Honey in supers - now what?

[Drinkstone]

My bees are on OSR and I seem to my untrained eye to have the following on three hives;
First hive with 2 brood boxes top brood box looks like capped honey as done first super next super has uncapped honey and top super not a lot.
Second hive seems ok super has uncapped honey
Third hive (which is a result of No2 swarming earlier) looks ok with uncapped honey in super, but some silly beginner forgot to put the QE on last time ( me of course) so bit dodgy.
I thought to go on UT and see what next, i have an extractor but no experience of use, low and behold conflicting views! Ted Hooper says do not use any method of making the bees leave the honey apart from literally taking them off manually (feather) and extracting straight away as OSR will crystalise immediately others say use a one way and then heat the honey. The question is woyuld someone kindly tell me a method that has worked for them as I understand that if left more than seven days after capping OSR honey is useless.............tastes good though.

 

[Cazza]

Hi there
You need to act fairly quickly with the sealed honey. You can move the sealed super to the top. Pop some kind of clearer on in the evening and then whip the super away and extract the following morning. If it hasn't cleared try again or if half cleared, brush, shake or blow the bees off.
Have fun!!!
(When you extract, if it's in the kitchen, it can help to pop a layer of clingfilm or similar on the surfaces you will use. then when you have finished clearing up is quickas you just take the cling film off. No wiping required. Ditto, use a sheet under the extractor.)
Cazza

 

[enrico]

As cazza says but use bee escapes. They work well, also take off any frames that have nectar in that does not come out when you shake it hard down towards the hive. Ie hold it flat and flick it downwards. If nectar stays in frame spin it off, spin off any capped honey, put wet frames straight back on hive for bees to clean up, for some reason when it has been digested twice by bees it doesn't seem to set as quickly!
Kep doing this on all OSR frames, don't use OSR frames for other crops if it can be avoided as it can make those set quickly too. OSR is good honey but you need to keep on top of it.
E

 

[drex]

Hi Drinkstone,

I am in your area. The fields of OSR here have just finished the flowering, so I will extract this weekend. OSR Honey sets like concrete in the comb if left too long.

I use clearer boards and brush off any remaining bees.

All capped honey is taken for extraction.
Uncapped honey - give it a quick downward jerk over the hive, and if any honey flies out it has too high a water content, and needs leaving in the hive another few days. If no honey comes flying out, take that for extraction.

Once extracted leave it to set in honey buckets. You can then process however you like at your leisure. Good video on here - "how to make soft set honey" or something like it will give you ideas.

http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/video.php?do=viewdetails&videoid=64

Main thing is to get it out of the comb ASAP.

 

[AndreaW]

I have one super that had stores from the winter - sugar syrup and probably some OSR honey in there as well now, which is starting to be capped on last look. I have also put on another super on each of my two hives with foundation being drawn out. Last look a few days ago they had only started to draw out the frames. I will check again to see what progress is now.

I have a virgin / possibly mated queen in each of my hives so don't want to disturb too much. I am also going away for a week and won't have a chance to extract anything (will get my timings better next year - first year of OSR beekeeping).

If the super that is full and getting capped has a mixture of OSR and sugar syrup can I leave it as stores for them - will they be able to work with it or will it become too crystalline? If I only have a few frames of OSR honey can I leave those for a week and hope I can still extract - really won't manage to do it for a week or so. I appreciate this could be impossible then to extract - could I then just leave it as stores for the bees?

I really must plan better next year - how dare half term for school start as the rape season finishes

 

[enrico]

You can make a home made warming cabinet. Old Broken chest freezer with old style 60 watt bulb inside will warm it enough to extract without melting wax.
E

 

[dpearce4]

I really must plan better next year - how dare half term for school start as the rape season finishes

Thank god it does gives me a chance to extract mine out without having to pull a sicky(joke) lol

 

[AndreaW]

Thank god it does gives me a chance to extract mine out without having to pull a sicky(joke) lol

Hadn't thought of it from that side, I work in a school so in theory it should be a good time as I am off for the week, however two young children as well so we are away camping for the week.

 

[Jeff Buzz]

Any left in frames that crystallises can be used as winter stores the bees will clean it out.

 

[Arfermo]

Any left in frames that crystallises can be used as winter stores the bees will clean it out.

Not if it is rock solid in the cold!!! I lost a colony that starved due to being rock solid despite a nearly full super when I hadn't realised it was solid.

 

[Drinkstone]

Thanks for that very useful! Bearing in mind the setting of OSR I thought I would like to have a go this weekend.

 

[MuswellMetro]

I suspect you will by the weekend have a lot of 2lb solid honey bricks in the supers

 

[AndreaW]

Not if it is rock solid in the cold!!! I lost a colony that starved due to being rock solid despite a nearly full super when I hadn't realised it was solid.

So will it be alright to leave it in for the summer in case they need it though - the super that is very heavy will definatly have a lot of sugar syrup in it and they had it on as brood and a half over the winter before so really don't want to extract that honey