Help on OSR please.

[colinc]

Driving home today I went down a lane I haven't driven down for a few weeks and found a field of Rape that is just coming into flower 400m from my hives. All of the local Rape fields have been out of range before now. I have spent the last hour trawling the forum for old threads regarding in comb crystallisation but most of the threads that I found relate to dealing with the honey once it is out of the combs. All I have found is advice to extract when the flowers are "going over".

So my question is, if I get a large spring flow, when do I extract to it stop it setting in the comb? do I extract at the point when the flowers start to die off?

thanks in advance,


Colin.

 

[Millet]

Before it is fully capped, a Refactometer will give you peace of mind.

 

[colinc]

I have one of those but still was just wanting the advice on when to check. Stressed.


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[colinc]

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[Plenty of honey]

Just keep an eye on it. After 3 weeks it usually starts to turn. You can easily see in the supers going from clear to cloudy. Pull some supers out and look .

Also remember these supers have "field heat", or they carry the heat they kept at, so remove and extract them quickly, the same afternoon, dont let then cool in a cold room overnight. That way they extract quickly all the honey runs down the side of the tractor easily. Cover the harvested supers with insulation. When you get in the house you will be amazed how much heat the stop leaving the super..
If you harvest before they crystallise (or partially) dont get the problem of having to rebalance the frames during extraction, as crystallised honey dosent come out and as the liquid stuff does, it leaves the frames not balanced in the extractor. Sitting or holding the extractor down, whilst it might help, isn't ideal, it means theres lots of stress on the cages inside. If you have to swap frames around do so.
Dont worry, it will be fine, just check.
I spent lots of time worrying, but the honey still came out, despite me thinking over half was too hard. Its all part of beekeeping! Try not to STRESS!!

 

[colinc]

Just keep an eye on it. After 3 weeks it usually starts to turn. You can easily see in the supers going from clear to cloudy. Pull some supers out and look .

Also remember these supers have "field heat", or they carry the heat they kept at, so remove and extract them quickly, the same afternoon, dont let then cool in a cold room overnight. That way they extract quickly all the honey runs down the side of the tractor easily. Cover the harvested supers with insulation. When you get in the house you will be amazed how much heat the stop leaving the super..
If you harvest before they crystallise (or partially) dont get the problem of having to rebalance the frames during extraction, as crystallised honey dosent come out and as the liquid stuff does, it leaves the frames not balanced in the extractor. Sitting or holding the extractor down, whilst it might help, isn't ideal, it means theres lots of stress on the cages inside. If you have to swap frames around do so.
Dont worry, it will be fine, just check.
I spent lots of time worrying, but the honey still came out, despite me thinking over half was too hard. Its all part of beekeeping! Try not to STRESS!!

Thank you. Very reassuring. I live on a ridge and the side I face is all grazing land and hawthorn blackthorn hedges for miles. Behind our house over the ridge is more rape and other brassicas usually, it frosts more as it is more sheltered from prevailing winds and that is where this field is. Normally further away but this year they planted up to the road along the ridge.

Forewarned is forearmed.


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[Plenty of honey]

Thank you. Very reassuring. I live on a ridge and the side I face is all grazing land and hawthorn blackthorn hedges for miles. Behind our house over the ridge is more rape and other brassicas usually, it frosts more as it is more sheltered from prevailing winds and that is where this field is. Normally further away but this year they planted up to the road along the ridge.

Forewarned is forearmed.


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Don't forget that blackthorn and dandelion can also crystallise just as quick. We're all so quick to blame OSR but it's not all that bad!![emoji4]


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[Erichalfbee]

Your mixture of OSR/Blackthorn/Dandelion will make a lovely soft set honey

 

[Beefriendly]

As others have mentioned, usually before it is sealed ...you can do the shake test...turn a frame that is nearly full upside down and shake. If nothing shakes out you are usually fine, but do check with a refractometer for the water content....the shake is a rough yardstick.

On an aside, I've noticed from running poly and wooden hives side by side that it will set more readily in wooden hives than poly (better heat retention)....which saves that rush to get it out and extracted ASAP.

 

[Amari]

Yes, I find the shake test useful - and reliable. Standard advice is to extract frames that are at least 75% capped, but with OSR I often include a few frames only 50% capped.
OSR honey is often denigrated as being bland but I find approx 50% of my customers choose OSR rather than darker-coloured July honey.

 

[Poly Hive]

Don't forget the rasps are in the same group..........

PH

 

[birdsandbees]

Driving home today I went down a lane I haven't driven down for a few weeks and found a field of Rape that is just coming into flower 400m from my hives. All of the local Rape fields have been out of range before now. I have spent the last hour trawling the forum for old threads regarding in comb crystallisation but most of the threads that I found relate to dealing with the honey once it is out of the combs. All I have found is advice to extract when the flowers are "going over".

So my question is, if I get a large spring flow, when do I extract to it stop it setting in the comb? do I extract at the point when the flowers start to die off?

thanks in advance,


Colin.

Hi Colin,

I keep most of my bees out near Martley way, I've had the same thoughts this year as there are many fields of OSR in the area which hasn't happened before, all of which turning yellow very rapidly, just need the temps to stay up in the mid teens to take advantage of it.

good luck!

 

[colinc]

I am the opposite side of the county over near Alcester. Lots always in M5 corridor and lots further east in Warwickshire but never so close to us before.


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[linoleum bonypart]

Almost out in East Yorkshire

 

[colinc]

Where abouts? Have family in Scarborough and a beek friend is moving up there as soon as they can find a house.


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[Gilberdyke John]

Almost out in East Yorkshire

There's about 15 acres of rape coming into flower about half a mile from me this morning. My blackthorn has been flowering for about three days and the pear trees will be blossoming in a few days. Everything arriving all at once this year.
Better get the supers ready pronto.

 

[linoleum bonypart]

I'm twenty minutes south of scarberia and inland....will have to check the green lane blackthorn this week
My Victoria is full bloom pear almost there wuince and bramley further behind

 

[colinc]

So guess you are in the wolds. Nice part of the world.


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[betterbee]

Anyone have any info on the yield potential of different varieties of rape as seem to remember some varieties are bred to be more relient on wind pollination

 

[Monsieur Abeille]

6 weeks and it will be starting to crystallise - anything less you should hopefully be OK. I split the OSR harvest in two, so one harvest after a month or so and the other when it has gone over