Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum

BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => GENERAL BEEKEEPING - MAIN POSTING FORUM. => Topic started by: Caelansbees on July 15, 2013, 05:42:58 pm

Title: full supers but called out last minute
Post by: Caelansbees on July 15, 2013, 05:42:58 pm
Harvested 3 supers yesterday with intent to extract today.  Called to go out of town until next week.  How long do you think we are good for?  Have them sealed well and indoors in a low humidity room.  any ideas.  I know I need to get on it as soon as possible.
Title: Re: full supers but called out last minute
Post by: sc-bee on July 15, 2013, 06:14:18 pm
Do you have shb? If so absolutely not. Other than that I will let others field this one as I have no idea. A whole week how hard is it to return them on top of the hive?

I always extract the day of or day after. Curious to hear this answer.
Title: Re: full supers but called out last minute
Post by: don2 on July 15, 2013, 07:00:37 pm
Unless you can put them in cold storage, I would say back on the hive they came from. :) d2
Title: Re: full supers but called out last minute
Post by: Joe D on July 16, 2013, 12:54:24 am
I would agree with don2, if they are where SHB's or wax moths can get to them, they will.  Good luck



Joe
Title: Re: full supers but called out last minute
Post by: Caelansbees on July 16, 2013, 04:58:21 pm
No SHB to be seen.  Room they are stores in has three wet supers from last year that have not been touched by moths or anything.  Three doors away from outdoors.  No bugs have access whatsoever.
Title: Re: full supers but called out last minute
Post by: BeeMaster2 on July 16, 2013, 11:47:36 pm
All it takes is one moth or SHB to have entered the hive the night before and lay their eggs to destroy 3 supers. If you cannot chill or remove all oxygen, I would put them back on the hives.
Jim
Title: Re: full supers but called out last minute
Post by: Caelansbees on July 17, 2013, 06:54:49 pm
Has been three days .  Not air to them and supers are wrapped.  Three wet supers remain unwrapped and untouched right next to them. 

Has anyone else noticed less SHB lately?  Seems that only hives I gave patties to have any present.
Title: Re: full supers but called out last minute
Post by: flyingbrass on July 17, 2013, 07:19:22 pm
this will not end well, you will loose this honey
Title: Re: full supers but called out last minute
Post by: Caelansbees on August 29, 2013, 03:15:28 pm
supers sat in basement for almost 3 weeks wrapped and airtight.  not a single sign of a beetle or moth.  one spider web.  extracted and filtered some very good quality and nearly clear honey. 

Thanks all for all the answers and for freaking me out! 

It ended quite well.  :)
Title: Re: full supers but called out last minute
Post by: Moots on August 29, 2013, 03:35:54 pm
Glad it worked out for you.  :)

If any, I would say that's the one downside to throwing out these types of questions for opinions. I think everyone in the interest of full disclosure and wanting to help, tend to concentrate on everything that could go wrong, or could be a problem. I think this tends to paint every situation as a bit of a dooms day, worse case  scenario.

I remember when I first got interested in getting bees and went to the state convention...After the first day of meetings, I was practically convinced it would be nearly impossible to keep bees alive after hearing about all the things that "could" go wrong.

I think it's important to stay positive and remember, just because something can go wrong, doesn't mean it will.  :)
Title: Re: full supers but called out last minute
Post by: alfred on August 29, 2013, 04:25:45 pm
Last year I had two supers that I never got around to harvesting. They sat on a picnic table wrapped in a sheet all winter and well into this spring with no problem. Only issue was that some of it had crystalized.

Alfred
Title: Re: full supers but called out last minute
Post by: Kathyp on August 29, 2013, 07:59:23 pm
it very much depends on where you live.  i have no SHB here and have left supers sitting around for weeks.  wax moth in honey supers that are filled and capped has never been a problem for me.  only in brood comb. 

the supers i pulled in june sat in my dining room until the middle of july and were fine.
Title: Re: full supers but called out last minute
Post by: TNBeeLady on August 29, 2013, 08:38:11 pm
Caelansbees, I'm glad you updated us on how it went & that all went well!!  :laugh:
Title: Re: full supers but called out last minute
Post by: RHBee on August 29, 2013, 09:35:19 pm
supers sat in basement for almost 3 weeks wrapped and airtight.  not a single sign of a beetle or moth.  one spider web.  extracted and filtered some very good quality and nearly clear honey. 

Thanks all for all the answers and for freaking me out

It ended quite well.  :)

I'd rather be lucky than good any day. You got to be a little understanding about the SHB phobia from us guys down south. Those things can make a real mess of your hives pretty quick. Even when you don't have them overrunning your hive eggs are being lain. The best defence is a strong colony. Any larvae that hatch are carried out by the bees. When you pull the supers without freezing the eggs are still there and will soon hatch and lay waste to the unprotected frames.
Really glad it worked out for you.
Title: Re: full supers but called out last minute
Post by: Brian D. Bray on August 29, 2013, 11:33:57 pm
it very much depends on where you live.  i have no SHB here and have left supers sitting around for weeks.  wax moth in honey supers that are filled and capped has never been a problem for me.  only in brood comb. 

the supers i pulled in june sat in my dining room until the middle of july and were fine.

Kathyp has the right answer.  Wax moths and SHB are not a problem to honey comb unless it has had brood in it.  Commercial honey producers often have supers of capped honey in their honey houses for weeks before extracting.  They use a "hot room" to warm the honey in the combs back up prior to extracting.  Hot room temps are usually around 85 degrees F. 
Title: Re: full supers but called out last minute
Post by: sc-bee on August 30, 2013, 07:59:59 am
it very much depends on where you live.  i have no SHB here and have left supers sitting around for weeks.  wax moth in honey supers that are filled and capped has never been a problem for me.  only in brood comb. 

the supers i pulled in june sat in my dining room until the middle of july and were fine.

Kathyp has the right answer.  Wax moths and SHB are not a problem to honey comb unless it has had brood in it.  Commercial honey producers often have supers of capped honey in their honey houses for weeks before extracting.  They use a "hot room" to warm the honey in the combs back up prior to extracting.  Hot room temps are usually around 85 degrees F. 

Glad it worked out for you. I fear it would not have worked out for me. I agree on the statement on wax moth in frames that have had brood in them, not so sure I agree with the same statement regarding SHB.