Round Comb Sections

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ENZO

House Bee
Joined
Mar 27, 2009
Messages
139
Reaction score
0
Location
Jersey C.I.
Hive Type
National
Number of Hives
16
Hello All,
A few people have asked me how my first year of trying to produce Round Comb Sections went, well not to bad but still have a lot to learn, I posted a few photos so that people not familiar with these will know what I am talking about. Overall I'm happy with the result but next year will be better due to the experience I aquired this year.
I just wanted to try something different than just producing cut comb as I have always done and after all, It's my favorite way to eat honey.
The finished article looks good, not all 100% filled but good enough and priced accordingly, these add something a little different to my stall, a talking point in fact at the farmers market and fairs where I sell my honey.
I read a great book by Richard Taylor, The new comb honey book,which helped as you have to compress the bees into a single brood chamber when they are at their largest hence increasing their urge to swarm, or shook swarming them into a super of foundation with the section supers on top. overall I placed four section supers on two hives, each section super holding forty round sections, 160 sections total, when complete I had 100 filled and capped sections as in the photos and about 20 nearly filled/capped which I used for chunk honey, the rest I placed above the crown board for the bees to bring down as stores so then nothing is wasted.

All Good Fun, Enzo.
 
They look good to me, i`d be happy with those :)

Darren.
 
A pal had some on sale at the Shrewsbury Flower Show last week and they looked wonderful, very impressed I was. However, the kit you need to produce them is quite expensive from what I have seen and the price for the boxes at the show was only 6 quid each. If one is just interested in a new play angle its Ok I suppose but not commerially viable I would think? Any views out there as I might try it some time.
 
A new section crate with 40 potential sections is ~£100, add a few more for tape and labels.
Enzo had 100/160 at top retail quality, so assume you get 25 out of 40 good enough to sell.
At £6 each, you're in profit after the first harvest even with a drastic one harvest depreciation on the new kit.
 
The truth is that it's much easier to wire up super frames with thin foundation and produce cut comb. Normal management and not stressing the bees to work in confined spaces, But still I think for me this is the next level and I learned a lot about bees and their behaviour.
As for the cost of the kit, well after this first harvest, it's pretty much payed for itself, and no extracting or mess to worry about.
Funny enough, last saturday I attended an "alterative medicine" fair with my little stall and I sold more round comb than either clear or set honey so there is a market out there.

Enzo.
 

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