Storing Beekeeping Equipment for the winter

I store my hives right where they've been all summer.  I place a ratchet strap around each hive vertically.  Then I use the screen that was a part of the original box that they were shipped up here in to staple over both openings.  I also put a queen excluder between the bottom board and the bottom brood box.  This ensures that mice, shrews, wild bees, etc. do not enter the hive and eat the wax comb during the winter.  Another great place to store your hives is in a cold storage shed.