oil seed rape honey

[buckfast]

Does anyone know?

If the bees make oil seel rape honey and it cristalizes in the frame before I can spin it off - are the bees able to make use of it? , ie. can you give it back to them to eat, say in the autumn or the spring?

Buckfast

 

[Finman]

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Put the crystallized comb between brood frames. Bees clean the comb and move honey to another place.

 

[oliver90owner]

Err, the bees did not collect all this nectar and convert it into honey for you! I think they collected it for themselves!

Of course naturally they would not be subjected to the attractive monocrop, but also they would likely not collect that much either (they would likely swarm, or would not build up as quickly to take advantage of it).

RAB

 

[Chris B]

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Put the crystallized comb between brood frames. Bees clean the comb and move honey to another place.

I have heard that sometimes they will even just dump it outside. I've never witnessed that but I have seen bees readily abandon a full super of honey during a heavy flow (supers removed from hive ready for blowing out, but the bees just walk back to the hive entrance).

 

[Finman]

I have heard that sometimes they will even just dump it outside. I've never witnessed that but I have seen bees readily abandon a full super of honey during a heavy flow (supers removed from hive ready for blowing out, but the bees just walk back to the hive entrance).

I have feeded hundreds of frames to hives. Idea is that crystalls are in the hottest place of the hive, So they melt back.

Yes, they handle sugar crystals as rubbish if you put them into the hive without experience.

During flow the bees cover crystallized honey again.

If you put combs outside, bees destroy the whole comb and bite them pieces.

 

[Finman]

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Very good method is to feed the crystallisezed combs to the swarm.

You may put 4 crystllized comb for the swarms and others are foundations.
Bees start to clean the combs for laying and use the honey to wax production. It takes about 4 days to clean the combs and draw foundations.

 

[mbc]

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Very good method is to feed the crystallisezed combs to the swarm.

You may put 4 crystllized comb for the swarms and others are foundations.
Bees start to clean the combs for laying and use the honey to wax production. It takes about 4 days to clean the combs and draw foundations.

I use this method to rejuvenate brood combs hopelessly clogged with ivy honey. They can be a swarming hazard if left in the hives as sometimes bees will 'pass over' cleaning them out for an expanding broodnest ( causing congestion ) whereas a good swarm will energetically convert this nuisance honey into fresh comb if organised alternately with frames of foundation.

 

[For want of a better word]

Fortunately only had small quantities of OSR crystalised honey in supers..... but not seen it in brood stores?

Kids like to eat it, with the wax!
Then they also like hubble#bubble#bubblegum!