Lloyd Wrote:

> John Horton tells us he has been successful at avoiding wax moth damage by
> storing shallows 'staggered'.  John, to help us understand:  (1) do you
> store indoors or outdoors?  If indoors, what is your light source, if any.
> If artificial, how many hours a day?  (2) Do you have sustained nighttime
> temperatures below 28 degrees F?  If so, for approximately how many weeks?
> (3) Do you store past your 'frost-free' date?  If so, how many weeks past
> such date?
>
> Thanks,
> Lloyd

1)I store them indoors in an old block building that seems kindve damp at 
times.
 I have a friend, Charlie Cornileson, who has been keeping bees for over 
half a century who I THINK stores them outdoors-but semi enclosed to prevent 
rain etc.
The guy who taught me this- Al Norton-learned it from some LA (lower 
Alabama) beekeeper years ago.

2) My only light sources are 2-   roughly 4 x 2 foot windows(ttl 16 square 
feet per room)...I have them in rooms facing south and north...about 500 
supers/room in these roughly 12 x 18 foot  rooms.

3) I have stored before and after frost free dates in both autumn and 
spring.....my best memory, Lloyd, is that I have put them on well before 
frost(month or so) in late summer at times when I would have had a cobweb 
meltdown within a week or so in an abandoned hive in the field.  I am fairly 
sure I have kept some of the medium supers over practically the whole summer 
with no problem, as I tend not to use them anymore.

4) As a rule I dont use excluders....yes many of my supers have plenty of 
cocoons(Alabama small cell)

 Do a test case See for yourself  !!!!!



For queen marking comments:

Thanks to all for the recommendations-feel a little better about Testors 
now-except I have used the paint pen rather than the brush. Gonna try the 
uniposca.


Thanks for the queen handling technique Bob, will attempt it as I am not 
very good with handling them..By the way I have been praying for your speedy 
recovery.

Best to all

John Horton 

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