Author Topic: Comb honey. A journey of learning (Read 47228 times)

G3farms · « **Reply #100 on:** January 24, 2022, 08:59:18 pm »

HA! I like it!!

You have made me want to fire up the table saw and make some of the little frames for comb honey.

Good job for sure and thanks for posting this.

Lesgold · « **Reply #101 on:** January 25, 2022, 04:02:34 pm »

I?m sure that you will have a lot of fun producing some of your own comb honey. Good luck and I hope the bees do the right thing for you.

I?ll pop down to the hive after breakfast and have a look at the jars and see if the bees have climbed in for a look. Will post an update later. It?s going to be so easy to check what?s happening without an invasive inspection.

Lesgold · « **Reply #102 on:** January 25, 2022, 05:56:11 pm »

The bees really took to the strips of foundation. They had drawn some comb overnight and were festooning at the bottom of the foundation.

The starter strips and the jars with melted wax were quite in comparison. Condensation was showing up in the ones that were not holding bees.

I am sure that if a strong flow was underway, the outcome could be quite different. I will have another look in a couple of days.

Cheers

Les

Ben Framed · « **Reply #103 on:** January 25, 2022, 06:08:14 pm »

They are wasting no time Les! Looking good!!

Ben Framed · « **Reply #104 on:** January 25, 2022, 06:40:08 pm »

Just a reminder from the pictures that jurassic had posted. Looks like you are on the right track...

Lesgold · « **Reply #105 on:** January 25, 2022, 07:19:44 pm »

And the hex jars do look the part. Presentation is important when it comes to this type of product. I think that would be the next step once the process is sorted. Jurassic looks like he has nailed it.

The15thMember · « **Reply #106 on:** January 25, 2022, 07:39:06 pm »

I'm very interested to see how this turns out. A jar board is something I've always wanted to try. I don't have any foundation, since I'm foundationless, and I would prefer not to buy some just for this. I wonder if I used a little piece of comb as a starter strip if they'd take to it.

Lesgold · « **Reply #107 on:** January 25, 2022, 08:45:35 pm »

Now that?s good thinking. I like that. A small piece of newly drawn comb attached at the bottom of the jar would be excellent. I?m not as keen on the foundation either. If the bees could utilise the little bit of wax that was melted onto the bottom of the jar or a simple starter strip, that would mean a jar full of pure, bee made goodies. Unfortunately the bees are showing the preference for the foundation at this stage. Hopefully a few more days will give a better indication of what is to come. If the bees do not start building comb on the melted wax, I may try your idea on those jars. Thanks again for your input.

Cheers

Les

G3farms · « **Reply #108 on:** January 25, 2022, 09:03:20 pm »

I wonder if you switched places with the jars to see if they would go into the one with just a starter strip. This might tell us if they have a memory to go where they were last working or if they go to where the work is already in progress.
Just a thought.

Ben Framed · « **Reply #109 on:** January 25, 2022, 09:36:10 pm »

Quote

The15thMenmber
I don't have any foundation, since I'm foundationless,

Reagan if you have some left over wax from your crush and strain you could make some flat sheets as those which have been discussed. If cut the proper size as those Les cut using his foundation, would probably work just fine along with giving you the satisfaction of using your very own wax. ??

Phillip

Ben Framed · « **Reply #110 on:** January 25, 2022, 09:41:48 pm »

Quote

Lesgold
And the hex jars do look the part. Presentation is important when it comes to this type of product. I think that would be the next step once the process is sorted. Jurassic looks like he has nailed it.

Les I had considered the hex jars also, but after seeing yours, I am thinking the rounds will work just fine! Especially when you top them off with that golden beautiful honey with the comb showing in the center! They should be 'very' appealing.. The hex was convenient as adding as many jars as possible to each top, (I am thinking was the idea?). I will try and find the old pictures if I can and put it here. I feel certain that Jurassic would not mind.

Phillip

Ben Framed · « **Reply #111 on:** January 25, 2022, 09:46:23 pm »

It looks like as many as 42 jars could be added this way?

Ben Framed · « **Reply #112 on:** January 25, 2022, 09:54:10 pm »

Quote from: G3farms on January 25, 2022, 09:03:20 pm

I wonder if you switched places with the jars to see if they would go into the one with just a starter strip. This might tell us if they have a memory to go where they were last working or if they go to where the work is already in progress.
Just a thought.

Good for the curiosity question..... I wonder too....

G3farms · « **Reply #113 on:** January 25, 2022, 09:59:48 pm »

Love the pic of the hex jars!

Ben Framed · « **Reply #114 on:** January 26, 2022, 12:25:03 am »

Quote from: G3farms on January 25, 2022, 09:59:48 pm

Love the pic of the hex jars!

I do too G3farms. I am adding another one that way we can count the cells in the foundation and get an idea of how tall these jars are in comparison. That should give us a pretty good idea of what size these jars are.

I think the round jars that Les is experimenting with will be just fine.. But if we are striving for efficiency in utilizing space and resources, the hex jars will be a good choice as well. Especially if the hex jars are competitively priced.

Phillip

Lesgold · « **Reply #115 on:** January 26, 2022, 12:51:56 am »

I think the hex jars are smaller than my test jars but I still think they are much more attractive. They are about 50% more to purchase (from memory). As you said, efficient use of space could be achieved with the hexagonal shape. If I filled the board to capacity, I could possibly fit about 30 jars in. G3farm?s idea of swapping locations of jars is an interesting one. I might try that just for fun. It would be nice to know the answer. The other thought was to place a dribble of honey in the jars where there is minimal activity. Initially, I may leave everything alone for a few days to see if the bees start anything without intervention. The best outcome in my opinion would be for the bees to draw out the smear of wax on the bottoms of four of the jars as this would be the easiest of the techniques and would supply a pure, entirely natural comb. Time will tell.

cao · « **Reply #116 on:** January 26, 2022, 02:43:34 am »

It also may be harder for the bees to reach the top of the jar with just the melted beeswax. Also probably harder to hang on.

Ben Framed · « **Reply #117 on:** January 26, 2022, 10:10:04 am »

Quote

cao
It also may be harder for the bees to reach the top of the jar with just the melted beeswax. Also probably harder to hang on.

That seems logical, I think so Cao.

The15thMember · « **Reply #118 on:** January 26, 2022, 11:08:22 am »

Quote from: Ben Framed on January 26, 2022, 10:10:04 am

Quote
cao
It also may be harder for the bees to reach the top of the jar with just the melted beeswax. Also probably harder to hang on.

That seems logical, I think so Cao.

I agree, that is a great point, Cao. Bees inside a hive typically don't fly, and if they can't crawl up the smooth glass, they'll probably ignore the starter strip at the top (or bottom, depending on how you look at it) of the jar.

Ben Framed · « **Reply #119 on:** January 26, 2022, 11:11:35 am »

Quote from: The15thMember on January 26, 2022, 11:08:22 am

Quote from: Ben Framed on January 26, 2022, 10:10:04 am
Quote
cao
It also may be harder for the bees to reach the top of the jar with just the melted beeswax. Also probably harder to hang on.

That seems logical, I think so Cao.
I agree, that is a great point, Cao. Bees inside a hive typically don't fly, and if they can't crawl up the smooth glass, they'll probably ignore the starter strip at the top (or bottom, depending on how you look at it) of the jar.

Yes Member and Cao, building on those thoughts, I am thinking the wider the area to climb up, the more bees that can reach the working point at the same time, (having more room to work), making the whole situation more efficient?