Former Florida resident here. Best to keep them in buckets as everyone has stated. I now live in Michigan where the humidity isn’t as bad (but sometimes is) and old habits die hard. I still keep them in a bucket. I rarely empty my hopper though as those seem to be fine. I’ll only empty the hopper when winter arrives as I use my Pit Boss less when it’s cold. I have used it in the snow before but it’s kind of a pain.