Deferring extraction

[jezd]

Any members on here leave full super frames for an extended period before extraction - ie defer until you get a large batch or perhaps just do them later in the season? as in months

ta

 

[Somerford]

No - not any more - unless you want to melt down combs of crystallised honey. With the onset of OSR, it is too risky.....however, and you'd need to check with someone who takes their hives to the heather, I would have thought that heather honey, being thixothopic, if you left it a few weeks then agitated it with one of the comb agitators you can get, it should extract ok..


but personally, once the rape flower is over, get extracting !!

regards

S

 

[Grub]

Only the once with rape seed, ended up being the winter feed. As Somerford said "not any more"

Grub

 

[oliver90owner]

Two ways round the crystallisation problem, as I see it. Keep the frames very warm or very cold. A freezer on the warmest setting would prevent OSR from solidifying, I would have thought. Have considered that option in the past but need another shed in the garden for doing that! It is on the agenda, but likely it will not get done this year.

Regards, RAB

 

[jezd]

thanks guys, just wondered if many deferred to off season to process things, ie melt the lot down over Winter

 

[Hombre]

Would that be when there are no wasps and bees around to hassle you while you work?

Nice to have a honey house to yourself, without flying friends.

 

[jezd]

that is true, I remember Mr x's as you know,,,, great honey room and yet they still get in!

 

[oliver90owner]

Hombre,

I usually extract late in the evening when all the wasps and bees are settled down for the night. Cooler for me, too.

But not so easy when you want to store full comb from 40 hives or so!

jezd,

I would think that not too many would be wanting to melt everything down over winter - not those with extractors anyway. I, for one, do not want to waste good wax as it has cost a good deal in potential honey resources to be drawn.

I also liked my small amount of honey to have crystallised so I knew it would not ferment (before I got my refractometer). If it was showing any likliehood of being 'suspect' (damp on the surface after crystallising) it could be 'reprocessed' by the bees between flows without waiting for the following season (and taking up freezer space!)

Regards, RAB

 

[Hombre]

Thanks RAB.
It would probably have to be a walk in freezer - Brrrrr, but either cooling or keeping warm would both be a costly affair. I do agree that wasting drawn wax isn't the way forward.

Jezd, not the situation you would want in your kitchen I suspect. It would probably see me in a wooden structure not too disimilar from a hive - the doghouse. It sure was a lot of protien on the the wing though.