Is storing supers wet bad for your honey?

[jenkinsbrynmair]

You guys are lucky as I'm guessing the UK doesn't have a problem with ants,

No we don't, bees and ants happily coexist, in fact a few ant colonies at one or two of my apiaries take advantage of the heat above the crownboards and move their eggs/pupae up there to use as a nursery/incubation room.

 

[Antipodes]

Aren't they just so similar...same sort of insect family I guess. I'm sure they find honey faster than bees. Earlier in the year I left my bee suit on the ground at the front of the garage and within no more than half an hour it was totally covered in a very small ant getting at the honey on the suit. The messages get passed around within their colonies like lightening! Any jars of honey we use in the kitchen have to be in a water moat too!

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

My girl is a miniature dachshund and a greedier dog, I have yet to meet

we have two now since old George died (15 plus and as right as rain but liver cancer took him down in a few weeks) they're all rescues - Libby who was George's kennel mate is about 12/13 a smallish black and tan standard and Twts (Welsh for tiny) who is eightish and a tiny brown mini of 2.5 KG the photographs are of Libby and Twt's differing reaction to thunder

 

[bobba]

You guys are lucky as I'm guessing the UK doesn't have a problem with ants, I'm not sure about the US or elsewhere, but I couldn't leave any honey anywhere (except if tightly sealed), inside or outside, without an ant moat. Perhaps it is because I am on sand, but yesterday, even after a frosty morning, the ants had found drips of honey and there were thousands of them in the garage getting stuck into it. The moats are painful to keep attending to and checking and I need to make more stands as the supers are starting to touch the ceiling.

Hi Antipodes.

The ants here can be a problem.

I had an ant problem with one of my hives earlier in the year.

I fixed the problem with a single application (3 coats letting it dry for 30m between) of Fluon to the legs. I will re-apply to my hives next spring to be on the safe side. I am planning to apply to my super stand too.

If you are storing your supers inside then one application could last a long time. If the wood on your super stands is particularly rough, it may help to sand it or apply some thick varnish/resin 1st to smooth the wood.

 

[bobba]

we have two now since old George died (15 plus and as right as rain but liver cancer took him down in a few weeks) they're all rescues - Libby who was George's kennel mate is about 12/13 a smallish black and tan standard and Twts (Welsh for tiny) who is eightish and a tiny brown mini of 2.5 KG the photographs are of Libby and Twt's differing reaction to thunder

The pic where Twt's looking up at you, omg - so cute.

 

[North End Bees]

I've always stored supers dry. I've heard that they're less susceptible to wax moth if stored wet but I've always been a bit concerned that residues of honey left open to the air will ferment in the frames. Anybody have any experience of this?

 

[Erichalfbee]

I've always stored supers dry. I've heard that they're less susceptible to wax moth if stored wet but I've always been a bit concerned that residues of honey left open to the air will ferment in the frames. Anybody have any experience of this?

Yes they do ferment.
Bees don’t seem to care and it doesn’t seem to cause any harm. It’s not as if you’re giving them a whole super
Pollen gets eaten by pollen mites over winter and what left just tips out with a sharp tap of the frame.

 

[Speybee]

Which begs another question. Do you get lots of wasps and bees trying to get into supers on top of hives? I must say I have never had anything investigate my super stacks and they are only feet away from a wild honey bee nest.

I’ve not had anyone investigate the wet super either.

 

[Speybee]

You guys are lucky as I'm guessing the UK doesn't have a problem with ants, I'm not sure about the US or elsewhere, but I couldn't leave any honey anywhere (except if tightly sealed), inside or outside, without an ant moat. Perhaps it is because I am on sand, but yesterday, even after a frosty morning, the ants had found drips of honey and there were thousands of them in the garage getting stuck into it. The moats are painful to keep attending to and checking and I need to make more stands as the supers are starting to touch the ceiling.

Don’t be fooled....we have our fair share of creepy crawlies.
Yes I’ve found a wee anthill outside the garage and I’m hoping the cat might sort it, as I have seen the odd ant scurrying about.
But the worst pest I’ve had this season are Eary Wigs, there are heaps of them inside the National roof of each hive and trying to squash them is a skill as they scoot about like nobody’s business.

 

[Speybee]

No we don't, bees and ants happily coexist, in fact a few ant colonies at one or two of my apiaries take advantage of the heat above the crownboards and move their eggs/pupae up there to use as a nursery/incubation room.

I was led to believe that ants would destroy a colony, obviously not but I do have a problem with Earywigs.

 

[Angularity]

Cinnamon powder deters ants. Sounds daft but it works. At least with our ants in the East of England.

I have two supers per hive, plus two or three spares. The day after harvest I put the wet supers back on. It seems silly not to let them put the honey back where they want it, presumably mixed with the ivy honey as it comes in. They then eat it over the winter and we start with a clean slate in the spring. Once the harvested frames are cleaned up I usually put the fuller super next to the brood box, and one with empty frames above the top board and insulation, just to keep it out of the way. It seems pointless to take the supers off the hives, store them in a shed then move them back where they came from.

 

[bobba]

Oh please, let us know who it was

He was called Frank Vernon.

 

[Erichalfbee]

He was called Frank Vernon.

Thank you
I found this about him by Wally Shaw

http://www.wbka.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Insulated-Cover-Boards-by-Wally-Shaw.pdf

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I was led to believe that ants would destroy a colony, obviously not but I do have a problem with Earywigs.

Ants have never been an issue with my bees and two of my apiaries have quite a few ant colonies. Earwigs the same, they love the heat of the crownboard. They never bother the bees.

 

[Speybee]

Ants have never been an issue with my bees and two of my apiaries have quite a few ant colonies. Earwigs the same, they love the heat of the crownboard. They never bother the bees.

As long as they don’t bother them I will now leave them be

 

[GuyNir]

Earwigs the same, they love the heat of the crownboard. They never bother the bees.

Same here. Many on the underside edges of the roofs. Leave them be. Never an issue.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Glad to see some sense - over the last few years I've sensed a blinkered obsessiveness amongst hobby beekeepers, everything else can go to hell in a handcart as long as the bees get more than their fair share, an almost scorched earth policy where only the bees' welfare counts, whether it's ants, hornets (the native type) balsam or anything else.
A bit silly really.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

He was called Frank Vernon.

A matchstick man - say no more.

 

[Speybee]

Same here. Many on the underside edges of the roofs. Leave them be. Never an issue.

This is the first year I’ve ever had them as the only pest I’ve had previously was a wee mouse in the garage, who nibbled his way through the thick polythene on a box of stored frames last year.
This year our new cat promptly dispatched him and hopefully the rest of his family have moved to new digs.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I have a friend who kept bees many years ago. She says she was taught by some famous local keeper who authored several books. I forget the name of the "famous" keeper, If anyone cares

Frank Vernon - he authored but one book - for the 'teach yourself' series, 'Teach yourself beekeeping'
A few steps up from a ladybird book really