Meagre crop, poor extractability & low water content.

[Amari]

Hello folks, are you in the same predicament?
The OSR around here started to flower four weeks ago. A fortnight ago I noticed that many super combs were 1/4 capped and the shake test was negative so I planned to extract a week or so later. However progress then halted - there appeared to be no further increase in the crop. A few days ago a beek in the next village noticed that some of the honey in her combs was crystallizing despite not being capped. Thus I extracted five supers today with disappointing results:
- extraction started c. 30 mins after taking off the boxes, c. 15C in the extraction room
- about half the combs were half-capped, the rest not yet capped but fairly full and shake test negative
- after spinning for c. 10 minutes most of the combs on removal were still heavy and the yield in the extractor paltry.
- water content on refractometer 15.5% - I have never had it so low.
- honey very slow to flow from the extractor into the settling tank (?only about 30lbs)
- honey tasted very strong and doubtfully pleasant (neighbouring beek thought the same of her crop).

SHMBO and I are both sure we have never had such a season or crop as this. Anybody else extracted yet?

 

[Dishmop]

Good job the bees stopped collecting it then.

Dont have any around where I am..........Nearest place would be the other side of the bypass nearer to Thickthorne.

Either that or they just havet found it if there is any........

 

[Cazza]

I will have something to extract next weekend. Crop looks meagre but I think it has been saved by dandelion which has been excellent locally.
Too cold for a decent OSR crop I believe.
Cazza

 

[TOBY-3652]

been good over here the osr ile be extracting next week then to the beans then on to the borage

 

[user 6228]

No OSR this year but last year we took off some every week as soon as we got the shake test not to wet our feet and still got around 16% water.
Cannot imagine waiting an extra week with Osr but then we don't have lots of hives.

 

[Jimmys Mum]

I took off some OSR supers today ready to extract in the morning. Some are capped, some not but the shake test was ok. They are currently sat stacked up in my nice warm boiler room so hopefully that will keep them runny. On removing them from the hives, I did notice that some of the frames have crystallised already - if I'm struggling to extract them then my plan is to stick them in the warming cabinet for a while.

This time of year always seems so manic, if it's not trying to manage the OSR honey harvest before it granulated then it's trying to manage swarming!

 

[Roola]

Hello folks, are you in the same predicament?
The OSR around here started to flower four weeks ago. A fortnight ago I noticed that many super combs were 1/4 capped and the shake test was negative so I planned to extract a week or so later. However progress then halted - there appeared to be no further increase in the crop. A few days ago a beek in the next village noticed that some of the honey in her combs was crystallizing despite not being capped. Thus I extracted five supers today with disappointing results:
- extraction started c. 30 mins after taking off the boxes, c. 15C in the extraction room
- about half the combs were half-capped, the rest not yet capped but fairly full and shake test negative
- after spinning for c. 10 minutes most of the combs on removal were still heavy and the yield in the extractor paltry.
- water content on refractometer 15.5% - I have never had it so low.
- honey very slow to flow from the extractor into the settling tank (?only about 30lbs)
- honey tasted very strong and doubtfully pleasant (neighbouring beek thought the same of her crop).

SHMBO and I are both sure we have never had such a season or crop as this. Anybody else extracted yet?

yes, extracted a few supers at the weekend from OSR apiary... REALLY thick (not checked the water content yet) took an absolute age to get through sieves into buckets! not a lot either.

 

[Stiffy]

Hello folks, are you in the same predicament?

The OSR around here started to flower four weeks ago. A fortnight ago I noticed that many super combs were 1/4 capped and the shake test was negative so I planned to extract a week or so later. However progress then halted - there appeared to be no further increase in the crop. A few days ago a beek in the next village noticed that some of the honey in her combs was crystallizing despite not being capped. Thus I extracted five supers today with disappointing results:

- extraction started c. 30 mins after taking off the boxes, c. 15C in the extraction room

- about half the combs were half-capped, the rest not yet capped but fairly full and shake test negative

- after spinning for c. 10 minutes most of the combs on removal were still heavy and the yield in the extractor paltry.

- water content on refractometer 15.5% - I have never had it so low.

- honey very slow to flow from the extractor into the settling tank (?only about 30lbs)

- honey tasted very strong and doubtfully pleasant (neighbouring beek thought the same of her crop).



SHMBO and I are both sure we have never had such a season or crop as this. Anybody else extracted yet?

Had the same, started well with hives on OSR but have many boxes half filled and no where near capped. Have left on in hope they manage to fill and I can extract.
S


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