Storing drawn empty comb

[Bakerbee]

Hi all, i was wondering if i took my empty drawn fames (10 empty brood frames, and 6 supers) and wrapped and wrapped them entirely in cling film directly after coming of the hive and brought inside, then stacked and stored in our spare room will that be enough against wax moth? Cheers for your thoughts i hate to use chemicals.

 

[Heather]

You would need to wrap individually.. or do you have a freezer available where you could store for 3 days, then wrap as a unit when you remove them. Wax moth don't tend to use frames that have never had honey in, but I wouldn't take that risk. Take care when removing from freezer as wax brittle for while, but then storing in spare room will rectify that.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

you'd be better off storing them outside in the cold. nice warm spare room would be luxury for waxmoth

 

[hemo]

Stack outside or in a shed place a board/barrier between each or every other box, to minimise wax moth damage one will have to freeze or fumigate/treat with sulphur or ethanoic acid before storing. Certan isn't available and other products containing similar ingredients aren't licenced.

 

[Erichalfbee]

. Certan isn't available and other products containing similar ingredients aren't licenced.

But what does that mean?
licensed for what? We are getting so hung up about the Apibioxal issue we fail to see alternatives to things that aren’t treatments don’t need to be licensed.

 

[bobthecob]

Wax moth don't tend to use frames that have never had honey in,

Do you mean brood?

 

[bobthecob]

i hate to use chemicals.

Clingfilm is made of ......

Just kidding I know what you mean.

 

[hemo]

Eventually what ever comb is treated with, it will end up back in the hive where honey will be stored. Certan though I believe wasn't a licenced product was endorsed and sold by many for use on combs, other products of similar makeup may or may not be applicable. If the question is asked to an official body Defra or VMD, the answer to it's use will likely be no.

Any application of a product to bees or combs is a treatment of some kind, both are used to treat for a pest or parasite.

 

[pargyle]

Eventually what ever comb is treated with, it will end up back in the hive where honey will be stored. Certan though I believe wasn't a licenced product was endorsed and sold by many for use on combs, other products of similar makeup may or may not be applicable. If the question is asked to an official body Defra or VMD, the answer to it's use will likely be no.

Any application of a product to bees or combs is a treatment of some kind, both are used to treat for a pest or parasite.

Well .. at present that is a matter of opinion not fact .. I would still argue that treatment of combs outside the hive with a live bacillus falls outside of the definition of a veterinary medicine for use on livestock.

If that were the case would the Soil association approve Hematodes for the use of prevention of slug damage to strawberry crops ? Dipel/Certan is effectively a Nematode ...attacking the pests that attack the combs - not even the bees !

 

[drdrday]

If the question is asked to an official body Defra or VMD, the answer to it's use will likely be no.

The sensible route therefore is 'don't ask, don't tell'!
Just do your research, use your brain and do what is right for your own bees/frames/honey.
And remember there is a huge difference between treating bees and treating frames or hive components.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Well .. at present that is a matter of opinion not fact

It's not a medicine, it's not even a topical application on an occupied hive therefore VMD regilations do not apply.
You'd ll be saying next that we can't eat bacon due to food hygiene regulations as pigs spend most of their day wallowing in their own excrement.

 

[Bakerbee]

Thanks all, ive popped them into the chest freezer wrapped and will store them in our shed after, on a piece of board top and bottom then secured with straps. Ive never managed to have 10 pristine empty brood frames ready for easing congestion next year so want to get it right. No swarms this year either, first time since starting beekeeping.

 

[Arfermo]

Thanks all, ive popped them into the chest freezer wrapped and will store them in our shed after, on a piece of board top and bottom then secured with straps. Ive never managed to have 10 pristine empty brood frames ready for easing congestion next year so want to get it right. No swarms this year either, first time since starting beekeeping.

In black bin bags with pull strings?

 

[janetbee]

It's not a medicine, it's not even a topical application on an occupied hive therefore VMD regilations do not apply.
You'd ll be saying next that we can't eat bacon due to food hygiene regulations as pigs spend most of their day wallowing in their own excrement.

Pigs are actually clean animals and they don't defaecate in their nest area. They are often muddy as they do like to wallow in mud but not their own faeces.

 

[Heather]

Do you mean brood?

Not really. the little b**** can invade wet supers too, but wont go into drawn unused quite the same.

 

[Etton]

Not really. the little b**** can invade wet supers too, but wont go into drawn unused quite the same.

 

[Etton]

I have boxed mine with 20 supers in each cardboard box and then taped up and will store in a spare room thus avoiding mice. Bought 20 boxes off ebay (free delivery) for £15.40. See 20 x LARGE Cardboard House Moving Boxes - Removal Packing box *FREE DELIVERY* 5055620017872 | eBay
Don't forget the tape!

 

[masterBK]

It is likely that there are wax moth eggs already laid on the combs so boxing them won't stop them hatching and chewing the comb if stored indoors. Outside in the cold everything occurs much slower and hopefully the larvae get killed on first night of frost (if freezer unavaialble). I have found sulphur fumigation prior to secure storage quite effective.

 

[enrico]

I now store mine on parallel rails in a sealed room and check them once a week.

 

[Murox]

Pigs are actually clean animals and they don't defaecate in their nest area. They are often muddy as they do like to wallow in mud but not their own faeces.

The only animal I can think of that defecates in their own living space is a member of the Homo Sapiens species; a human being.