Is storing supers wet bad for your honey?

[HarryO]

According to Wiki they feed on cast larvae skins some wax and pollen a little honey. I have always understood it is the larvae skins they target most and that the damage to the wax is through tunnelling rather than eating.
If “skins” are the main food maybe they are less likely to target supers unused for brood.
They also eat plastic as well apparently!

 

[Somerford]

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 I can ask her.

She says that she was taught that if you store supers wet, then when you put them back on, the old honey will get mixed with the new honey. She was taught that this seed your new your new honey and make it crystallize faster.

She also said letting the bees clean the super is their reward, and felt it an important part of bee husbandry. I am not so concerned about this point, they will get it in the spring. The sentiment of what she said struck a cord with me though, so I have mixed my capping honey with their syrup to give them a little treat.

She is not sure if crystallization thing is true or just an old wives tail, but she felt very strongly about giving bees their reward.

The crystallization thing has got me thinking, is there maybe some truth to it?

Has anyone else heard of the wet super/crystallization thing before?

Thanks as always.

One word answer to the question ..

No !

 

[bobba]

All my supers had been sealed since being removed from the hive, then stored in a consevetory with all the windows shut.

I think the eggs were most likely already on the frames when removed from the hive. Ether that or I had the super open for a few h when extracting, perhaps one sunk in then.

The inspection board I found the poo on had been in place for 24h, it was a very distinctive and concentrated deposit.

I think the stuff in the super may still be there, I could probably take a picture if anyone relay wants to see some moth poo. It was only below one of the 3 effected frames, and as someone else said it looks to mostly stay in the tunnels. I am guessing maybe if one is on the outside of the comb for a while some may fall.

I think it is a useful think to look out for when inspecting boards. I now know to be extra vigilante for wax moth when next inspecting this hive.

 

[Antipodes]

All my supers had been sealed since being removed from the hive, then stored in a consevetory with all the windows shut.

I think the eggs were most likely already on the frames when removed from the hive. Ether that or I had the super open for a few h when extracting, perhaps one sunk in then.

The inspection board I found the poo on had been in place for 24h, it was a very distinctive and concentrated deposit.

I think the stuff in the super may still be there, I could probably take a picture if anyone relay wants to see some moth poo. It was only below one of the 3 effected frames, and as someone else said it looks to mostly stay in the tunnels. I am guessing maybe if one is on the outside of the comb for a while some may fall.

I think it is a useful think to look out for when inspecting boards. I now know to be extra vigilante for wax moth when next inspecting this hive.

Yes, the moth goes into the hive and lays eggs in the frame/comb and sometimes in crevices in the boxes as well. When the frames and boxes are brought from the colony into storage, the eggs can hatch. The grub, once hatched, crawls from the box to the frame/comb or hatches directly onto them. Making sure that the frames/comb and boxes are at the required freezing temperature for the appropriate time (as in make sure that you give them time to reach the freezing temperature-which kills all stages of the moth, and start the time from then), and then put into storage so the adult moth can't access them, means that there will be no wax moth grub damage.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

All my supers had been sealed since being removed from the hive, then stored in a consevetory with all the windows shut.

Nd that may be the issue - conservatories (by their very name) are warm places in general, you want to store your wet supers outside (with maybe a shelter over for rain protection) so the cold gets them thus any moth eggs get chilled, I should think, even an unheated conservatory is going to act as an incubator for any moth.