Storing cleaned supers

[Frenchie]

Have taken of all the honey I require and left the remainder for the bees.After extracting I put the wet supers back in the hive for the bees to clean.My question is; how do I best store these supers throughout the winter or do I remove all the old comb,clean them up and put in new foundation on the Spring.
Thanks.

 

[enrico]

No, leave the drawn frames. Saves pounds of honey for them not to have to draw it all out again. You can use it for years!
Store in a dry, mouse free, preferably moth proof room!
E

 

[oliver90owner]

What have you left for the bees? Are you intending over-wintering on a brood and super?

While there is the chance of them not collecting a great deal more surplus, another possibility is that they could fill another super or more. It rather depends on the forage and weather.

So too early to be so decisive, I would say, unless you are sure of what you are doing.

Certainly if you have taken a lot already, some would not be required. I store mine by removing the frame spacers, filling the boxes and stacking them ouside on a crownboard with a brood box, crownboard and roof above. I can burn the occasional sulphur strip, depending on the weather, of course, to avoid wax moth damage. They are often pulled tightly together with a ratchet strap or two.

RAB

 

[Frenchie]

Going to overwinter on brood with super underneath,to be sure they have plenty of stores.Has worked before.Storing supers outside as per your suggestion sounds a good idea.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I store them 'wet' either popped into a strong plastic bag and sealed up or stacked up with a piece of plywood top and bottom, cinched together with a hive strap

 

[Frenchie]

Do you leave the hole in the crown board open for ventilation and put on blocks.

 

[Swarm]

No holes. You want to keep wax moth out.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Holes only used for feeding - nothing else!

have a look at this thread

http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=31002

 

[Frenchie]

Hi Jenkinsbrynmair, so store in a sealed plastic bag,somewhere dry and cool? Do you have any problems with mould?
Thanks.

 

[Frenchie]

Thanks for the link,answers all my questions.Thanks to everyone who replied.

 

[Rahere]

The other reason to put an empty super under the brood box is to cut out draughts while keeping the ventilation and allowing condensation to drop out the bottom.

 

[REDWOOD]

OMFs were originally invented do do that job well before varroa was in the UK

 

[victor meldrew]

OMFs were originally invented do do that job well before varroa was in the UK

Really ?
I kept bees well before Varroa and don't remember seeing ,reading or hearing about open mesh floors!
The first Varroa screen was a simple affair involving mesh and a sheet of white paper ie a diagnostic tool.
This followed a varroa floor 2" deep floor . Finally evolved into the omf we know!
VM


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[jenkinsbrynmair]

Redwood is correct - OMF's were first fielded in the (I think) 1950's there was a push to promote them in the early 1990's - coincidentally varroa turned up on our shores not long after thus it's original reason was lost in the fact it was a handy tool to help combat the mite

 

[victor meldrew]

Redwood is correct - OMF's were first fielded in the (I think) 1950's there was a push to promote them in the early 1990's - coincidentally varroa turned up on our shores not long after thus it's original reason was lost in the fact it was a handy tool to help combat the mite

I take my hat off you JBM and give way to seniority
VM


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[enrico]

Redwood is correct - OMF's were first fielded in the (I think) 1950's there was a push to promote them in the early 1990's - coincidentally varroa turned up on our shores not long after thus it's original reason was lost in the fact it was a handy tool to help combat the mite

Although none of used them until varroa DID come along!
And even then it took me a while!
E

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Although none of used them until varroa DID come along!
And even then it took me a while!
E

So I believe, I think they just used the minimal benefit for varroa control to get people to use them, before my time all that and I had other fish to fry in the early 90's

 

[itma]

The other reason to put an empty super under the brood box is to cut out draughts while keeping the ventilation and allowing condensation to drop out the bottom.

Not really.
Condensation dropping and drainage isn't affected by whether there is a shallow box there or not.

However some beekeepers with exposed apiaries do sometimes put an empty (with no frames, so irrelevant to this thread's question) box under the OMF to reduce the effects of wind on the hive interior.

Some brood-and-a-half beeks, go in for before- and after-winter shuffling of their boxes - but I think they are already on a strange and misguided path!

 

[Skyhook]

As I understand it the empty super is generally used under the floor- but is there any reason why it shouldn't be used between floor and BB?

In my apiary the biggest source of draught is likely to be the tray slot. Obviously if you leave it too late in spring they're likely to build wild comb, but I can't see too much building going on over winter?

Opinions please.

 

[MuswellMetro]

Not really.
Condensation dropping and drainage isn't affected by whether there is a shallow box there or not.

However some beekeepers with exposed apiaries do sometimes put an empty (with no frames, so irrelevant to this thread's question) box under the OMF to reduce the effects of wind on the hive interior.

Some brood-and-a-half beeks, go in for before- and after-winter shuffling of their boxes - but I think they are already on a strange and misguided path!

i used to put an empty super under the floor to raise my hives to prevent draughts but now i have 18"-24" stands with 150mm skirts mainly from salvaged old supers as i cannot be bothered to lift the hive and floor twice a year to placeor remove the empty super