Advice on bruising

[CB008]

I note various commenst advising "bruising" the stores in order to get them moved "upstairs". I woudl appreciate a little more detail in terms of exactly what you should do.

 

[victor meldrew]

People refer to scratching the cappings off sealed stores in order to stimulate a colony ! the term bruising is used to illustrate the degree of capping removal which is only lightly done , this encourages the bees to remove/consume said stores thus making room for a Queen to lay eggs

JW

 

[Friar Tuck]

just get the flat end of your hive tool and run it over the comb taking a very think layer off. (un Capping)

 

[grizzly]

Just run the flat face of your hive tool over the cappings, not hard so honey spurts everywhere, just enough to disturb the capping.

Thats what i do, some others may have a different technique.

Jeez - Whered you two spring from !!!

 

[victor meldrew]

Just run the flat face of your hive tool over the cappings, not hard so honey spurts everywhere, just enough to disturb the capping.

Thats what i do, some others may have a different technique.

Jeez - Whered you two spring from !!!

Quick draw McCaw is the name

JW

 

[the naked beekeeper]

Run your hive tool across the cappings to expose the honey underneath.
If it's runny, not so that it's dripping everywhere. Just 'bruise' it.

Depends what's above your BB as well as what's in your BB.
If sealed stores of sugar syrup and undrawn foundation above, then bruising would be good, but if you have stores of sugar syrup and a drawn super on top, then they will just move the sugar (or any other udesirable store e.g ivy) into your honey crop.

If it is undesirable stores, then it is best to get rid of it, by uncapping it and either scraping or forking it out. So long as they have adequate stores for themselves in the BB still.

Just one of my methods and opinions. There are others.

 

[Mike a]

I use an uncapping tool and scratch across the frame which breaks the wax cappings nicely.