Oops - “wet” OSR supers

[Stedic]

I was searching for my drawn super combs at the apiary. Turns out, after extracting 4 supers of OSR honey in May, I forgot to return them to the bees. Any left over honey in the comb is now like rock.

Am I right to think that if I spray the combs with a little water the bees will clean out the honey and use-store it?

If so, when would you do this? Will my summer honey be at greater risk of crystalusing if I let the bees mix in this stuff? Should I feed it back once I remove any summer crop? Before winter to use as a ‘nadir’? Or should I keep them separately as use these first next spring?

 

[Swarm]

Do you have any young/small colonies you are not expecting a return from this season? They could have it and clean it up for you.

 

[Stedic]

Do you have any young/small colonies you are not expecting a return from this season? They could have it and clean it up for you.

Good idea, thanks. I have one that is a bit weak. Could use them. Presumably I need to be careful not to induce robbing when doing it?

Also occurred to me that I could soak frames in water to soak the honey out, but this seems a bit of a waste of the bees can make use of it.