> So now I store wet and they are ready to put on in the spring. No
> mold or any problems.

There are a lot of beekeeping myths and half truths that get repeated over and
over.  One is the 'two feet or two miles' oversimplification.  (Like other myths
it has a *bit* of truth, but is logically false).

There are many many beekeeping lies and half-truths, and I wonder how many more
we can unmask.  It is a mystery to me why some of these things just won't die
even with a wooden stake driven through the heart.  I think they must have a
grain of truth or some appeal to something in human nature.  Beats me.

One such popular idea relates to drying out combs for storage.  I don't know
where the idea came from, but it arises from its own ashes over and over and
over.  Maybe it is one of those 'How the bear lost his tail' tales.  I can
imagine a beekeeper who could not afford bee-proof storage convincing his
neighbours that having the bees clean off the combs is de rigour.  Maybe in some
areas temperature and humidity is so constantly high that any honey left on the
comb will draw water and spoil?  Dunno.  That is definitely not the case where I
live.

Some claim that the remaining honey granulates in the comb and then the crystals
from the previous year cause granulation in any honey stored in the cells the
current year.

We have not been able to prove this to be at all true -- even with very careful
observation.  Au contraire.  Careful study here actually has proven to us that
this is *not* the case in our circumstances.

If one thinks the thing through, according to the theory, some of the crystals
must survive on the comb until the cells are refilled.  I have reasons to doubt
this:

* For one thing, the bees typically clean out and polish cells before filling
them with brood or honey; probably better than they do when robbing.  (I think
there can be exceptions to this cleaning and polishing, such as during a very
heavy flow when the boxes are placed on with no lead time for cleaning. And I do
know that AFB scale will be buried under honey on occasion.  Bees have even been
known to cover eggs with nectar when they run out of cells).

* The hive temperature in areas near brood and other occupied areas are near or
above the survival temperature for crystals in honey, let alone nectar.  The
bees bring in nectar at quite low sugar concentrations, and I should think that
the crystals would dissolve before any cell was completely filled.

* Observations here have shown us repeatedly that if two or three full frames of
uncapped granulated honey are placed in the thirds of reasonably strong
colonies, separated by frames with empty cells, the granulation will quickly
disappear.  By the time the box is filled, there is no sign of granulation.  We
assume that the granulation is liquefied, although occasionally, in the instance
of really dry granulation, some crystals will be seen on the doorstep.

* We do know that the bees go gladly into supers with honey in them and once
there get into the habit of returning. Getting bees to go into the supers is one
of the secrets of good beekeeping, so maybe here's a hint.

---
This reminds me of a question: I would be curious to know what the actual
minimum temperature is at which bees will store nectar in empty comb in supers.
I don't mean the brood temperature or the weather outside, but the temperature
in the super where the storage is to occur.  I suspect that this temperature is
*higher* (and possibly significantly higher) than the temperature at which bees
will forage.  We have touched on this in the past when discussing hive
ventilation.  My caution to others has always been that too much ventilation (or
empty space in the hive) will discourage the bees from using comb in areas
distant from brood if the ambient temperatures are low.  Does anyone have any
numbers on this?

This effect may explain why sometime some beekeepers feel that they get more
honey without excluders: the brood is spread through more of the hive and thus
the bees will occupy more comb in empty regions as the queen takes here business
there.  This last matter is a complex matter and I am a bit afraid to touch it.
Lloyd asked me to comment on how to use excluders effectively, and I have been
thinking about it.  I know how to do it, but can I explain it?   The topic
requires a lot of 'if this then this/if not this then that' kind of logic and I
don't know if I am up to writing about it.  I have a sense that I have written
on the matter before and will do an exhaustive search before I go to that much
work.

allen
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