Extracting from National Brood Frames.

[Anduril]

Some vegetarians do not touch honey because it comes out of the bees guts.

 

[TryingToLetThemBee]

60 kg honey. 2 langstroth boxes. Oh dear! How old you are?

My three "production" colonies this summer were all six National boxes so the top of the top box is at 2m and I need a ladder to lift it down at an average of about 20kg. I am strong enough but it is easily the worst part of beekeeping. Last year my "production" colony was 5 National boxes but the Q was still near the top until late summer so inspection was a lot easier; at least, I didn't have to move all the supers every week. A major advantage of "your" method.

I am beginning to think I made a mistake going for Nationals; double brood is slightly too big and the relatively thin format gives these 2m+ stacks (ask @yorkshirebees )

 

[Finman]

My three "production" colonies this summer were all six National boxes so the top of the top box is at 2m and I need a ladder to lift it down at an average of about 20kg. I am strong enough but it is easily the worst part of beekeeping. Last year my "production" colony was 5 National boxes but the Q was still near the top until late summer so inspection was a lot easier; at least, I didn't have to move all the supers every week. A major advantage of "your" method.

I am beginning to think I made a mistake going for Nationals; double brood is slightly too big and the relatively thin format gives these 2m+ stacks (ask @yorkshirebees )

Try 3 brood.

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[Ely]

I can't see the issue with using the honey, rose hives allow the queen to lay in all frames, then as the brood nest shrinks the higher boxes gets honey replaced in them, I'm sure all the rose hive users do not just feed it back, but strain and sell

I 100% agree. I sell all of my honey except the Ivy that I leave for winter feed. I sell my honey as a natural farm house product supplied by insects, take it or leave it..they take it, Like hot cakes. Why limit yourself. When bees first bring in the nectar, they dump it where ever there is space to be later stored elsewhere, including brood frames.

 

[For want of a better word]

That is one if the biggest nonsense in beekeeping that you cannot extract honey from brood frames. Every beekeeper does, except catch and release guys.
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Well that got you lot going!!
Of course catch and release beekeepers do not extract honey from frames that have had brood in them... they never keep bees long enough to get a honey crop.......


Load of tosh!!!

 

[TryingToLetThemBee]

What IS catch and release? Swarm in, swarm out?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Some vegetarians do not touch honey because it comes out of the bees guts.

My aunty Peg (Grandmother's aunt!) stayed with us often - she once refused a slice of ox tongue lovingly prepared at home (we had a butcher's shop then) as she could never eat anything that had been in an animal's mouth - dad offered to boil her an egg instead (they never did get along!!

 

[For want of a better word]

What IS catch and release? Swarm in, swarm out?

There is a Summer of nurturing and feeding Candipol and 1:1.. and Autumn of feeding with "Special inverted sugar the Bee shop sells... and treating a Winter of worrying....... in between !

Hardly leaves time to " Do a Course"!!

Yeghes da

 

[Gilberdyke John]

Of course catch and release beekeepers do not extract honey from frames that have had brood in them... they never keep bees long enough to get a honey crop.......

Bwahh hah hah hah rofl

 

[oliver90owner]

Three pages! Finny and JBM sorted it; the rest looks like waffle - or worse.

Just don't extract the honey by 'crush and strain'. Through a honey extractor, designed not to damage the cells, is fine. Clearly not all beeks do it, but most (by a distance) is right. Think Warre, Rose, Dartington and a few others. Langstroths and Nationals are no different.

Might be a lot worse from a flow hive, if queenie gets to lay in the wrong place - ha ha!

 

[Ely]

What IS catch and release? Swarm in, swarm out?

British anglers catch their fish to release them again. Finman is applying the same logic to beekeepers that keep bees just to feed the honey back to them. Funny stuff

 

[YorkshireBees]

My three "production" colonies this summer were all six National boxes so the top of the top box is at 2m and I need a ladder to lift it down at an average of about 20kg. I am strong enough but it is easily the worst part of beekeeping. Last year my "production" colony was 5 National boxes but the Q was still near the top until late summer so inspection was a lot easier; at least, I didn't have to move all the supers every week. A major advantage of "your" method.

I am beginning to think I made a mistake going for Nationals; double brood is slightly too big and the relatively thin format gives these 2m+ stacks (ask @yorkshirebees )

I wouldn't say that! It only started to get ridiculous last year as the stack was high due to large flow of Spring nectar and nothing ready for extraction!

This year I never really got above double brood + 6 supers (which was high enough) but tbh they probably needed 1 less super anyway!

** Of course I didn't really have a choice as I inherited BS National equipment. Yes maybe if I started again I would use Langstroth but I'm far too far down the road for that **

It really depends on how they are managed!

 

[For want of a better word]

Three pages! Finny and JBM sorted it; the rest looks like waffle - or worse.

Just don't extract the honey by 'crush and strain'. Through a honey extractor, designed not to damage the cells, is fine. Clearly not all beeks do it, but most (by a distance) is right. Think Warre, Rose, Dartington and a few others. Langstroths and Nationals are no different.

Might be a lot worse from a flow hive, if queenie gets to lay in the wrong place - ha ha!

Now...waffle - or worse... A Master class by good ol' Tractor man !

I shall retire to my corner a beaten man!

Yeghes da

 

[itma]

Three pages! Finny and JBM sorted it; the rest looks like waffle - or worse.

Just don't extract the honey by 'crush and strain'. Through a honey extractor, designed not to damage the cells, is fine. Clearly not all beeks do it, but most (by a distance) is right. Think Warre, Rose, Dartington and a few others. Langstroths and Nationals are no different.

Might be a lot worse from a flow hive, if queenie gets to lay in the wrong place - ha ha!

Master class ... ?

From the man that advises using an "extractor designed not to damage the cells" on combs from a Warré hive? I note no mention of ordinary TBHs ... wonder what extractor he advises for those to avoid damaging the cells?

Sorry, but "Waffle, - or worse?"

 

[TryingToLetThemBee]

Three pages! Finny and JBM sorted it; the rest looks like waffle - or worse.

Just don't extract the honey by 'crush and strain'. Through a honey extractor, designed not to damage the cells, is fine. Clearly not all beeks do it, but most (by a distance) is right. Think Warre, Rose, Dartington and a few others. Langstroths and Nationals are no different.

Might be a lot worse from a flow hive, if queenie gets to lay in the wrong place - ha ha!

RAB: at risk of life and limb, I am calling you out too. You are equivocating, which is unlike you. Either it's OK or it isn't. You have to uncap the stuff and I can tell you (and you know) that that process catches coccoons and who knows what. Sometimes uncapping a frame (esp a brooded frame) is pretty close to crush 'n' strain.

I stuffed right up last year and crush 'n' strained a black comb that I had blown in the extractor. I then went on to render the comb, and the slumgum smell put me right off my honey. Posted on exactly this tainting issue. Once I'd got over the excess of smells of honey etc it was fine. So I say extracting from brood frames is fine, including crush 'n' strain. I've tested it to destruction.

 

[Finman]

.
British beekeepers have secret weapon, how they get aroma to rape honey. Otherwise it is like Sugar syrup.... The heat gun! . It gives at least aroma of burned wax and Sugar.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

You have to uncap the stuff and I can tell you (and you know) that that process catches coccoons and who knows what. Sometimes uncapping a frame (esp a brooded frame) is pretty close to crush 'n' strain.

Is it really! extracted loads of 'brooded frames' and have never experienced any of that (and some of the frames were old brood frames used for stores due to Demarree) What do you uncap your frames with - a billhook?
as for honey from brood frames with a strange aroma................ never come across anything like that

 

[TryingToLetThemBee]

Is it really! extracted loads of 'brooded frames' and have never experienced any of that (and some of the frames were old brood frames used for stores due to Demarree) What do you uncap your frames with - a billhook?

as for honey from brood frames with a strange aroma................ never come across anything like that

To be clear: I am NOT saying it gives an aroma; rather the opposite.

.

British beekeepers have secret weapon, how they get aroma to rape honey. Otherwise it is like Sugar syrup.... The heat gun! . It gives at least aroma of burned wax and Sugar.

Haha!

ADD Some of my cappings, esp late in the season, are all but black and tough as nails; they seem like they have a lot of propolis. And few frames are level. The idea of slipping a warm knife through the air gap seems a bit idealized to me.