Part sealed supers

[megadyptes]

This is my first full year with bees, so forgive the numpty question that follows.... I have two supers on one hive where the bees have filled all the cells with honey/nectar. On all of the frames, only the top half of cells have been capped and the remaining contain liquid they're still presumably in the process of honey-fying. So, I have no fully capped frames to extract. What's the best way to get hold of the capped honey without contaminating it with the more liquid stuff? It seems a bit mean to take the frames and just flick out the liquid given how hard they've worked to get it in there in first place. Any suggestions?

 

[DerbyBee]

just leave it on the hive and they will sort it out. Put another super on if required

 

[Gilberdyke John]

This is my first full year with bees, so forgive the numpty question that follows.... I have two supers on one hive where the bees have filled all the cells with honey/nectar. On all of the frames, only the top half of cells have been capped and the remaining contain liquid they're still presumably in the process of honey-fying. So, I have no fully capped frames to extract. What's the best way to get hold of the capped honey without contaminating it with the more liquid stuff? It seems a bit mean to take the frames and just flick out the liquid given how hard they've worked to get it in there in first place. Any suggestions?

Does the liquid pass the shake test? You might usefully invest in an eBay refractometor which by judicious sampling from several points in the comb could give you confidence to extract even if part of the comb is not yet capped.

 

[Erichalfbee]

I'd leave them on for now.

 

[Swarm]

I'd leave them on for now.

Plenty of time yet.

 

[Finman]

.
Bees fill and cap the combs when they get more nectar from flowers.

 

[andyphibb]

what's the rush?

 

[megadyptes]

No rush, just wondering how you'd go about dealing with it if they don't get around to capping it.

 

[Hivemaker.]

just wondering how you'd go about dealing with it if they don't get around to capping it.

Remove, extract, and put through a honey drier if moisture content is too high.

 

[Oscarmonster]

I tend to put part capped frames above crown board for 24 hours. The bees will rob out the uncapped honey/nectar first.

 

[Eyeman]

Rearrange the frames in the 2 supers so that all the ripe honey frames are in one box. The centre ones are capped and ripe first.

 

[Finman]

Rearrange the frames in the 2 supers so that all the ripe honey frames are in one box. The centre ones are capped and ripe first.

Nonsense.

Bees know what they do. You must lear,, how their instincts work. IT is still summer and July

.

.

 

[Eyeman]

Nonsense.

Bees know what they do. You must lear,, how their instincts work. IT is still summer and July

I see your back off the vodka.
I've been rearranging supers for '54 years' and I've got 6 university degrees!

 

[Finman]

I see your back off the vodka.
I've been rearranging supers for '54 years' and I've got 6 university degrees!

Listen now boy. If bees have not got enough honey to their hives, it makes no sense to go and arrange frames. Arranging does not bring honey to the hive.

You just wait that bees gather more honey and fill the combs.

And put your vodka degrees into you rear eye.

 

[Eyeman]

Maybe it's a language problem.
2 supers each with 5 centre frames capped and 5 outer frames uncapped.
I would take the 10 capped frames and put them in one box and remove that box and leave the other 10 uncapped frames for the bees to finish off.
I don't do hive towers with more than 4 supers.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I see your back off the vodka.

Or back on it

 

[Finman]

Or back on it

Better than rearranging frames. And Jenkins, put that stupid frame down.

.

 

[Finman]

Maybe it's a language problem.
2 supers each with 5 centre frames capped and 5 outer frames uncapped.
I would take the 10 capped frames and put them in one box and remove that box and leave the other 10 uncapped frames for the bees to finish off.
I don't do hive towers with more than 4 supers.

You know, I carry my hives to new pastures that they will fill the frames. Rape is now over. My hives have 6 boxes and rearranged them so that I took capped off and empty and foundations into the hives.

There are plenty of capped frames but it is best to keep in the hive heat untill I start to extract them.

 

[Finman]

Maybe it's a language problem.
.

What language problems this can have. Clear text : Rearrange the frames in the 2 supers so that all the ripe honey frames are in one box.

It is beekeeping problem.

 

[maddydog]

I tend to put part capped frames above crown board for 24 hours. The bees will rob out the uncapped honey/nectar first.

Isn't that extra work for the bees?