Super storing and extracting honey manually..

[nightshade]

So firstly...I have just put 5 drawn out super frames in the freezer...I presume I need to defrost them before sealing in a plastic bag but do I need to dry them well first and how?

Secondly ..I may have around four frames of honey to extract...I can get hold of an extracter but the owner is currently using it and I don't want to put him out..

I considered some chunk honey and mashing the other frames to manually extract it but is this sacrilege and a wasteful use of the drawn frame??

 

[Bakerbee]

I did alot iof manipulating this year. Bailey comb changes snd increasing from 1 to 3 colonies. This meant only a very small amount of capped honey i was able to take off. I crushed and strained as it really didnt seem worth the amount of fuss using the extractor let only producing enough honey to fill it enough to reach the valve. I also fancied making lip balm so didnt feel the wax would be wasted. Its your wax so weigh up if you have a use for it. Or if youd rather have drawn supers for next year.

 

[Bakerbee]

Forgot to say i left my capped spare supers last year wrapped in greaseproof paper in the freezer until i needed them. I was lucky my chest freezer had room.

 

[nightshade]

That's kind of my thinking bakerbee...it's my first full season with an initial mix bought early August last year and a swarm caught late last August..

A few up A and downs...slow to expand...the bought bud has produced about y frames of honey...not sure how much is capped...the swarm only started putting nectar in about a week ago but drew out five good frames...I've taken the super off to start fondant and get ready for winter...

Not sure how well this winter will go .but good amounts of bees and still brood..I will need to drop acid again this winter and hope they are not too loaded....it's starting to get nippy!

 

[nightshade]

Blinking autofill...good luck in reading that!

 

[enrico]

Seems a lot of hassle. Spray with certan and buy cheap large plastic box's. With lids. They take twelve frames with ease. I don't freeze any more. I'm not convinced it does any good.
E

 

[Bakerbee]

I got it nightshade. Its a 21st century tslent deciphering tx speak. Lol. We started last year in aug also. In one hive My brood area had increased at last inspection two weeks ago from 5 to 7 frames so who knows whats going on in there now. Guess they finally got going! I dhsll feed till they take no more and slso trickle mid winter. Cant decide if i should just let them have fondant all winter or decide later on upon hefting. Im leaning on fondant as soon as its cold down here as a newbie i am not confident in hefting. Last year my one hive had a whole super of honey on top.

 

[Millet]

Seems a lot of hassle. Spray with certan and buy cheap large plastic box's. With lids. They take twelve frames with ease. I don't freeze any more. I'm not convinced it does any good.
E

I don't spray anything .. my supers and brood frames are wet stored on a sealed crown board.. with another sealed crown board on top..anything that gets through the stacks deserves to live.

 

[nightshade]

What's wet storing millet.?

 

[Heather]

Millet.. I stored 6 for a short while like that before treating..In a huge sealed polythene bag -had 8 frames wrecked= moths flying, eating through the plastic!!.Treated with acetic acid, and checked 10 days later.. still some little buggers creeping about. Went through all 3 times in 3 weeks, still kept finding larvae..Froze for 2 weeks.
Now have 20 supers clean I hope!
Beginners.. check under the top bar - the little ****** tuck under there out of sight

 

[Millet]

What's wet storing millet.?

Extracted supers and brood frames are wet..

 

[Millet]

Millet.. I stored 6 for a short while like that before treating..In a huge sealed polythene bag -had 8 frames wrecked= moths flying, eating through the plastic!!.Treated with acetic acid, and checked 10 days later.. still some little buggers creeping about. Went through all 3 times in 3 weeks, still kept finding larvae..Froze for 2 weeks.
Now have 20 supers clean I hope!
Beginners.. check under the top bar - the little ****** tuck under there out of sight

Everything has to be level and straight with me.. that might be where i pull safe.???

 

[enrico]

Everything has to be level and straight with me.. that might be where i pull safe.???

One day you will trap the grubs in there. Don't believe that they don't touch wet comb. It just ends up being a sticky smelly mess instead of a dry one!!
E

 

[thorn]

As I've found out to my cost, storing in a polythene bag is a recipe for disaster. It gives the conditions wax moths love. Do as Millet did, and store in a way that allows ventilation, while preventing anything from eating its way in.

 

[Murox]

As I've found out to my cost, storing in a polythene bag is a recipe for disaster. It gives the conditions wax moths love. Do as Millet did, and store in a way that allows ventilation, while preventing anything from eating its way in.

Very sound advice.
When I used to manage up to 15 hives I stored all super frames after extraction in a big chest freezer in the garage and left them there til I needed them the following year. Sometimes some had to be stored in an airy shed, they were "sealed" with insect mesh, metal back then, which mostly worked fine. Ventilation or extreme cold always worked for me.

 

[nightshade]

Looks like they will be staying in the freezer then!

 

[Swarm]

What freezers do you guys have? Either very, very big or empty, or both?

 

[Hivemaker.]

All combs are extracted, fumigated and stored wet here, all boxes are taken straight from the fumigation building and stacked, the stacks are then wrapped in shrink wrap until needed next spring, never have any wax moth problems doing it this way.

 

[Murox]

What freezers do you guys have? Either very, very big or empty, or both?

Big and empty. But it was only for a max of 15 hives worth and it kept them out of the way until needed.

 

[Beefriendly]

All combs are extracted, fumigated and stored wet here, all boxes are taken straight from the fumigation building and stacked, the stacks are then wrapped in shrink wrap until needed next spring, never have any wax moth problems doing it this way.

Alright for some...
Backyard and hope the wind doesn't blow the burning sulphur out.