What type and diameter of wire do you use in your frames?

[Michael Bush]

I don't wire anymore.  Back when I did, I bought stainless steel wire from Glorybee.  I would crimp and embed the wire and other wire would break too easily.

[Terri Yaki]

Would love to be able to store comb like you do Reagan. I have the same issue as Max with winters not being cold enough to deter moths. I?ve got an idea that I would like to try but I don?t have a freezer big enough to hold a deep full of frames. This may be another job for next year.

I'm just starting out and learning and some of it's going to be the hard way because sometimes, that's the only way I can learn. I left some comb out on a tier of scaffolding I have out there for cleanup and went out after dark to bring it in. When I got to it, it had several moths on it and I figure they were 'wax moths' but I never looked into what a wax moth looks like. I knocked them off and put the frames in a freezer I have, shocked them for a few days and unplugged the freezer, as it's not used for anything else right now.

My neighbor loaned me some frames of comb for use in my swarm trap and right now, they're in a box in the garage. He told me to cut and render the wax out because he doesn't want that back. So far, I have no pests in that comb.

Anyhow, I have heard or read that placing them in large plastic containers with lids and wrapping the top with saran wrap makes a seal that is good enough and that is what I intend to do with these here shortly. Does that sound suitable? Any suggestions on what else to do or not do?

Oh, and think it's kind of funny that we call these pests 'wax moths' and 'hive beetles' as I suspect that they existed before our hives did. What were they called before that?

[BeeMaster2]

Terri,
After you freeze the frames for a couple of days, I recommend that you take them into your house or an area with low humidity and let them warm up and dry out before you wrap them up. If you take them out of the freezer and wrap them up, there is a good chance that they will mold up. Mine do here.
Bees have been around for hundreds of millions of years making wax. The beetles and moths probably developed after the bees were here.
Jim Altmiller

[The15thMember]

Anyhow, I have heard or read that placing them in large plastic containers with lids and wrapping the top with saran wrap makes a seal that is good enough and that is what I intend to do with these here shortly. Does that sound suitable? Any suggestions on what else to do or not do?

I personally have not found saran wrap to be necessary.  A bin with a good snapping lid is fine in my climate, and your climate is colder than mine. 

[Terri Yaki]

I personally have not found saran wrap to be necessary.  A bin with a good snapping lid is fine in my climate, and your climate is colder than mine.

Sounds logical to me. I saw someone has posted somewhere that if the moth laid their eggs next to the lid, the larvae could wriggle their way into the tub. I'll conduct an experiment.

[Lesgold]

I agree with Jim. Freezing the frames is a good idea but taking those frames from the freezer and sealing them in a container will be problematic. You will get condensation  issues as the frames warm up to room temperature. My plan was to freeze the frames and super in one go and then warm the box and frames with dry, warm air for an hour or two before sealing the box up for the winter. I thought about using my honey warming cabinet for the job but unfortunately, it is a sealed unit and the air would become warm but moist so it would not be suitable to get the frames completely dry. I?ve also been thinking about using a small fan heater to direct warm air through the box of frames. If I could keep the air at about beehive temperature, the frames would dry quickly without damaging the comb. Placing frames inside your house is a good idea, especially if the weather is cool and the house is heated. I might suggest this idea to my wife.

[The15thMember]

I saw someone has posted somewhere that if the moth laid their eggs next to the lid, the larvae could wriggle their way into the tub.

I'm sure they can, but if the temperature is regularly around freezing, it just doesn't matter.  You won't get many who find their way in through the crack, and the few that might aren't long enough for this world to do any significant damage. 

Freezing the frames is a good idea but taking those frames from the freezer and sealing them in a container will be problematic. You will get condensation  issues as the frames warm up to room temperature. 

I just go right from the freezer into bins, and I don't have any trouble with mold in my bins in the garage.  But it's usually not overly warm by the time I'm transferring comb into bins.  The bins aren't 1000% sealed, so the moisture can escape well enough.  If you had the frames wrapped in saran wrap or in something that was 1000% sealed, I would think that would cause problems.   

If I could keep the air at about beehive temperature, the frames would dry quickly without damaging the comb. Placing frames inside your house is a good idea, especially if the weather is cool and the house is heated. I might suggest this idea to my wife.

If you have the storage space, going from the freezer into the climate controlled house would probably really help to reduce the likelihood of pest infestation in a warmer climate.