storing full frames of honey before extracting

10539 Views 15 Replies 8 Participants Last post by sqkcrk, Jul 17, 2014

SallyD

Discussion Starter · Jul 17, 2014

Hi All: If I pull frames of honey from my super and do not extract them for a few days will that be OK? I would of course put them in a storage container with lid.
Let me know your thoughts. Thank you!
Sally

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ericweller

· #2 · Jul 17, 2014

They can store for years without extracting as long as rodents, bugs or trauma don't befall them.
I don't have a garage or honey shed to store my supers while waiting for extraction, so I bring them inside to the kitchen and store in a stack. Just make sure you lay down craft paper under the stack since the frames do drip. I only deal with 6 boxes at a time.

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jbeshearse

· #3 · Jul 17, 2014

In Atlanta you will be running a risk of SHB hatching out and ruining them. This time of year, in the south, It is extract as soon as pulled.

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SallyD

Discussion Starter · #4 · Jul 17, 2014

jbeshearse said:
In Atlanta you will be running a risk of SHB hatching out and ruining them. This time of year, in the south, It is extract as soon as pulled.

Hive beetles will be in the capped honey?

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jbeshearse

· #5 · Jul 17, 2014

Yes. The beetles can and do sometimes lay their eggs there. This I know from personal expereince. You take a risk if you store the supers at temps above 70. Also another reason to extract right away is that when the supers come off the hives the honey is usually warm (90+degrees) and extracts and strains easier than when it is cold. The down side is that the wax can be more easily damaged.

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JRG13

· #6 · Jul 17, 2014

Could have wax moth eggs too, check them every couple days for a week or so, then should be ok if you don't see anything moving around

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SallyD

Discussion Starter · #7 · Jul 17, 2014

So if I extract right away and there is eggs in the capped honey...I will have SHB eggs in the honey? That does not sound good. What if I put each frame in the freezer for an hour or so? Would that kill the eggs? Regardless the thought of eggs in the capped honey is not appealing to me.

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snl

· #8 · Jul 17, 2014

SallyD said:
Hive beetles will be in the capped honey?

That's a new one for me. Never heard of SHB or SHB eggs in CAPPED honey...........

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jbeshearse

· #9 · Jul 17, 2014

Have you ever seen a frame of slimed honey? Have you ever seen adult SHB in a honey super after if has been removed from the hive? I can't say the eggs are "in" the honey or even on the cappings. I can tell you that supers of capped honey harvested in NW Florida and allowed to sit can and most of the times will end up slimed. This does not matter if they are stored inside, in a container, etc. I recently harvested 5 supers of honey and put them on my dining room table for two weeks. The were not slimed, but had I left them any longer they would have been. As it was I did find some hatched SHB larva on those frames of honey. And these supers were stored inside an air conditioned space (78 degrees). If you harvest supers and adult SHB are present, they will lay wherever they can. And they will lay in honey supers in the hive. otherwise you would not see the larva so infesting the capped hone supers. Also normally, your frames are not 100% capped when harvested. There is usually some uncapped cells around in the super.

There are all kinds of things that end up in extracted honey that was originally on top of the cappings, on the wood of the frames, etc. the less straining you do, the more "inclusions" there are. Pollen, ash, eggs, etc. Why do you think that ts is always recommended that you freeze section honey prior to sale?

Freezing for 1 hour wont do it. it will take at least 24. Then your honey is going to be very thick and hard to extract.

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Ekosshadow

· #10 · Jul 17, 2014

I've never had SHB eggs in capped honey but I've certainly had adult SHB hiding in the frames and once the frames are in a storage box free of bees the SHB is free to roam.

I'm near Savannah and our biggest concern is humidity. We pull frames and extract same day. Then we gravity drain through a filter overnight and bottle the next day. If we're going to be delayed either in filtering or bottling it gets put in airtight 5 gallon buckets.

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snl

· #11 · Jul 17, 2014

I know if you have SHB's or SHB eggs in your supers, you need to extract ASAP. I also know if you have SHB's you'll find their eggs in many nooks and crannies in the supers and frames. I just never heard of SHB's or their eggs IN capped honey.

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rweaver7777

· #12 · Jul 17, 2014

I you freeze to get rid of eggs or larva, you need to keep them in the freezer for up to 2 days. It takes that long for the frame temp and honey temp to equalize with the freezing temps in the freezer. And the lower in the freezer you can put them, the colder it is.

And when you strain your honey, the eggs and other trash will be left behind. So don't worry about the eggs that you freeze or that get in the honey while extracting. Once you've frozen, let them get back to room temperature before extracting. I'd even recommend you set them out in the sun for a few hours before extracting. Then the honey will be much thinner and easier to extract. If a hive beetle just happened to stop by while you had them outside, as long as you extract immediately, there's no harm done.

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sqkcrk

· #13 · Jul 17, 2014

SallyD said:
Hi All: If I pull frames of honey from my super and do not extract them for a few days will that be OK? I would of course put them in a storage container with lid.
Let me know your thoughts. Thank you!
Sally

Sure.

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snl

· #14 · Jul 17, 2014

Careful if you've SHB. You want to extract them ASAP.
Been there, done that (waited) and paid the price.

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rweaver7777

· #15 · Jul 17, 2014

sqkcrk said:
Sure.

Careful, there. OP is in Atlanta. If SHB eggs were FRESHLY laid, they hatch in 2 days. In all probability, there are eggs already there, so they will hatch pretty much immediately. Unless frozen. If "a few days" equals "one day" then probably ok. Otherwise, it is a potential disaster. The larvae eat into the honey cells and defecate in the honey, making it ferment. So it isn't just eggs you're dealing with there - it's larvae, poop, and alcohol.

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sqkcrk

· #16 · Jul 17, 2014

Okay then. NO!! Leave them on your bees until you are ready to extract.

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