[Cliff]

Hi,
sorry if this is covering old ground, but what is a good way to store frames of capped unharvested/unextracted honey? I have a super full of frames of capped honey that I want to remove from the hive and replace with empty frames so that my hive is not honey bound, but I am not ready yet to extract the honey from the frames. How do I store the frames of capped honey until I am ready to extract it? I do not have a freezer or cooler. I was thinking of putting the frames in a cardboard box and enclosing it in a plastic bag and taping it shut to keep out pest and storing it inside my house in a cool dry place. Is this okay? Any problem with that, or better ways to do it?
I am a new at this and these are my first frames of honey to be harvested. Very exciting! Just have to find an extractor or figure out how I am going to get the the honey out, but in the meantime I want to get these frames out of the hive and properly stored.

Thank you,
Cliff

 

[WBVC]

I put mine in a freezer for a few days. Then stored some in a spare room in plastic bags and some others in the same room not in bags. Both were fine.

 

[Michael Bush]

It's hard to say how long you can leave them out as it depends on many things including the humidity, the prevalence of small hive beetles, ants, wax moths etc. If you left a box of honey anywhere except in a freezer in a high humidity place with SHB around it would be infested very quickly. In places where winter never sets the ants back, it could be covered in ants in a matter of hours...

The freezer would be my first choice.

 

[Cliff]

Thanks for the advice. I will see if I can make some freezer space. How long can they keep in a freezer?
If a freezer is not an option, do you think ants and SHB, etc., will get to it if it's taped sealed in a plastic bag and kept inside? This was my first thought. If that would work, how long will it keep sealed in a plastic bag sort of arrangement, inside a house at room temperature? I live is southern California, and it's been pretty low humidity lately and will probably remain so until late fall.
Thank you.

 

[Michael Bush]

>How long can they keep in a freezer?

As long as there is electricity and the freezer still works...

 

[beedeetee]

I think that the best place to store capped frames is on a hive. I would just put the other box of empty frames on the hive (on top or below your capped frame box).

 

[Hambone]

Keep an eye on craigslist/estate/garage sales. I got a deep freezer last year that holds about 10 supers on CL for $100.00

 

[Cliff]

Thanks for taking to respond and advice--much appreciated. I think I will keep this full honey super on the hive and add an empty super below it. I understand that this will help the bees to begin drawing out the new super and the bees will deal best with the pest issue. I should be able to borrow an extractor soon. Looking forward to my first batch of honey!

Thank you,
Cliff