Comb honey. A journey of learning

[Ben Framed]

Les my apologies. I could not get the picture to come out like yours.

Phillip

[Lesgold]

Good to hear Phillip. I ended up leaving mine on the hive even though the flow had finished a couple of months ago. There is still quite a lot of honey in some of the jars which the bees can use as required. Good luck with your attempt. With a solid flow, they will fill the jars quickly.

[Ben Framed]

Thanks Les.

Phillip

[loisl58]

Nice job. You inventors are wonderful.

Sent from my SM-G920I using Tapatalk

[Lesgold]

Looks like this season will be a slow one for comb honey production. Only a mild flow on at the moment but it may build over the next month. I?m just about to pull a box of mini frames off a hive. I made the mistake of only using starter strips on the frames instead of homemade foundation. The result was uneven comb due to the fact that the bees were drawing the comb at different rates throughout the box. When using starter strips, there is a requirement for more manipulation of the frames to ensure that comb is built evenly. Using foundation required more initial work but the end result is achieved with fewer frame movements. The new box is ready to go.



I have made up some mini collection boxes to hold the frames as they are harvested. This allows me to clean off propolis and burr comb as I go. A bottom on the box stops any honey drips.



The foundation was made, cut and installed yesterday. The bees tend to prefer freshly melted wax over foundation that has been stored.



Hopefully I will harvest some more comb honey early in the new year.

[The15thMember]

That setup looks like so much fun to harvest.  Just pull the cartridges out and box 'em up! 

[Lesgold]

They are easy to harvest. I have only just finished pulling a box off a hive. There was some unusual shaped comb in places. I put the box shown above on the hive to replace it and the bees should start drawing the foundation out in a couple of days. At least this new batch will have a better shape to the comb. The frames will be lightly vacuum sealed and then stored in the freezer until market time where they will be defrosted and labelled. I?ll post a pic of one of the sealed frames when I get to that job. The general public don?t mind this way of purchasing the product because they can pick it up and turn it around. It?s much cheaper than boxing it and is quite sturdy due to the frame surrounding the comb.

[max2]

This is genius!

I don't have skills or the tools to make these little boxes.

I wish I had noted your comments before i started my new one.

I pulled another 4 frames this morning  before it got too hot.

They are pretty well perfect and i will cut 6 pieces out of each frame plus a bit of chunk honey.

We sold enough of the Comb Honey in plexyglas containers to keep going. Nobody has complained about the Plexyglass...so far.

We sell the honey in Glass Jars and take and pay for returns. One shop is interested in stocking the Comb Honey " when they have some shelf space".

There are now 3 candles shops withing 50km from us and i took the rolled candles and Tealights to all.
All liked them but none ordered so far. One would prefer the Tealights in Plexyglass rather then Aluminium cups.

The market made me realise that presentation means a lot. My wife put some stick-on bees on some of the packages and they sold the quickest - the cuteness factor.

I think there you are on a winner with your wooden boxes.

[Ben Framed]

This is genius!

It is!

Phillip

[Lesgold]

Here is one of the frames ready for the freezer.

[max2]

I'm cutting up more Comb Honey today.

I watched a few more YouTubes.
They keep talking about " thin, sharp knives".
In this video the bloke cuts through  the comb like butter https://www.google.com/search?q=cutting+comb+honey&client=firefox-b-d&source=lnms&tbm=vid&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi6hLme0-b7AhVitlYBHZJZCcQQ_AUoA3oECAIQBQ&biw=1537&bih=771&dpr=1.2#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:c2a71ee3,vid:DsXp9gWhLxg

I use a thin, sharp knive ( one is a budding knife, one serrated) and it does not go as easy?

Any suggestions regarding  cutting tool - the perfect one/

[NigelP]

I don't use a knife for cut comb...too time consuming.
I use these. Just press and push out.

[Michael Bush]

I have one of those cookie cutter devices, but it always seemed to crush the comb.  I found them useful for marking the comb, but a sharp knife always worked better for the actual cutting.

[NigelP]

 I extracted over 500 combs this summer using it and not a single crushed comb. Been using the same cutter for over 10 years now.
You do need to periodically clean the pushout plate otherwise it leaves a bit of debris on the surface of the comb.

[Michael Bush]

Wax varies greatly in strength at the same temperature and varies even more by temperature.  I don't doubt you.  I never had any luck with it.

[salvo]

Hi Folks, Max2,

I laughed when I watched the video of the guy with a "sharp knife".

I have a few that I use in the garden. It's a verry inexpensive "Quick Cut". Shup as a bestid. How many cuts in the thumb? I generally use it to trim suckers off tomatoes, maybe cut some twine. Thin blades. Not much use for anything else, except maybe now, cutting comb. I keep them outside year over year. Plastic handles break up in the sun over the years.



https://www.amazon.com/Good-Cook-4-Piece-Quick-Paring/dp/B0028LXDMQ/ref=pd_lpo_1?pd_rd_w=TshRB&content-id=amzn1.sym.116f529c-aa4d-4763-b2b6-4d614ec7dc00&pf_rd_p=116f529c-aa4d-4763-b2b6-4d614ec7dc00&pf_rd_r=Y99XQ5HEKQG2K5MQW9RE&pd_rd_wg=VKxOm&pd_rd_r=aa8fa59d-d69e-42ff-9d7e-540e245bc2e8&pd_rd_i=B0028LXDMQ&psc=1

Sal

[Ben Framed]

Here is one of the frames ready for the freezer.

Yes Sir, You have it down to art work... I like the idea of the vacuumed sealed bag!!

Phillip

[Ben Framed]

I'm cutting up more Comb Honey today.

I watched a few more YouTubes.
They keep talking about " thin, sharp knives".
In this video the bloke cuts through  the comb like butter https://www.google.com/search?q=cutting+comb+honey&client=firefox-b-d&source=lnms&tbm=vid&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi6hLme0-b7AhVitlYBHZJZCcQQ_AUoA3oECAIQBQ&biw=1537&bih=771&dpr=1.2#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:c2a71ee3,vid:DsXp9gWhLxg

I use a thin, sharp knive ( one is a budding knife, one serrated) and it does not go as easy?

Any suggestions regarding  cutting tool - the perfect one/

Max; The guy in the video is Tim Durham. He was the first man that I ever heard speak about bees when I was a boy. He was the 'young' speaker at the Memphis Beekeepers Association that particular night. I had tagged along with my uncle to that event not knowing much about honeybees; They will sting, they like White Dutch Clover, and they make a special treat for the hot buttered biscuit.  :-)
Tim had moved here from North Carolina and had the extremely large audience captivated during his presentation...

Phillip

[Lesgold]

Thanks Phillip. I?m pleased with how the system works. Removing most of the air using the pulse action on the sealer keeps the comb intact without crushing it. It also saves on space when freezing the comb. Condensation is not an issue if you keep the comb in the bag while defrosting. It is a much cheaper option than using plastic containers and sits well with the general public at the local markets. The clear plastic containers do look good and provide better comb protection but unfortunately there is nothing available to suit my custom mini frames.

[Lesgold]

Hi Folks,

Just checked on my mini combs today. I manipulated the frames a couple of times in the past two weeks to ensure they would be drawn evenly and was pleased with the progress the girls had made. If you look carefully, the white, newly drawn wax is easily seen.



Sorry about the quality of photos but it has been a bit of a challenge using only one hand at the moment. Thankfully my youngest daughter has been a champion in the way that she has helped out. She is cool, calm and collected in the hive. As you can see, the bees are depositing nectar in the outer frames which is a good indication of the flow that is in progress. The comb should be ready for harvest in a few weeks if the nectar continues to come in.




Cheers

Les