[josh78]

If all goes well I will be extracting my first honey in the next week or 2.

I only have 1 hive and they got 1 super crammed full of honey for me this year.

From what I have heard, bee's do a great job of cleaning up the extracting equipment. How long should I plan on leaving my extractor and capping tank by the bees for them to clean up?

Also, once the frames have had the honey extracted out of them, do I put the frame with comb and super near the bees to clean up anything left over? If so for how long. Once everything is all cleaned up, what is the best way to store the honey supers with frames and comb on them til next year when I put them on the hive again?

 

[Jackam]

do I put the frame with comb and super near the bees to clean up anything left over?

I put the frames back into the super and place the super back on the hive for a few days.
I made the mistake of leaving some wet frames near a couple of hives once and I started WWIII. There was fighting everywhere! Putting the super back on the hive gives the honey to the hive and intruders have to find it first.

 

[crofter]

If you have the bees clean the extractor dont put it close to the hives. A hundred feet or more would be better. You dont want bees from all around you puttting your hive on the map as an easy touch. Robbing is hard to stop once it gets going.

Also, not everyone would agree with the practice of having bees clean up your equipment though it is commonly done because it is easy, not because it is hygenic.

 

[josh78]

I was thinking of letting the bees clean it up as much as they could, then figured I would have to go in after them and give it a good scrubbing. My house is about 300 yards from my hive and I always have a lot of bees come to my yard for clover. Maybe my yard would be a good spot to put the equipment for them to clean on it for me.

 

[burns375]

I assume you only have one hive.... For me its not worth setting off robbing to set equipment out. I use a felxible scrapper to scrap down the sides and to clean up the extractor barrel etc. Whats left is not much...just an ounce or two. As far as comb, put them back on the hive. They will clean it up fast, especially if you are in dearth, within a day.

 

[josh78]

Yes just 1 hive.

How does everyone store the supers that have frames with comb on them til the next year when they get put back on the hive?

 

[Belewsboy]

I freeze a super at a time for 3 days or so to kill any moth larvae or other undesirables and then I seal them up in a plastic trash compactor bag (they're really thick bags) so critters can't get in, then stack them out of the way until next year. You could also freeze a frame or two at a time if you have no room for a whole super.

 

[chrissv]

I freeze a super at a time for 3 days or so...

Do you ever have problem with mold with this method?

 

[Belewsboy]

I've never had that problem. When I remove the super from the freezer, I give it time to thaw and dry out whatever moisture has occurred from ice. Then I seal it in the bag.