercial guy who had a warehouse full of supers with comb in them. They were shrink wrapped in some fairly thick plastic.

Michael Bush · « **Reply #9 on:** December 13, 2008, 09:54:27 am »

If I get the time I spray with Bt. But usually I just end up putting the supers back on the hive until we get frosty nights and then I pull them off and let them freeze. By the time the wax moths get going the next summer they are back on the hives.

rdy-b · « **Reply #10 on:** December 13, 2008, 08:38:18 pm »

Quote from: mathispollenators on December 12, 2008, 07:22:21 am

We have a fumigation room for our supers. In our honey house we have thousands of supers it seems that are stored in a seperate room that the extraction area. As they are brought in we put them in the sealed room place a light over a empty hive of drawn comb the catch the bees that didn't leave the supers robbing the honey. Few hours of that (over nights best) take these bees out and gas the room to kill the rest. Sometimes I can catch 4 to 5 hives that way depending on the trucks we have. For storage we put them back in there and gas again off and on through the year to control the Wax Moths and such. That's how it's done on the large scale, smaller scale I may would use the little room in lots of garages store them there duck tape the doors to seal and have at it. That's how it's done on the comercial end of it. As far as how long they last I replace more boxes than frames and use them as long as they hold together. You are right a drawn super is very valuble as our bees don't have to waste time drawing comb while they could be storing honey. And the bottom line for us is how many barrels we are going to have at the end of the flow and how much maintance is required to prepare for the next season.

what kind of gas do you use ?--I would like to see some pics of your operation if you can-RDY-B

Lone · « **Reply #11 on:** December 13, 2008, 11:29:51 pm »

Hello,

I'm glad you asked this question because I was wondering about it myself. I keep plain foundation in a fridge, but I read in the book that freezing honey can cause it to crystallize. I was wondering if you freeze stickies, will that make any new honey in them to be more prone to crystallizing? I haven't had the pleasure of having to store stickies yet, but I'm looking forward to it. I'm wondering if the type of heat we have here will cause the wax to melt if I simply store them in a sealed container.

Lone

rdy-b · « **Reply #12 on:** December 13, 2008, 11:54:48 pm »

Freezing Honey will not cause it to crystallize-in fact quite the opposite it will keep it from crystallizing-I store comb honey in the freezer and it is fresh for several years-beeswax melts at 145 Fahrenheit -how hot dose it get in your storage spot-myself just feed stickys back to the bees and i have a building for storing my honey suppers -(white wax only) and stack in heights of 14 and place a lid on them -In time the white wax will get rotated in to brood chambers for comb rotation and dark comb melted down -only place there is wax moth this way is in dead out -and it comes back on line in spring with the flow- ;) RDY-B

mathispollenators · « **Reply #13 on:** December 14, 2008, 08:07:38 am »

It's a gas kinda like the bug bombs we get to do our homes with. I'm not sure of the name Dad has the liscense for it and I can't pronouce it anyway. It is a food grade gas I'll see if I can find one to let you know. Sorry I kinda feel stupid not knowing I just open them and get out.

As far as our honey house we rent extraction time from some friends. So the pictures I would send wouldn't be our place. We pollinate mainly so we don't honestly extract that much honey a year. But plans of a much better place are going on for us.

troutstalker2 · « **Reply #14 on:** December 14, 2008, 01:00:20 pm »

Doesn't anybody stack the supers and use the crystals? I'm kinda new to the game and my mentor was keeper for many, many years and thats what he did. It seems If you have many hives at all, freezing would take some time because of the amout of space in most freezers. In the right conditions those buggers can do some damage in a short amount of time.

Michael Bush · « **Reply #15 on:** December 14, 2008, 07:16:21 pm »

>Doesn't anybody stack the supers and use the crystals?

If you like carcinogens in your wax and honey, you can buy one that is approved for that use. It's Paradichlorobenzene (PDB or ParaMoth). If you read the labels carefully you can even find it for sale as moth crystals. Just make sure you don't get the Naptha based ones. Look for PDB by name.

BMAC · « **Reply #16 on:** December 15, 2008, 08:58:21 am »

For those that like to use trash bags. From my understanding most trash bag manufacturers line them with a pesticide to help keep the flies out of the trash.

annette · « **Reply #17 on:** December 15, 2008, 09:01:21 pm »

Quote from: BMAC on December 15, 2008, 08:58:21 am

For those that like to use trash bags. From my understanding most trash bag manufacturers line them with a pesticide to help keep the flies out of the trash.

Hmm!! Something new to worry about?? Tell me more.

Lone · « **Reply #18 on:** December 15, 2008, 10:29:52 pm »

Hello rdy-b,

Thanks for your reply.

I looked up that information, and it seems that keeping honey warm or in a freezer will help prevent crystallisation, but the temperature of a fridge, about 4 C, is the prime temperature to cause crystallisation. So I'll rephrase the question. If you keep spare stickies in a refridgerator, will future honey the bees add be more likely to crystallize?

I'm in the process of rotating combs and starting to organise things here. I also used a temperature converter and it seems 145 F is over 60 C. That is a high temperature and we are unlikely to have that temperature inside. It has been about 39 C in the shade here.

Lone

rdy-b · « **Reply #19 on:** December 15, 2008, 11:35:54 pm »

If the stickys crystalize the bees will reconstitute it before they fill the cells with honey-and hive temp-98 far. will keep honey liquid-no worries ;) RDY-B