[Margot1d]

Hello,
I have to remove supers and leave them in the yard for a few days and then in an indoor location before I can extract (maybe two weeks). How long can I leave them for before I start running into problems with wax moth or deterioration. I plan to wrap them in plastic bags and seal them with packing tape.
Thanks,
Margot

 

[R_V]

please describe how you plan to/what you mean by " leave them in the yard for a few days"?
If I left a supper on the ground and/or not above an ant barrier of some kind, I'd have suppers full of ants after an hour or two.

 

[Margot1d]

please describe how you plan to/what you mean by " leave them in the yard for a few days"?
If I left a supper on the ground and/or not above an ant barrier of some kind, I'd have suppers full of ants after an hour or two.

It's not ideal. I have to treat or they will crash. My husband has the car until Monday. I guess I was planning on wapping them in a few layers of trash bags and tape. Let's say I wait. I am still wondering about wax moth. How long do I have?

 

[R_V]

this is just me saying this but... a few days is probably do-able if they are sealed, and not in black trash bags in the sun.

"The moth life cycle consists of 4 stages. ... Wax moth eggs hatch to the larval stage in 5 to 8 days. New larvae burrow into beeswax comb attempting to reach the comb midrib. They are specialists to eat and grow and feed for 1 to 5 months, depending on the temperature."
http://agdev.anr.udel.edu/maarec/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/Wax_Moth_pm.pdf

 

[reef10]

Why can't you just leave them on the hive and get them when you can. In my area various bugs would destroy the honey and comb. If you can put them in a freezer that would work. I thaw them and make sure they are dry before uncapping.

 

[jimbo3]

Hello,
I have to remove supers and leave them in the yard for a few days and then in an indoor location before I can extract (maybe two weeks). How long can I leave them for before I start running into problems with wax moth or deterioration. I plan to wrap them in plastic bags and seal them with packing tape.
Thanks,
Margot

Ha, I was just about to post a new thread with basically the same question. My last extraction process was a mess as the uncapped honey in the frames just leaked everywhere until I got to crush and straining the capped cells. I was wondering if bees typically uncap honey upon robbing, or if I could just leave the supers out a couple of days to let them rob the uncapped stuff. Sorry, hope I'm not hijacking your thread.

 

[Fivej]

Can you treat with formic? That would allow you to leave your supers on. If not, do what you have to do. I would put them in coolers or big tupperware bins to prevent "critters" other than moths getting into them. Good luck. J

 

[Margot1d]

I prefer not to use formic. I am using oxalic shop towels and I would rather not chance contamination. I stacked all the supers on one hive and treated the others. I will probably move up the extraction. Thanks for helping me think this through.