cut comb question

[Cuckmere couple]

i am probably going to have another go this season as someone i know particularly wants some cut comb, however, i am not doing it with huge enthusiasm

we get a lot of set honey in spring with OSR etc around.

Presume people wait for summer flow for CC in the main if this is an issue in spring?

 

[pargyle]

i am probably going to have another go this season as someone i know particularly wants some cut comb, however, i am not doing it with huge enthusiasm

we get a lot of set honey in spring with OSR etc around.

Presume people wait for summer flow for CC in the main if this is an issue in spring?

Cut comb with set OSR honey is not a pleasant experience to eat ... I'd wait until you can be sure that you are going to get comb with capped runny honey or at least gelled heather if you have the chance.

 

[Mint Bee]

Harvest any honey once the OSR has finished, then put in new frames in with thin foundation and await a flow. I tend to put a whole box on a hive and then juggle frames and spacing around to try and get uniform capped frames. Aim is to get cut sections that are of a fairly consistent weight. Doesn't really matter size of box. I have some OSBs I use as I think there is less waste with a bigger frame size. There are a few beekeepers who sell whole super (SN sized) frames at a good price

 

[Ely]

Sorry to jump into

Cut comb with set OSR honey is not a pleasant experience to eat ... I'd wait until you can be sure that you are going to get comb with capped runny honey or at least gelled heather if you have the chance.

Sorry to jump in on someone else's post with a question of my own but your post made me wonder about something. Does heather honey crystalise or does it stay in the gel like texture? I have no experience of heather honey as it we don't have any around my bees.

OG poster - I would not produce cut comb on Spring crop. Dandilion also crystalises fairly quickly

 

[Erichalfbee]

Does heather honey crystalise

Yes

 

[Michael Palmer]

Presume people wait for summer flow for CC in the main if this is an issue in spring?

I prefer the lime flow for my comb honey. Excellent flavour and slow to crystallize.

 

[pargyle]

Yes

I stayed in a very posh Scottish hotel a couple of years ago and there were portions of comb, that purported to be heather honey, available on the breakfast buffet - it was a bit jelly like in the cells but not crystallised - although, like all honeys I suspect, given time, it would crystallise.

 

[Erichalfbee]

although, like all honeys I suspect, given time, it would crystallise.

I bought heather from one of our forum members and finding a few jars tucked away in a cupboard some months later it was full of very large crystals.

 

[pargyle]

I bought heather from one of our forum members and finding a few jars tucked away in a cupboard some months later it was full of very large crystals.

So to be cautious and either sell heather honey in the comb very quickly or don't risk it at all ...

 

[Erichalfbee]

So to be cautious and either sell heather honey in the comb very quickly or don't risk it at all ...

I’m not so sure. Crystallised honey in cut comb is not that much of a problem unless it’s OSR? You just crunch the honey along with the comb on a piece of toast.
I cut my comb and package it all at once then keep it in the freezer where it doesn’t crystallise

 

[Hedgerow Honey]

I’m not so sure. Crystallised honey in cut comb is not that much of a problem unless it’s OSR? You just crunch the honey along with the comb on a piece of toast.
I cut my comb and package it all at once then keep it in the freezer where it doesn’t crystallise

Currently I have 23 pieces of 2022 comb & 274 of 2023 plus 83 rounds in our freezers (3) and 19 full frames.
It's the only way to store it without crystallisation.
Full frames have to be handled extremely carefully as the cappings just fall off with the slightest knock.

 

[bontbee]

I don't think it's the heather that's crystallizing(sp.?), but the other honeys that are collected at the same time. Eg. rosebay willowherb is a very crunchy honey when crystallized...

 

[Erichalfbee]

Eg. rosebay willowherb is a very crunchy honey when crystallized...

I get a lot of rosebay honey and it sets with a fine grain. Bramble crystallises coarsely
I found this which has descriptions of some of the honey varieties
https://scbka.org.uk/plant-of-the-month/

 

[Poly Hive]

I clearly remember a talk by Clive de Bruyn when he said that there prejudice against solid cut comb was in the beekeepers head not the customers.

PH

 

[Antipodes]

I get a lot of rosebay honey and it sets with a fine grain. Bramble crystallises coarsely
I found this which has descriptions of some of the honey varieties
https://scbka.org.uk/plant-of-the-month/

Someone from the UK I spoke to a couple of weeks back waxed lyrical about Borage honey.

 

[pargyle]

Someone from the UK I spoke to a couple of weeks back waxed lyrical about Borage honey.

One of my beekeeping friends has a site on a farm where a lot of borage is grown and in a good year, at the right time, he gets a good crop from it. I like Borage honey - very sweet, light and runny with an almost citrusy, tangy, taste to it but very delicate, not overpowering. If he ever retires I'm hoping he will tell me where the site is and give me an intro to the farmer - it's a well kept secret at present ! I buy some when he has it.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Someone from the UK I spoke to a couple of weeks back waxed lyrical about Borage honey.

It’s very pale. I’m not that keen but that’s probably because my palate isn’t that sensitive.

 

[Garry R]

Going to the start of cut comb production I would like to know what spacing of the frames should be used. I guess it depends on the container you want to put it in so is there a rule of thumb eg a wide/narrow alternating plastic ends or all narrow etc. If they draw it so it's too wide for the container it doesn't help to slice a bit off the bottom as the liquid honey just runs out or do you just have to accept wastage? Any suggestions as to what you do?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I find spacing them ten frames to a national super is spot on. any wider and you can't get the lid of the carton on properly

 

[Garry R]

Thanks for that. Will space accordingly