Naughty naughty girls...

[RoseCottage]

So we have 6 colonies all seemingly doing well and hopefully safe.

I obviously want to see if I can squeeze a little honey out of the strongest ones...

One colony was an early/mid season swarm that has progressed really well and is strong enough to probably face winter. It has had a super on the hive for 4 weeks and has drawn out some of the frames and 60% filled and partly capped about 4.

Inside the brood there are 3 deep frames full of capped honey stores and around the edges of all the other brood frames there are good amounts of capped stores.

I have for the last three weeks scored and bruised these totally capped deep frames in the expectation that the girls will move the honey up into the supers and so provide me with the best part of a super of honey.

Each time I scratch the cappings and expose the honey they reseal and keep it safe in the BB.

I don't know how else to persuade the girls to hand it over..!

Any ideas?
Sam

 

[richardbees]

Sam

Why not just remove (and extract the honey from) those three capped frames in the bb and replace with empties?

Tip toe away and they won't know who to blame...

richard

 

[BKF Admin]

Why not put the 3 full frames above the crownboard ?

 

[jezd]

Why not put the 3 full frames above the crownboard ?

issue now with this approach is I am finding they are starting to fill brood boxes with stores as brood shrinks, so you place them above crownboard and they move it back down to the brood box in some cases past the super

lol bees

 

[richardbees]

admin,

I bow in your presence and grovel while typing......but why bother putting them above the crown board (and in what?)

Am I missing something because if they're sealed why not just harvest them?

I remain, Sir, your obedient servant

rich

 

[RoseCottage]

All,
thanks for the ideas...but...

I dont think that my 9 frame extractor can handle deep BB frames.
Also I have put supers ontop of the crownboard before but that has been a very stucky affair. These 3 deeps would make a hell of a mess...

Thanks for your thoughts so far,
Sam

 

[huntsman666]

<I dont think that my 9 frame extractor can handle deep BB frames.>

Use the crush and strain technique.

 

[drstitson]

"I dont think that my 9 frame extractor can handle deep BB frames."

did it not come with screens to take 3 brood frames tangentially?

 

[RoseCottage]

Dr,
Were these screens something that you add to the extractor? If so then no. We just got the radial mechanism inside from Thornes. Should I be going back and asking them...

All the best,
Sam.

 

[Gardenbees]

Personally I'd leave the bb honey for the bees (esp. as they'll be needing it anyway before too long). However...

If you want the tempting honey and it's only three frames I'd whip them out and cut out any nice, sealed honey, either for a bit of tasty comb honey or rough them up a bit and dump in a sieve to strain them. Then I'd just put the remaining combs back in (at dusk, NOT when they're all flying about, though, as the exposed edges of honey could cause adverse comment up to and including a robbing frenzy...).

I did this the other day when I wanted to get rid of some frames with too much drone comb - took the sealed honey and froze and disposed of the brood bits, then scrubbed the frame and put it back in with just a starter strip of foundation. It's already drawn and with new eggs laid in some of the cells!

 

[For want of a better word]

Perhaps... just perhaps .... your "GIRLS" know better than us humble beeks and want to keep their honey stores for a long, dark, damp, wet and cold winter..........

After all is said and done, what would yuu loike best... honey or Ambrosia?

or am I missing the point here???????????????????

 

[For want of a better word]

Perhaps... just perhaps .... your "GIRLS" know better than us humble beeks and want to keep their honey stores for a long, dark, damp, wet and cold winter..........

After all is said and done, what would yuu loike best... honey or Ambrosia?

or am I missing the point here???????????????????

Gosh that was a bit Deep Green for me before the Sun reachest the highest point in the sky ( not that we can see it with the Tamar Mist !)

 

[victor meldrew]

Very good girls doing what bees do ,IE looking after themselves ?

Scratching cappings
The idea behind scratching cappings is to encourage the colony to shift honey to make room for expansion ? This is an early season exercise ?
Have patience , let the bees arrange their brood nest as they see fit , then harvest SURPLUS honey from the SUPERS !
This season is far from over , the bees will take advantage of all available forage and store it in the supers when no room left in the brood box.
The type of bee that makes early Winter preparations usually requires very little if any feeding

VM

 

[Dishmop]

If you want the tempting honey and it's only three frames I'd whip them out and cut out any nice, sealed honey, either for a bit of tasty comb honey or rough them up a bit and dump in a sieve to strain them.

Did similar to the above yesterday.

Removed comb on top bars from Warre box (after blowing out the remaining bees with an airline and compressor)
The comb was a mixture of empty used cells, solid honey possibly ivy from last year, and pollen. I cut the capped runny honey areas out with a bread knife and dumped them it a sieve to drain into a bowl. Quite easy to do as there were no wires in the comb to fight with. Everything that is left will be mangled up and given back to them

Considering this box was the first one that was build up by a swarm from last year, didnt even have any starter strips on the top bars I was suprised at how well the bees has worked the comb. Very small amount of cross comb. I turned the box on its side, ran the bread knife between the comb, then up the sides of the box and just lifted each one out as if they were on frames.

However........ the process of emptying the box would have been easier with frames...i.e. you cant pull top bar comb out and shake the bees off.

 

[victor meldrew]

Did similar to the above yesterday.

Removed comb on top bars from Warre box (after blowing out the remaining bees with an airline and compressor)

I hope you have some super filtering along with your compressed air line?
Separating oil/contaminants is no mean feat!
Still I suppose it could just act as a varroa treatment AKA FGMO misting
This is of course should it meet the code of ethics of the TBH enthusiast?

VM

 

[Dishmop]

I hope you have some super filtering along with your compressed air line?

of course, but its an oil less compressor anyway.

 

[richardbees]

Sam

Sorry, I'd forgotten a lot of beeks only use mechanical extractors.

I always extract a first honey crop using a bucket with a net 'cone' that fits inside. The technique is to gently scoop the comb from both sides of the rib(foundation) and leave for a few days to filter through the net, I do 4 frames at a time leaving the frames balancing on the rim......I bag it with a big Council recycling plastic sack to protect from bees/wasps.

richard

 

[RoseCottage]

Thank you for all your thoughts and comments whatever view or hue (Icanhopit ). I looked at my last inspection on Sunday and the girls had started to move honey from the brood into the super.

I would like to whip this off, if reasonably possible, and feed them up for winter with sugar syrup.

Some of your bees seem so much more dynamic than mine.

Once again, many thanks for your thoughts,

All the best,
Sam

 

[merylvingien]

I would like to whip this off

Oooooohhh Maitron

 

[richardbees]

Meryl

- "don't be silly, it won't hurt - it's just a little prick!"

(sorry, totally off topic!)