Info on cut comb

[Alli]

I just acquired a national hive and was hoping to harvest some cut comb this year only to realise that the frames in the super are wired.Whats my options here to address this issue .Do I order wireless wax foundations and change them out ,if so where can I get this and is it easily done.

 

[B+.]

I just acquired a national hive and was hoping to harvest some cut comb this year only to realise that the frames in the super are wired.Whats my options here to address this issue .Do I order wireless wax foundations and change them out ,if so where can I get this and is it easily done.

The foundation is usually a little thicker too. It would be a bit "chewy" if you used the comb you have.

What is the forage like in your area? Making good comb honey needs a heavy flow (but not from oil seed rape as this will granulate). Borage or clover are good for comb honey but there isn't much of that around anymore.

Also, check for pests: I believe braula (bee louse) is a problem for the cappings and the last thing you want is waxmoth! Yuk!

If you just want a few frames of comb honey, I suggest that you get hold of some thin foundation and alternate them between the drawn combs you already have. The bees will be more inclined to draw them out and fill them properly. You might also try a plastic/metal screen which is a bit like a follower board either side of your foundation to get it drawn out/filled in a straight line (although this may not be necessary if you alternate between drawn combs)

If you get all that right, you'll be one of the few

 

[Alli]

The hive is brand new and has not been used yet.
As for the forage I will need to look into that
I was hoping I could just replace probably half the wired wax with unwired as you pointed out B+ and hope to get cut comb come end of season.I see there a two small pins holding the existing wax in place.
Also as its my first year I want to avoid buying an extractor so is there any other way I can extract the wired frames without an extractor

 

[B+.]

The hive is brand new and has not been used yet.
As for the forage I will need to look into that
I was hoping I could just replace probably half the wired wax with unwired as you pointed out B+ and hope to get cut comb come end of season.I see there a two small pins holding the existing wax in place.
Also as its my first year I want to avoid buying an extractor so is there any other way I can extract the wired frames without an extractor

I thought your combs were already drawn. You could replace them with thin foundation but the dividers would be necessary then. You have to keep an eye on the bee space so too much foundation all together can produce quite a mess.

Making comb honey is something of an art form but, if you want to give it a go, there is a video on YouTube by Michael Palmer that should give you some ideas.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIjiInZRxrQ

 

[curry756]

I joined the local beekeeping association and made a friend. He lent me his kit - well actually I went over to his house and helped him extract - we extracted my frames after. Job done. This year i am looking to buy an extractor for myself.

I also did mostly comb honey last year - worked a treat. i just used a knife to cut each frame into 8 - none of those fancy cutters for me.

 

[B+.]

This year i am looking to buy an extractor for myself.

Some associations have equipment that they loan out to members so that is certainly an option.
Another option is to crush the combs full of honey and strain the result. Its a bit destructive of the comb which is useful for future years though.

 

[Alli]

I was going to order 10 frame castellated spacers, would this be ok for the supers for doing comb regarding space or will I stick with the 11 frames...thanks for the youtube link
I see that Thorns sell the unwired wax,will probably replace with this

 

[Hivemaker.]

I was going to order 10 frame castellated spacers

Yes, ten spaced castellated with thin foundation and a good honey flow will be fine, the combs on this spacing usually work out perfect for the usual half pound cut comb containers available, and similar to Manley spacing.

 

[Alli]

Would it be ok if I was to leave a few frames wired and not harvest this and leave it for the bees?..If so which ones ,,the outside or space them?

 

[B+.]

Would it be ok if I was to leave a few frames wired and not harvest this and leave it for the bees?..If so which ones ,,the outside or space them?

They will tend to start drawing comb out in the middle first if its all foundation (where it is warmer). In fact, an old method of starting square sections was to put a small box containing about 4 sections ontop of a thin ply board (like a crown board but with a bigger area cut out). You really have to crowd the bees together to get them to work in awkward spaces. Of course, overcrowding is a contributory factor in swarming so beware of this....but, I digress :-D

Yes. It is absolutely fine to leave frames of food for the bees. In fact, I would encourage you to do so later in the year (July onwards). If it is OSR (Oil Seed Rape) honey, its better to get it out as quickly as possible as it will granulate quickly (by that, I mean even before it is all sealed sometimes). They prefer to work where it is warmer (in the centre) so, if you are leaving frames as winter food, leave the outer ones. They will fill the inner combs with any late nectar sources they can find.

 

[dexter's shed]

Hi Alli,

order yourself some brood box un wired foundation, remove the stuff you have,then cut your new foundation into 1" strips, watch the video below to see how to use it

https://youtu.be/0loIRY0rDsM

it's far better doing it this way when producing cut comb, as then when you cut the comb out of the frame, you leave that 1" intact, cutting under it, when you sell or eat yourself you know it's 100% produced by your bees, rather than having a piece of thin man made wax in between, it ruins the taste in my eye's, and buyers appreciate it more.

you'll have little bits of comb left over, or full frames if you don't want to buy an extractor, then crush and strain is the way to go, as per below

https://youtu.be/U8m7gOSRWIY

yes, it'll take the bees longer to fill, as they need to make the comb themselves, but I personally think it's worth it

https://youtu.be/UfA75sZOigU

you could also do chunkey honey, gives buyers/family the best of both worlds, your little bits of cut comb into a jar, topped up with honey from the crush and strain
https://youtu.be/wdmNLMm7zXY

hope you enjoy your bees and the liquid gold

 

[Davelin]

It's not actually man made wax, it's man shaped and makes very little difference to the taste if any in my opinion.

What I would do is buy unwired foundation and alternate frames of this with your drawn frames in ten slot castellations. I find it gets drawn quicker than a whole box of foundation, but again only my opinion.

You can then use half for cut comb, extract the rest or feed back.

 

[pargyle]

It's not actually man made wax, it's man shaped and makes very little difference to the taste if any in my opinion.

Hmmm .. depends who you believe .. it's mostly recycled, not new, wax and I have heard stories of some being 'cut' with paraffin wax. I've even seen sheets of foundation (not in my hives) that the bees would not draw out ... and I wonder what was in them ? I'd like to think that all foundation sheet sold in the UK is safe to chew but I'm not sure I want to put it in my mouth. As I understand it the foundation manufacturers don't refine the wax they process - just melt it down and form it ... what's left in there is anyone's guess, if the raw material comes from countries that are not controlled.

... but, if you are just selling cut comb for someone else to chew on does it matter ?

http://www.ibra.org.uk/articles/Con...ation-on-the-brood-survival-of-Apis-mellifera

 

[meetballuk]

make sure ur hive is level or you comb wont be even.
Dont worry bout forage unless it osr or ivy it will be fine

 

[Hivemaker.]

As I understand it the foundation manufacturers don't refine the wax they process - just melt it down and form it

This is what we do with our own beeswax, so what is the difference regards contamination in selling it as comb honey, or extracting the honey, and using the beeswax to make more foundation.

 

[pargyle]

This is what we do with our own beeswax, so what is the difference regards contamination in selling it as comb honey, or extracting the honey, and using the beeswax to make more foundation.

The difference is ... it's all YOUR bees wax ... so there should be no need to worry about any contamination in it. What's the worst you use in your hives .. Thymol and OA ? No problem with either of these as a residue as any thymol will evaporate when the wax is heated (not that there should be any left in there anyway) and OA is going to be dropping to the bottom when you melt it and clean it - but it will be there in microscopic proportions in any case.

There are people selling wax foundation, in the UK, which may have some very dubious origins ... not every country is restricted in what 'chemicals' can be used in beekeeping ... I'm not sure that I want to chew on residues of Coumaphos for instance, or worse - no matter how small a percentage ...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coumaphos

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paraffin_wax

So ... if you intend using foundation for cut comb honey - do as Pete does - make your own .. or buy it from a very reputable source. Personally, I would use a starter strip and let the bees build their own comb and sell it with a label that tells the story - but, I recognise that I'm a bit prejudiced.

 

[Hivemaker.]

The difference is ... it's all YOUR bees wax ... so there should be no need to worry about any contamination in it. What's the worst you use in your hives .. Thymol and OA ?

The wax is mainly new cappings wax, made new by the bees each season, so no thymol being used at the time.

Certified organic beeswax can also be bought, not sure how that is tested though.

 

[bontbee]

I usually use extra thin for cut comb but, last year, I put on a box containing starter strips checker-boarded with full sheets of extra thin foundation, bought from a reputable supplier. They drew, filled and capped the starter strips much more readily and completely. I will be doing more of the same if we have a good flow this year.