Chook n Boo Mum Posted September 17, 2009 Share Posted September 17, 2009 I am one very happy but slightly confused beebod tonight....my lovely mentor came round today & told me I have a very happy, healthy colony which still has brood in the lower box and plenty of stores to take it through the winter ...in fact he said through to next winter too at a push ...we then went through the peeling off the Apiguard cover & placing the tray on to the frames as per the instructions, put everything back in place, disrobed & he went back to his car...........then announced that we could take a frame or two of honey if we wanted too & extract it the old fashioned way. Wayhay thinks I, I'll consider that after I've done all the bits & bobs I've got to do today........then realised that the Apiguard pack says apply after the honey has been taken as it can taint the honey.........how long after application do you think I can reasonably hope for the honey not to be spoilt...I would love to have a jar or two of honey to show for all my worry etc, but if it's going to taste vile even after a few hours of being in the hive, I think I'll pass on it Thoughts would be greatly appreciated please Sha x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olly Posted September 17, 2009 Share Posted September 17, 2009 Sorry, no idea - I think if it's working, then the Apiguard should spread through the hive so yes I would expect that it would taint the honey. No doubt someone with more experience will be along, I'd be interested to know the answer. You could try looking on the BBKA forum, this might have been asked on there at some point? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chook n Boo Mum Posted September 18, 2009 Author Share Posted September 18, 2009 Thanks Olly, I've googled & got lots of "it will/might taint the honey" comments but no time spans as to when it would become a problem...I've emailed the manufacturing and marketing companies to see what they have to say in the matter. Actually Thornes (where I bought it) may be able to help too....I'll zap them a copy too......cooo I shall either have a full inbox later or the silence will be deafening Sha x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pdcambs Posted September 18, 2009 Share Posted September 18, 2009 As your mentor drove away, I'd have dashed back to the hive and whipped out a frame or two there and then. Yes, you could take one out now and discover if the honey is tainted or not, but while you wait for replies to emails etc the possible tainting is only going to become more likely! I think you should get to the hive now and take a chance, if the bees have plenty it won't hurt them to loose a little and maybe you will still get some lovely liquid gold off then this year (there is nothing better than your first jar of honey) Apiguard does need a certain temperature to sublimate (work effectively) and it's already quite cold which will reduce it's effectiveness, so if your quick you still might have time to whip one off a see what it's like. However, IF this is a new colony you started this year, and presumably fed hard to get them going, will you be harvesting honey or syrup? Good luck Peter Cambridge UK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chook n Boo Mum Posted September 18, 2009 Author Share Posted September 18, 2009 Actually Peter, I haven't fed at all..........inexperienced beekeeper who has got away with it I actually put a "heath robinson" feeder in the hive on Wednesday evening & there were no bees anywhere near it on Thursday morning......this suggests they are happy with their lot & not in need of extra supplies doesn't it...my mentor thought so! I'll pop out & see if I can whip an outside frame out before I disappear to the hospice, then deal with it later.......what to put it in is the next quandary Many thanks, Sha x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beesontoast Posted September 18, 2009 Share Posted September 18, 2009 Thymol (the active ingredient of Apiguard) has a strong smell and will eventually permeate into sealed honey - how long that takes I wouldn't know, but I have tasted it in over-wintered honey sampled in early spring from a commercial hive. A question I would ask is, have you done any checks to see if varroa treatment is actually necessary on your colony? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pdcambs Posted September 18, 2009 Share Posted September 18, 2009 I actually put a "heath robinson" feeder in the hive on Wednesday evening & there were no bees anywhere near it on Thursday morning......this suggests they are happy with their lot & not in need of extra supplies doesn't it...my mentor thought so! I'll pop out & see if I can whip an outside frame out before I disappear to the hospice, then deal with it later.......what to put it in is the next quandary Hi Sha It's always interesting how different beekeepers will give different answers to the same question. Personally, if they know the syrup is there and it is not to cold (bees clustered - but it's still too early for that) then I would expect them to take the syrup regardless of what they have already stored. Bees don't keep a tally of stores and stop when they have enough, they are programmed to make hay while the sun shines, an excess simply means they are more likely to survive the predation of their winter stocks, by humans or other animals. However, sugar syrup does not have much scent, so I always dribble a little trail so that they can find it; but be careful not to slosh too much about as spillages can prompt robbing. It's regarded as good practice by many, to change out 1/3 of the oldest combs each spring, to avoid heavy build up of toxins like pesticides in the wax. So it's always a good idea to have a few spare frames to hand (if you use frames - another hot topic along with latent chemical loads of new commercial foundation) for whenever you need them. But don't put foundation into the spare frames until you need them, it will last much longer somewhere cool in its packet. Good luck Peter Cambridge UK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chook n Boo Mum Posted September 18, 2009 Author Share Posted September 18, 2009 There was a bit of dribble, mucky pup that I am...which ants had found but the bees hadn't seemed to bother with. I had been really careful not to spill any outside the hive but slopped a bit over the edge as I put it down. I have a glass quilt rather than a crown board & there were a number of bees tootling around the hole in the middle, one little buzzer had ambled over to a spill as I was watching, which also made me think they weren't interested, I'd have thought she'd report back of an easy harvest then they would have found the syrup, perhaps I just didn't leave it long enough or it wasn't warm enough for them to have been investigating more closely. I've got to get a food grade bucket sorted to extract the honey into..........I know I have one somewhere....presumably an old mayo bucket if sterilised would be ok as it would be for personal consumption or do I need to source one specifically for my honey? As I hadn't expected to take any I hadn't gone down the extraction kit route Sha x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pdcambs Posted September 18, 2009 Share Posted September 18, 2009 If for your own consumption, any air tight container will do, and a mayo bucket will be fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 18, 2009 Share Posted September 18, 2009 Any old bucket could do - well, within reason. You can get plastic bags to fill and seal before lidding the bucket. Personally don't like them but it is an option. A frame or two, capped would be OK to remove. Not likely to be walked over too much by the bees and any contamination would be outside the cappings, which you would make sure you cut off and discard, as far as 'eating' honey is concerned (feed the cappings back to the colony?). For 'sale' honey it is an entirely different matter. Regards, RAB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chook n Boo Mum Posted September 21, 2009 Author Share Posted September 21, 2009 At last I have had a reply to my query from the 6 or so emails I zapped out on Friday and it was from Thornes Assuming the tray is below the frames that you want to take out, I think the honey should be fine for personal use. It was actually in the middle & I took a frame from the outside on Saturday ( ), so next best thing I think . I put the frame back into the hive as soon as I'd s"Ooops, word censored!"ed as much of the comb & honey off of the foundation as I could without totally massacring it , there are a few tears, but nothing the bees can't sort I'm sure and actually I left a fair amount of honey on the foundation as I was worried about completely shredding it This is before I butchered it... and after....... and even indoors there are little robbers...... Some of the cappings and comb have been wrapped up as display pieces for my DD's (little robber!!) science teacher, and I'm going to take my unfinished and uninhabited hive in to show the children as they are studying habitats this term ....DD's form tutor (Head of Maths) has mentioned that honey comb covers "tessellation aspects for mathematical education as well"...... I s'pose he wants a set of wrapped cappings for his classes too !! A question I would ask is, have you done any checks to see if varroa treatment is actually necessary on your colony? Err no I didn't, I simply followed the advice of my mentor. My hive is a solid bottom variety rather than a mesh base, so I couldn't do the "piece of paper & count dropped bugs" check......in coming years I will be in a position to make my own decisions based on experience, this year I am relying heavily on my mentor. Oh yes, and I almost forgot...the taste test....................mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm yummy !!!!! Sha x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Somerford Posted September 22, 2009 Share Posted September 22, 2009 Well done Wild Mum on your first harvest ! For next season (you are probably thinking about this already), it will pay to get a small extractor to make life easier. On a small scale, a little 2 or 3 frame is great. Get a sharp uncapping / bread knife too. Best way is to get a batten of wood fixed across a square washing up bowl with a nail knocked through pointing upwards (to balance the frame end on) get some very hot/boiling water in a jug deep enough to immerse th knife in and when hot, use it to uncap just under the cappings both sides. This way your bee's hard work in building some lovely super combs will not be undone. The total expense - probably around £100 but it will make life alot easier when you have 2 or 3 supers to extract Don't forget to get a few honey buckets too to store the honey in prior to bottling. all said and done the smile on your face says it all ! cheers S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newtobees Posted September 22, 2009 Share Posted September 22, 2009 Lovely Pics Wild mum,I cant wait until next year when I hope to have bees and getting my very first harvest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 23, 2009 Share Posted September 23, 2009 Wild mum You are fantastic, and love the honey Hope next year is better than this and that your hives expand frequently Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chook n Boo Mum Posted September 23, 2009 Author Share Posted September 23, 2009 Thank you for your kind comments everyone, we shall enjoy the small amount of honey I dragged rather then extracted from that poor little frame...I didn't weigh it & as yet it's still in the bucket. I'll sterilise some jars & pour it in tomorrow...and I'll probably take another photo too !! Sha x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
