AJuff Posted August 24, 2012 Share Posted August 24, 2012 Anyone harvesting honey this week? I've put on a bee escape to clear one super, I'll leave the rest for the bees. I am giving honey as gifts this Christmas along with some home made honey/beeswax and lavender soap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olly Posted August 24, 2012 Share Posted August 24, 2012 I'm hoping to get some in a week or two - no time this weekend to take it off. Not sure how much I will have, but hoping for 10-15lbs between my two hives. I tend not to bother with Porter bee escapes, the one time I used them it was not successful! I can't lift a full super on my own, so I tend to put an empty one on the picnic table nearby, and take frames out a few at a time - I use the 'bang and brush' technique. Good luck with yours, I hope you've got a good harvest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daphne Posted August 24, 2012 Share Posted August 24, 2012 I use beequick - it smells strongly of almonds which the bees hate. You spray a kitchen drying up towel or similar, drape it over the top of the supers, put the roof back on and leave for a while. The bees go back down into the brood box so when you lift the super there are only a couple of bees in it. Most of the time our bees are quite benign but I have seen next doors quite angry when we took the honey and didn't use the beequick. I think they'd sensed what was about to happen as it was the last hive of 5! This year we have no honey On the upside I confidently predict neither myself nor OH will have to be taken to A&E which has happened for the past 2 seasons! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Speckled Hen Posted August 24, 2012 Share Posted August 24, 2012 Does the bee quick taint the honey? I made myself some clearer boards from rhombus escapes...one cut in half and placed over holes at opposite corners. Works a treat, no moving parts like Porters. I might have a super full between four boxes. They are all 14x12 so shouldn't need honey in supers so I'll just try to get them to move any uncapped stores into the brood box. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted August 24, 2012 Share Posted August 24, 2012 We're hoping to take a super full off the biggest colony on Sunday and we took about 20lbs off early in the season, that was mostly rape. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJuff Posted August 24, 2012 Author Share Posted August 24, 2012 Mmm might try brush, bang and rob routine . . . . my bees were a bit tetchy last week when I inspected them whereas they are normally very calm ladies. I'll see if i'm brave enough!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daphne Posted August 25, 2012 Share Posted August 25, 2012 No, there is absolutely no taint In fact, the beequick is lovely - its just like marzipan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olly Posted September 1, 2012 Share Posted September 1, 2012 I took off eight frames today between my two hives - there was more but it was uncapped. I made a fundamental mistake last year, and extracted some frames with uncapped honey in and it all fermented - lesson learned, so I just took the ones that were 90% capped. I've just extracted it, I won't know how much till I bottle it tomorrow but around 20lbs or so I hope. It looks a nice light colour, and tastes lovely (but I find your own honey always does - something to do with the work you put in to get it! ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Speckled Hen Posted September 1, 2012 Share Posted September 1, 2012 I extracted some uncapped last year. I find that if the frame is three quarter capped the rest will be OK. Invest in a refractometer....lots of cheapos on ebay.... My supers are coming off tomorrow so that I can feed for a few days before starting thymol treatment but I doubt there will be much there. I'll put it under the brood boxes after treatment for the bees to take up. I had a few surplus national brood frames with some stores from a unite tucked away in a poly nuc and I was going to s"Ooops, word censored!"e that away but I foolishly left it on the doorstep while I was away for a day and it's been robbed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
