Over wintering – storing foundation and comb
So, this overwintering business, its not as simple as that…feed the bees – treat the bees – great, but then what do you do with worked comb, virgin foundation and all the other bits and pieces that have littered your apiary all summer and that you have slaved over putting together?
Virgin foundation – it appears that the foundation gets a bit tougher with time and harder to work, and that nasty things might like to eat it over the winter. That said, before I got the bees, in sealed hives, my foundation over wintered with little trouble.
Anyway, being organised and prepared, I have a fair amount of foundation prepared and ready to go, that was not required this year, so have been putting it under cover and trying to seal it from the elements and the rodents and the small flying things that might like it.
The real issue is worked comb that might be spare. Admittedly I don’t have a lot – this is my first year – but nonetheless there is some. What about that, subject to wax moth as well as bees themselves eating it? Well apparently if I seal it and isolate it and squirt some acetic acid at it, it stands a chance of making it through the winter and then being aired and ready for use in the spring. Who’d guessed it?
Bin bags; cling film; gaffer tape – all methods used to seal up brood and super boxes to protect the foundation.
What about the hives themselves, well we know that winter is time for repairs, planning and construction; but it also means that bits left out might get wet, buried in snow or other. These need to be kept safe or under cover, or at least well treated to survive the worst of the winter.
So, yet more to do yet. Well at least I have my spares under cover now, with some clean up to do before spring.
August 28th, 2011
Topic: General Tags: None
