Storing supers.

[Pips]

Apologies for a probably very obvious question...

Should I store spare supers with drawn foundation:

In loft
In shed outside
Underneath brood box for winter.

If in shed or loft, should I put them in a black bin bag or wrap them in cloth or nothing?

ThAnks.

 

[Dusty Rhodes]

If you have any frames with stores, collect them together and put in one 'super' under the brood box and leave there.

Other drawn supers, I put in a stack with crown board top and bottom and securely strapped. Put them in a shed.

You might like to treat against wax moth before doing that.

Dusty.

 

[enrico]

And don't panic in spring when some of it looks mouldy. Pollen usually goes mouldy but the bees will clean it all up!
E

 

[Pips]

Thanks Dusty. Is that a crown board with holes in or sealed? Do you freeze them to treat wax moth?

 

[sbisme]

Pips I have treated the ones that I am going to store over winter with Certan B401

 

[Swarm]

The boards would be solid with no holes and make sure the stack is strapped up tight so no gaps, or put each one in a bag and seal it and stack them in a shed.I've always kept extracted supers in bags, with no problem but you can freeze frames for 24 hrs before storing, as an anti wax moth measure.

 

[Pips]

Would the bag be breatheable or plastic? I'm thinking though of keeping them under the brood box with queen excluder to stop the drafts over winter. Seems like a safer place maybe?

 

[VEG]

I store mine wet and wrap in pallet wrap its like industrial cling film (as I get it free)

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Thanks Dusty. Is that a crown board with holes in or sealed?

Crown boards don't have holes

Would the bag be breatheable or plastic? I'm thinking though of keeping them under the brood box with queen excluder to stop the drafts over winter. Seems like a safer place maybe?

Plastic - the idea is to seal them so nothing can detect the wax or get to them. How many 'spare supers' I wouldn't put more than one underneath the brood box and definitely no queen excluder.
I store them 'wet' ie not 'cleaned up' by the bees: in a stack with a solid board top and bottom cinched up tight with a couple of hive straps. store them somewhere secure but not warm so the first frosts zap any wax moth eggs lying around (I'm lucky to have a redundant open sided dog run) but you could just put the stack on a hive stand (or at least raised off the ground) with a spare hive roof on top - after all they are designed to be outside in all weathers

 

[Pips]

Thank you very much, that's really helpful. Just one super below each BB and one super with their stores above, would that be OK? Do you think it is preferable to have a 'super porch' rather none?

 

[Swarm]

Pips,
Only put one 'shallow' below the brood chamber if it contains uncapped stores, etc. If you are leaving a super over the brood chamber, I wouldn't put anything below but take off the excluders.
Can you rearrange frames so that one box contains all extracted frames and the one you plan to leave has uncapped stores? If so, do that and store the extracted one.