what % of a frame should be capped before extraction

[beeboybee]

I have 3 supers full of frames that are not fully capped they have been sitting there for weeks now and don't seem to be getting any more capped?
they are mostly 70-80% capped on both sides, i currently dont have a refractometer at the moment but i can see the use in this situation! should i just extract or leave on for a bit longer?

 

[huntsman666]

Of course most should be capped but there will be a number of cells remaining uncapped.

Hold the frames flat and give a downward jerk. If nectar drops out, the water content is still high and could cause fermentation of the honey. If it remains in the cell, then it's okay.

Don't overdo it.

 

[BILL.HEARD]

Of course most should be capped but there will be a number of cells remaining uncapped.

Hold the frames flat and give a downward jerk. If nectar drops out, the water content is still high and could cause fermentation of the honey. If it remains in the cell, then it's okay.

Don't overdo it.

 

[MandF]

I had the same concerns a couple of weeks back when I extracted our first batch. There were a few "borderline" frames I thought, 60-70% capped, but I thought that once extracted overall honey would be fine (did the shake test too and no drops).

Anyhow, down the apiary I borrowed their hygrometer and interestingly the uncapped nectar/honey sample was 17.5%, and the capped honey sample was 18.2% !

 

[sunshinemedic]

I just treated myself to a refractometer (OK so it was a cheap import job from ebay, but it works!) and been testing.

Using the frame shaking/jerk technique mentioned above, the water content of unsealed cells in my hives vary between 17 to 20%. Sealed frames tend to give me readings of 17 to 18%. SWMBO thinks I am mad......

 

[oliver90owner]

should i just extract or leave on for a bit longer?

Why would you be wanting to exrtract any comb before, perhaps, the end of August, or maye even later? Certainly plenty of time yet, if there is a flow coming.

If there is nothing coming in above subsistence, which appears to be the case, then the bees may soon need some of it, or other feed. If it has been there for weeks the moisture must be low enough, as the bees would not allow it to be so high in water content that it would ferment. However, I would think they are slowly filling (or emptying ) it.

It rather depends on the crop, but much less than most (so much less than 50%) could be perfectly OK for OSR (which is likely to granulate in the comb).

I, for one, would not be bothering with it yet.

RAB

 

[Hebeegeebee]

"Why would you be wanting to exrtract any comb before, perhaps, the end of August, or maye even later? Certainly plenty of time yet, if there is a flow coming".

Different parts of the country have different needs. Nothing doing in these parts from now until Ivy comes. Bees eat the honey = no honey extracted, so a good deal of the honey comes off now, then varroa treatment and feeding. Supers can go back on towards the end of August.

 

[melon]

Surely if we wish to apply Apiguard in August, then we do soon need to be thinking about extracting some supers......I'm waiting for a few more cappings...probably only about 50% capped in one hive.

How do you tell when there is a 'flow' on. People say about bees landing heavily if they are full of nectar, but I haven't really noticed this.....I suppose I don't spend a lot of time watching them to examine how they land. Are there any other signs. I know they are busy in the garden on the clover, and that there is generally much activity in and out of the hives...well when it is not raining.
Any other 'easy' signs to spot for a 'flow' to be on? Thanks

 

[Swarm]

Perhaps lack of additional equipment too, you always seem to need more, heh. I'm at the point where I'm removing a super and returning on a rotation basis. I do have a couple of spare supers but to stack one of my hives in particular, any higher would just make me struggle. It's already as tall as me.
I just give them an empty super, clear and extract, return repeat.
I also fully appreciate that on a large scale operation, this approach would not be feasable.
The ideal situation would be to just keep adding until extraction time but even then I find the need for extra boxes, if only to house the bees while the supers are off. I was almost squeezing them in autumn last year.

One sign of a flow is a very busy flight path, as incontinuous non stop traffic.

 

[Hebeegeebee]

Surely if we wish to apply Apiguard in August, then we do soon need to be thinking about extracting some supers......I'm waiting for a few more cappings...probably only about 50% capped in one hive.

How do you tell when there is a 'flow' on. People say about bees landing heavily if they are full of nectar, but I haven't really noticed this.....I suppose I don't spend a lot of time watching them to examine how they land. Are there any other signs. I know they are busy in the garden on the clover, and that there is generally much activity in and out of the hives...well when it is not raining.
Any other 'easy' signs to spot for a 'flow' to be on? Thanks

We have to fit in with the local area and weather. I do what suits my own conditions. I have no balsam ; no ling heather , very little lime .

A flow is when the bees just zoom out of the hive from 8 am onwards - I've had it recently with bramble - now finished - cue for another sad face: Rather than the usual drift in and out there's real eagerness and more bees flying when there's a flow. Happy face

 

[Swarm]

Weather, conditions and area, most definitely. For the past three years we've been treating in September in order to make the most of the Balsam, which has been a saving grace for many in these parts.

 

[tonybloke]

should i just extract or leave on for a bit longer?

Why would you be wanting to exrtract any comb before, perhaps, the end of August, or maye even later? Certainly plenty of time yet, if there is a flow coming.

I, for one, would not be bothering with it yet.

RAB

I'll be removing supers in the next week, to get the apiguard on while the temperatures are still high enough for it ( apiguard) to be effective. I'm also treating with FumadilB whilst feeding, btw

 

[melon]

Have you tested positively, for Nosema, or do you routinely treat with Fumadil B. I have never used it, but do you see benefits?

 

[MuswellMetro]

"
Different parts of the country have different needs. Nothing doing in these parts from now until Ivy comes. Bees eat the honey = no honey extracted, so a good deal of the honey comes off now, then varroa treatment and feeding. Supers can go back on towards the end of August.

i do similar, i had no eggs last week on 15 hives and now no larva, and just 50p size eggs patches in half my hives, though the nucs have blossomed having been fed 1:1

i found most of my un capped honey is from uncapped capped cells with lots of capping on the varroa board, i have no flow on most sites and although in london my hives are not within 2miles of any large residential areas, one hive has found a bit of balsam though, that one s full steam ahead

 

[tonybloke]

Have you tested positively, for Nosema, or do you routinely treat with Fumadil B. I have never used it, but do you see benefits?

not tested for it, but I have early supercedure in this colony ( existing queen only a month old ) and a probable cause is Nosema.

after speaking to a couple of local experiences beekeepers, ( one of whom runs about 60 colonies and treats them all with FumadilB every autumn) I think I'll treat this hive.

 

[bobandbec]

I'm taking honey off both sites over next 2-3 weeks. This will give enough time to treat with Apiguard and allow laying time to get a good number of healthy Winter bees to go through till next Spring.
This has been my schedule over the last 3 to 4 seasons and so far has worked well resulting in the bees having enough stores for the Winter without feeding and produced strong colonies for the early flows in Spring of the next year.
The first few seasons of keeping I waited until the end of August/early September before removing and treating but it didn't work out as well for me. An old experienced keeper advised me to extract and treat by end of first week in August and it was the best advice I ever received.

Peter

 

[BBG]

not tested for it, but I have early supercedure in this colony ( existing queen only a month old ) and a probable cause is Nosema.

after speaking to a couple of local experiences beekeepers, ( one of whom runs about 60 colonies and treats them all with FumadilB every autumn) I think I'll treat this hive.

There is a Sticky ref this

http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=702&highlight=Nosema&page=3

Repeated treatment of antibiotics irrespective will raise resistance in that being treated.

Due to beekeepers doing this and other practices, resistant varroa mites are in existence.

Blindly following the old school 'We've always done it this way,' mantra is to be frowned upon and avoided.

Best to read more on National Bee Unit and on here where there are gems to be discovered.

I understand Nosema is easily diagnosed. Best to do that before next move.

What you do can have far reaching effects.

 

[Bee-Key-Pur]

We have to fit in with the local area and weather. I do what suits my own conditions. I have no balsam ; no ling heather , very little lime .

A flow is when the bees just zoom out of the hive from 8 am onwards - I've had it recently with bramble - now finished - cue for another sad face: Rather than the usual drift in and out there's real eagerness and more bees flying when there's a flow. Happy face

We have the same thing here, blackberry just finishing. However we do have a large flow from globe thistle which will come on soon, then the crazy ivy period...

Brian.

 

[richardbees]

MuswellM

Don't you usually get a late flow from Ivy and 'honeydew.?

rich

 

[tonybloke]

There is a Sticky ref this

http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=702&highlight=Nosema&page=3
Repeated treatment of antibiotics irrespective will raise resistance in that being treated
Best to read more on National Bee Unit and on here where there are gems to be discovered.

I understand Nosema is easily diagnosed. Best to do that before next move.

What you do can have far reaching effects.

Diagnosis
Nosema disease is difficult to diagnose without using laboratory equipment. Pulling the last abdominal segments from a bee usually will remove the intestinal tract intact. According to some authors, a healthy midgut is tan in color, with concentric constrictions. An infected midgut will become swollen, whitish and lose its visible constrictions. There is so much variation that this method of diagnosis really cannot be trusted. Besides, other causes of dysentery, such as ingesting honeydew, fermented syrups, indigestible sugars in cola syrups, molasses and kitchen corn syrups can result in similar intestinal changes.
Scientists use a specific methodology to determine levels of infestation. Known numbers of severed abdomens are homogenized, using a mortar and pestle. The homogenate is sieved through two layers of cheesecloth into calibrated centrifuge tubes. The tubes are spun in a clinical centrifuge at 600 rpm for six minutes to drive the spores to the bottom of the tubes. The liquid (supernatant) is poured off (decanted) and the plug (pellet) at the bottom is resuspended in a specific volume of water (final calculation is spores in one ml water per bee). The plug is broken up well (resuspended) by sucking the water in and out many times through a small-tipped disposable pipette. Then a small droplet of the suspension is placed on a blood cell counting chamber (hemocytometer). The number of spores counted over certain areas of the chamber grid can be converted to millions of spores per bee. If infection levels are below 10,000 spores per bee, no spores will be seen over the entire grid and the diagnosis is determined to be “not detected” or “ND.” That does not mean that there is no infection.

I don't have ( or have access to) a good microscope.

if I don't treat this colony, I may have the issue spreading to my other colonies, that would be irresponsible.