Storing wet supers. a tale of caution

[MuswellMetro]

Last week i extracted several supers and as usual I am storing them wet overwinter in the rear garden in a stacks of six

i use a slab of poly as the floor and seal the top with a spare standard hive roof that i use for ASs

This year i had acquired a few gabled roofs and these are fitted with cone escapes on the vent holes rather than meshed over vent holes. As Her in Doors thought they would look nice and more like a cottage beehive rather than a stack of old boxes i decided to use the gabled roofs instead of flat roofs

it been ok in the rain, no problems, but today...chaos

it has been warm and all the local bees are being attracted to the stacks and some of the smaller bees are getting into the stack of wet supers

looks like armagedon on the lawn, fighting bees from a local hive and a black feral colony

will wait until evening and seal them better, as my bee suit is in the washing machine

 

[Tdf]

store the frames in a barrel, no problems

 

[scuttlefish]

looks like armagedon on the lawn, fighting bees from a local hive and a black feral colony

For some reason the soundtrack to my mental image of that is the Clash's "Guns of Brixton"

 

[thedeaddiplomat]

Not likely to be a problem for me this year.

Nothing extracted so far.
Just checked the hives - barely enough stores to keep them going - so even if the promised fine weather materialises, it looks as though there will be no hunny for tea this year!

 

[Luminos]

store the frames in a barrel, no problems

A barrel?
What sort of barrel, will a wine barrel do?
Please elucidate...

 

[Silly Bee]

I fix varroa mesh on the inside of the roof, bees and wasps can get through the cones.

As you have found out.

 

[Tom Bick]

you will have to mesh over the holes on the inside of the rooves MM as the cone escapes were originally designed to let bees out from the gap created between the BB/supers and the lifts of WBC hives after inspections and as you now know bees can get through them.

They can look nice if you want that extra traditional look but its a pity only plastic ones are available and easily broken.

I did a similar thing the other day left one extracted frame out after extraction just forgot it and when the sun came out OMG!!!!

 

[SixFooter]

Why store them wet? What's the advantage?

 

[itma]

Isn't all that's needed a sheet of ply on top of the stack, under the 'pretty' roof?

 

[MuswellMetro]

Isn't all that's needed a sheet of ply on top of the stack, under the 'pretty' roof?

yes, thats what i have just done...solid crown board over them that was after collecting yet another caste from a road in muswell hill....spraying the tree liberally with FAB to deter any more caste settling as the owner is now terrified they will get another caste tomorrow

Why store them wet? What's the advantage?

less wax moth damage

 

[Luminos]

Butt, butt...(geddit??)
It's much more fun to use a barrel, since you have to empty the contents first!
(Presumably)

 

[Fahey]

clingfilm??

 

[SixFooter]

yes, thats what i have just done...solid crown board over them that was after collecting yet another caste from a road in muswell hill....spraying the tree liberally with FAB to deter any more caste settling as the owner is now terrified they will get another caste tomorrow



less wax moth damage

Do they still go mouldy?

 

[tonybloke]

Do they still go mouldy?

not if you treat with sulphur

 

[itma]

clingfilm??

+ bees = confetti