Euphoria and disaster

[Curly green finger's]

Perhaps we need a definition. So we can formally label it. Ie ….

Beekeepers honey:-
Traditionaly keeptback from sale by beekeepers for their own use.
May contain royal jelly , pollen or pollen from rare plants, a grater level of raw protein, propolis and wax to give added texture. Renowned amongst beekeepers for its distinct flavour and health boosting qualities

Got to be worth as much as makuna

It's better than manuka it's from the UK!
Like you I've had brood frames to extract from (demaree colonys) but I haven't crushed them, hell of a lot of pollen in brood frames this season.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Might be my misunderstanding .
I extracted and pressed some honey from some old combs out of brood box’s, it was dark scummy had lots of pollen wax etc in. I jard the lot it straight away and told the kids it was beekeepers honey and not for selling.. they love it but it’s a bit strong for me?????

If beekeepers honey has a formal definition I would be interested to know.

I'm not sure I'm comfortable with mixing old larval faeces with my honey...perhaps that's what gives it the flavour

 

[StephenT]

I've got a big Hellmans Mayo jar of the stuff in the cupboard just for me. It's absolutely delicious but I wouldn't sell it of course.

 

[Sutty]

I'm not sure I'm comfortable with mixing old larval faeces with my honey...perhaps that's what gives it the flavour

I suspect the bees do clean it out 1st

 

[Erichalfbee]

I suspect the bees do clean it out 1st

No they don’t. They can’t get to it. They just clean the inside of the cell

 

[user 20297]

No they don’t. They can’t get to it. They just clean the inside of the cell

The inside of the cell is where the faeces will be.

 

[gmonag]

The inside of the cell is where the faeces will be.

Yes, but trapped between the old pupal sacs (cocoon). The larvae defecate just before spinning the cocoon and pupating. Extracting from an old brood comb is fine, but crushing the comb will allow the faecal remains to contaminate the honey.
The old skeppists would remove any brood comb before pressing the honey comb.

 

[user 20297]

Extracting from an old brood comb is fine, but crushing the comb will allow the faecal remains to contaminate the honey.

In the circumstances of crushing comb to extract honey I can't dispute that honey becomes contaminated with faeces and other kinds of debris in a way which would happen to a much lesser extent if the combs are left intact.

But are we to understand that, in preparing a cell to receive further brood or honey, the bees make no successful efforts to remove the remnants of cocoon and embedded waste from the immediately previous, emerged, adult bee?
The concept that an unchecked, ever growing, layered matrix of spent cocoons builds up in comb seems flawed in view of the efficient and hygienic behaviours of bees.

 

[Erichalfbee]

The concept that an unchecked, ever growing, layered matrix of spent cocoons builds up in comb seems flawed in view of the efficient and hygienic behaviours of bees.

Nevertheless it’s largely true.
The bees do re engineer very old comb but most of us have replaced it by then

http://www.dave-cushman.net/bee/smalboldcomb.html

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

There's still some work being done on this, but it seems that the bees do clean out all the silk from the cells but usually once a year when there isn't much brooding.

 

[user 819]

Harvesting from brood cells I have no issue with when spinning out, I wouldn't use the crush and strain method though.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I wouldn't use the crush and strain method though.

I think the bees have already sorted the strain bit out