Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
The wet frames
The wet frames can be given back to the bees to clean up but, when doing this, take
the precaution of blocking up most of the hive entrances to reduce any robbing (see
Chapter 8), or you can take all the boxes full of wet frames and place them near the
apiary for a general free-for-all by the bees. Many texts will tell you that this will lead
to a huge outbreak of robbing, but I have never found this to be true. The bees will
clean the boxes very quickly, and these should then be stored in a safe, dry, light and
airy place.
Dealing with wax moths
The big danger of stored comb is from the ravages of the wax moth (see Chapter 10).
Wax moths don't like light and so, if you can store the frames in a light place, all may be
well, but stacked boxes generally don't let light in except at the top. Many topics - and
beekeepers who ought to know better - will tell you to sprinkle para-dichlor-benzine
(PDB) (moth balls) on top of the pile of boxes. Being heavier than air, the fumes will
then sink into the boxes and prevent the wax moths from surviving. Don't go near
this. It's carcinogenic and dangerous and could contaminate the wax and future honey
crops.
You could, with a little more time, buy some
Bacillus thuringiensis
. Just mix some with
water in a garden spray bottle and lightly spray both sides of each frame. This is time
consuming, however, except for the hobbyist with a few hives, but these little beasts
will kill any wax moth larva that dares to poke its head up and they won't contaminate
anything. They will protect your combs all through the winter. Any bee-supply
company will sell this under various brand names.
There are a few other methods of harvesting honey, one of which requires some skill
in ensuring that the bees are encouraged to do what you ask. The first of these is
producing comb honey. Comb honey can be produced in two ways.
