I'm wanting to rob my bees and save the frames in a plastic tote untill I can get to a fellow who is going to extract them for me. My question is how long can I hold them in the plastic tote before I extract them without them going bad? Thank's in advance. Brad
I beleive you have SHB in most parts of AR,,, I wouldn't leave them wore than 3 days before extracting or you run the risk of the beatles sliming them.
Freeze them for 48 hours, then seal them in plastic bags. Then you can save them until you get more next year if you want.
they will be extracted this yearand will be kept in a beetle proof container. just wondering if the could be kept unextracted for a period of time like a month or so without going bad.
If you keep them away from light, the honey itself will keep practically forever. But if you have SHB in your hives, odds are you will pull at least a couple out in your honey frames, hiding in crevices. It doesn't help to have a beetle-proof container if the beetles are on the inside.
Better to freeze the frames, as suggested above, or go ahead and harvest yourself. Have you ever tried crush-and-strain?
I have left suppers in the freezer for months at a time, in fact, I have a shallow super in the freezer now from last fall.
I leave them in the freezer for 48 to72 hours, then seal them in black plastic garbage bags. They will keep at room temp for as long as you want, if the moisture content is low enough. IE: 18.6% or less.
Small hive beetles are your first problem. The second is wax moths. SHB won't hatch if you keep it dry enough. Wax moths take a few days to get going. Freezing will kill both.
Are yal suggesting freezing the frames for later extraction? I thought freezing the frames would cause crystalization and make extracting nearly impossible.
I have not had that problem. I just have to set the boxes out to warm up for a few days after I take them out of the freezer. Freezing kills the bugs and their eggs. The freezer is also bug proof so I can feel safe about not wasting the honey with beetles or moths. The shallow super left over from last fall in the freezer still looks fine.