How vital is it that honey supers are harvested the day they are removed

[angeJ]

1. Can I take honey supers off and store them till I'm ready to extract (possibly up to a week)or is that bad practise? I don't think I'm in an area of OSR.
2. Shall I feed now? My colony is half way up Buxton road in Macclesfield ( for those who may know the area) surrounded by lots of trees, fields and cultivated gardens.

 

[Tom Bick]

If no OSR then you will have no problem but any longer you will need to keep an eye out for wax moth.

 

[enrico]

But don't put them in a really cold room!
E

 

[Polyanwood]

I left a stack of supers in the kitchen one year and it took me a few weeks to get around to extracting them all and after a couple of weeks some of them had waxmoth. Waxmoth develops very quickly in warm environments.

 

[Apple]

But don't put them in a really cold room!
E

Why not?
I was called "back to service", during a particularly difficult conflict some years back, I even had to regrow my beard!
My wife, poor lass, had to harvest the honey that year, and put every super full of capped honey in one of our capacious deep freezes.
With 6 children under 3 she did not have time to extract.
On my return, once the decks had ceased to move, I extracted a bumper crop, after allowing the frames to come back up to room temperature!

James

 

[angeJ]

All.
This forum is the bees knees!

 

[aidskywalker]

Capped honey keeps for ages, it's the wax moth you need to worry about.

 

[aidskywalker]

Why not?


James

It's harder to extract when cold

 

[wessexmario]

Will freezing kill any waxmoth already in the frame?

If so, how long for to remove the waxmoth threat, and would that affect the honey?

Presumably once 'sterilised' by freezing, you could then keep the frames in a closed container at any temperature until you are able to extract it.

 

[poshpikey]

Will freezing kill any waxmoth already in the frame?

YES

If so, how long for to remove the waxmoth threat, and would that affect the honey?

A DAY OR TWO SHOULD DO IT

HONEY WILL BE FINE

Presumably once 'sterilised' by freezing, you could then keep the frames in a closed container at any temperature until you are able to extract it.

POSSIBLE TO GET WAX MOTH BACK IN IF NOT 100% SEALED

IF CELLS ARE UNSEALED THEN MIGHT ABSORB WATER FROM ATMOSPHERE AND START TO SPOIL

hope that helps!

 

[dclewis]

Unless actually stored in the freezer your boxes need to be ant, bee and mouse proof too.

 

[angeJ]

Thanks for all your advice