> The beekeeper I worked for did something with his supers that I didn't
> know to wonder about at the time, but it's puzzled me since: he stored his
> supers "sticky,"
I actually don't know any commercial beekeepers in Western Canada who do not
store their supers sticky. Nobody I know of would go through the bother of
taking them out to be robbed or putting them on hives to be licked out.
That would be expensive. Supers go direct from extracting to storage, which
is usually bee-tight.
There are a number of advantages beyond the savings in labour and bother.
The honey coating seems to keep the wax softer, and combs get less brittle
over winter -- and, of course the bees are quick to go into them when they
are put on the next spring.
******************************************************
* Full guidelines for BEE-L posting are at: *
* http://www.honeybeeworld.com/bee-l/guidelines.htm *
******************************************************