Fonday in comb

[WingCommander]

Last year I had a really poor honey crop which was disappointing as it was my second years beekeping. I got no clear honey at all in August - when I extracted I left the honey to settle for 24 hours in the extractor and it hardened. After the extraction there was still lots of crystallised honey in the comb. It looked to me like it was simply fondant, rather than honey but I may be wrong.

What is the best thing to do this year to ensure that I am not contaminating my later honey crop with either fondant or crystallised honey? Should I replace the frames that have crystallised honey in them with new foundation?

Just planning ahead...

 

[Erichalfbee]

Is there OSR grown near you?
It might have been that as the honey crystallises super fast.

 

[WingCommander]

There is OSR but I removed the OSR honey in May/June last year after the flow, there is still solid honey in the frames however. Just wondering if it will continue to 'contaminate' my honey this year

 

[itma]

My suggestion would be that --- after the bees become good and active --- you put those frames in a shallow box *under* the brood. The bees can then reprocess and redistribute the material appropriately.
It would help to water spray the crystallised combs to make life easier for the bees.
If it is OSR, it will end up back with this year's OSR crop ... (or be consumed immediately).

After a couple of weeks, take the box(es) out from under the brood(s).
If there are any cells that the bees have refused to clear, you may be looking at stale pollen. Carving out such cells (hivetool, teaspoon or knife), scraping back to the midrib, is the way of dealing with such problems.

It would probably have been better to have put those frames under the brood last Autumn!

 

[Tom Bick]

I think putting the frames under the bb when the bees are active just may result in frames with plenty of pollen in them

 

[Amari]

My suggestion would be that --- after the bees become good and active --- you put those frames in a shallow box *under* the brood. The bees can then reprocess and redistribute the material appropriately.
It would help to water spray the crystallised combs to make life easier for the bees.
If it is OSR, it will end up back with this year's OSR crop ... (or be consumed immediately).

After a couple of weeks, take the box(es) out from under the brood(s).
If there are any cells that the bees have refused to clear, you may be looking at stale pollen. Carving out such cells (hivetool, teaspoon or knife), scraping back to the midrib, is the way of dealing with such problems.

It would probably have been better to have put those frames under the brood last Autumn!

In the autumn I feed syrup into a super above the bb, then a month or so later put the super under the bb. Almost always the super is empty come spring. Might still work in your case although not much time left and crystallised honey or fondant likely to be mobilised more slowly than capped syrup.

 

[Swarm]

I think putting the frames under the bb when the bees are active just may result in frames with plenty of pollen in them

I agree, Tom.

 

[Arfermo]

There is OSR but I removed the OSR honey in May/June last year after the flow, there is still solid honey in the frames however. Just wondering if it will continue to 'contaminate' my honey this year

OSR crystallises very quickly. Extracting liquid OSR honey early does not clear cells that have already crystallised, wholly or in part. This is the most probable reason for honey placed in cells on top of crystallised residues being contaminated by what is underneath.

The way to deal with frames that have crystallised honey in them is usually to store the frames until later in the new season and then run them under the tap with moderately warm water. Then give the frames back to the bees. That will get the bees using it more likely rather than merely storing it.

 

[Bates]

Problem with last year the OSR was a mess with it flowering nearly all through the season, although late to begin with. Contaminated a lot of "normal" crops, could hope there will not be a repeat this year?