comb on top of the frames

[beesnweeds]

                                                                              Do you have that process written up in thread around here? I'd like to lean about it.

Terri,
If there's a local club near you they usually have loaner extractors.  If not, medium frame comb honey foundation is only $1.50 a sheet and you can cut them in half easily with a razor knife.  Half sheets in medium frames draw pretty fast and save you the headache of cross comb.  If you are using plastic foundation you can scrape off the comb into a bucket and put the frames back in the hive for the bees to clean up.  Michael Bush's web page has simple crush and strain instructions the way I have seen it done.

https://www.bushfarms.com/beesharvest.htm

[Ben Framed]

I do all foundationless mostly because with all mediums and no extractor, I don't need extra support and I don't see the need for the added expense of foundation.  When the flow is really on, the bees draw fast with or without it, and once you build up a good supply of drawn comb, you can give them that, which is ultimately the fastest. 

   


Excellent points with crush and strain.
On the other hand and in a different scenario;
If bees ever use older honey comb for brood Comb it will become harder to uncap for those of us who uncap by hand without heat, by those of us who do extract, even by the method that I posted earlier in reply 19, due to the harder cocoon lined comb. In my experience if honey is once again stored in those same combs after brood this uncapping problem will be exposed.
Of course if you keep your medium honey combs separated, never allowing the honey combs to become brood combs. You might avoid this problem?

Phillip

[The15thMember]

I rotate out very old very dark comb anyway because I'm concerned about sublethal levels of pesticides having built up in it, but I will also try to give the bees the older comb early in the season and save the light comb for supers.  The old comb is difficult to crush and strain too because it's so stiff.  Plus, I feel like the honey really takes on that slumgummy flavor of dark comb, and I'm not partial to that. 

[Ben Framed]

I rotate out very old very dark comb anyway because I'm concerned about sublethal levels of pesticides having built up in it, but I will also try to give the bees the older comb early in the season and save the light comb for supers.  The old comb is difficult to crush and strain too because it's so stiff.  Plus, I feel like the honey really takes on that slumgummy flavor of dark comb, and I'm not partial to that.

Though I cant prove it; My opinion is that you are 'right again' Reagan, especially about that "slumgummy flavor"...

Phillip

[Michael Bush]

In blind taste tests people could not tell honey from dark comb from honey in new comb.

[Lesgold]

Almost like a placebo affect. What we visually see may somehow impact on our perception of flavour. I have found nectar that is gathered slowly over a long period of time and held in black comb over winter, tends to be darker and stronger in flavour. A few weeks ago I harvested a bit of honey under those conditions. This to me is liquid gold as customers are craving natural honey with these characteristics. Obviously the nectar source could also impact on what we see and taste.

[animal]

It's funny about the blind taste tests to me, and most people preferring the new comb. I've never cared for honey in the comb. The waxiness isn't pleasant to me.
The only time I ever tasted dark comb was after getting it from a cut-out. It was mostly uncapped honey but had a fair amount of bee bread in it. It hardly seemed waxy at all to me and was much more tolerable. I attributed it to the bee bread and whatever substances mixed with the wax that made it dark, breaking up the waxiness.
I'm not squeamish about such things though, and also tried some stray larvae. They were not objectionable either. To be honest, I'm not that wild about honey, far prefer real maple syrup, and don't like ribbon cane syrup at all. Except for the pastiness, I think the bee bread is the best tasting thing in the hive.

[Michael Bush]

I do think part of it is that dark honey doesn't taste the same so your expectation is that it won't taste the same.  Studies, though, show that honey from old brood comb is better for you and especially better for treating wounds.  Also darker honey (not necessarily comb) is better for you than lighter honey.

[Terri Yaki]

When going foundationless, do you place anything in the frames to help guide the bees? Do they not bond everything together with comb?

[Michael Bush]

https://bushfarms.com/beesfoundationless.htm

[Terri Yaki]

Jim mentioned something about popsicle sticks but I wasn't getting it. Do you place them into the foundation grooves?

[Michael Bush]

You can put any strip of wood, including those fat popscicle sticks (sold as Jumbo Craft Sticks) in the groove of a grooved top bar.  You can break out the cleat on a "wedge" top bar and rotate it 90 degrees and nail it back in.  You can cut a bevel on the top bar.  You can add a bevel to the top bar.  Any of these work.  https://bushfarms.com/beesfoundationless.htm

[Terri Yaki]

You can put any strip of wood, including those fat popscicle sticks (sold as Jumbo Craft Sticks) in the groove of a grooved top bar.  You can break out the cleat on a "wedge" top bar and rotate it 90 degrees and nail it back in.  You can cut a bevel on the top bar.  You can add a bevel to the top bar.  Any of these work.  https://bushfarms.com/beesfoundationless.htm

I did read that but I had a hard time comprehending a lot of it. Sometimes I just need a visual demonstration. I'll experiment with some popsicle sticks and see how it goes. My hive(s) will probably look like a patchwork quilt of experimentation.

[Michael Bush]

You just need to end up with an edges in the center of the top bar.  Anything that accomplishes that will work.  I like the guide to be wood because I don't every have to replace it (as opposed to a wax strip).  I like to NOT put wax on them because the bees don't attached the comb as well if I do.  Plus it's unnecessary work.

[The15thMember]

When going foundationless, do you place anything in the frames to help guide the bees?

I just buy wedge top bars and nail the wedge in sideways. 
https://www.honeybeesuite.com/how-to-make-starter-strips/wedge-turned-sideways/

In blind taste tests people could not tell honey from dark comb from honey in new comb.

I don't know about "people" , but I could definitely taste this flavor in a blind taste test.  I have often wondered though if you were extracting from dark comb if you wouldn't taste it.  Whereas with crush and strain, I end up with far more little microscopic bits of wax in the honey, which imparts more of the wax's flavor to the end product. 

It's funny about the blind taste tests to me, and most people preferring the new comb. I've never cared for honey in the comb. The waxiness isn't pleasant to me.
The only time I ever tasted dark comb was after getting it from a cut-out. It was mostly uncapped honey but had a fair amount of bee bread in it. It hardly seemed waxy at all to me and was much more tolerable. I attributed it to the bee bread and whatever substances mixed with the wax that made it dark, breaking up the waxiness.
I'm not squeamish about such things though, and also tried some stray larvae. They were not objectionable either. To be honest, I'm not that wild about honey, far prefer real maple syrup, and don't like ribbon cane syrup at all. Except for the pastiness, I think the bee bread is the best tasting thing in the hive.

   
I have two questions.  Firstly, are you basing your opinion of honey on real honey from a beekeeper?  Because anything off a store shelf is barely honey in my opinion.  There are so many flavors and varieties of honey that I can't imagine not being able to find one that you love.  Secondly, have you ever had really high quality comb honey?  When we talk about eating comb honey, we aren't really talking about what you are describing here.  Don't get me wrong, I think it's cool that you just took a hunk of comb out of the hive and ate it regardless of what was in it, since that's certainly a legitimate culinary option, but high quality comb honey is going to be extremely thin fast-drawn white wax that will basically dissolve in your mouth.  I feel like if your impression of comb honey is "waxy", then either you are very sensitive to the wax or the comb honey you had wasn't the best.     

[Ben Framed]

Terri here is the video where I learned to do what I described in reply # 19. You may not like videos but you will find this one WELL worth your time.

https://youtu.be/uuO_BdmvJsg?si=LNQD0Vws4ArV-CGj

[Michael Bush]

>I have often wondered though if you were extracting from dark comb if you wouldn't taste it.  Whereas with crush and strain, I end up with far more little microscopic bits of wax in the honey, which imparts more of the wax's flavor to the end product.

Crush and strain might be the reason.  You do get more bits of comb in it.

[Terri Yaki]

Terri here is the video where I learned to do what I described in reply # 19. You may not like videos but you will find this one WELL worth your time.

https://youtu.be/uuO_BdmvJsg?si=LNQD0Vws4ArV-CGj

Definitely worth the watch and watchable at 1.25x. Thanks

[Ben Framed]

Your very welcome Terri...

[BeeMaster2]

>
Crush and strain might be the reason.  You do get more bits of comb in it.

You also get pollen bread and any larvae that might bee in the comb.
Jim Altmiller