when to spin off ?

[Dye29]

hi all im new to bee keeping only got one small hive and still learning but interested , ive lifted the top off and checked my super frames a week ago and they feel very heavy but only a small part of frame is capped off so just checked again today and only abit more has been capped when do i spin this off when the whole frame has been capped as this is near rape fields , also can i feed bees now to give them a helpping hand or will it effect them thanks

 

[john t]

welcome to the wonderful world of beekeeping

certainly do not feed when there is a honey flow or you will contaminate your honey with syrup

as you are near osr you are likely to be be able too spin now as flowering is almost coming to the end, just do the shake test on the frames ,if any spills out wait a little longer, but dont leave it too late as it will crystallize and then you will need to scrape it out

good luck

 

[drex]

Do not feed now as the sugar will get into your honey.
I usually take OSR honey off when the flowers start to go over. Usually only up to a half of the frames are capped. Hold a frame flat over the hive and give it a good downward jerk. If liquid flies out it is unlikely to be ready. The real test is to use a Refractometer to measure water content. If left too long rape honey sets like concrete and is then a devil to process

 

[Finman]

.
Now, if you have one super box full of honey, you need to put another super, where they store nectar and dry it up. Otherwise bees store nectar into brood combs and hive swarms soon. Put the new box over the brood box.

IT is better to give second brood box too under recent brood box, that brood space will not finish.

 

[Hachi]

A shake test is by no means completely fool proof. use a refractometer to be sure

 

[Dye29]

Great thanks all for advise so do shake test and if nothing comes out its ready to spin , when i remove the frames am i best replacing with fresh made frames so they can carry on

 

[enrico]

You should always be adding another super as one gets half full so the answer is yes!
E

 

[Dye29]

Right so im best removing the full super even though only 6 frames are full out of 10, and putting my new fresh super with new frames in and leave them bee , forgive me im still learning all this , will i still get decent honey even though rapes nearly gone on the fresh super

 

[Finman]

I exctract only capped honey. I do not make shaking test
.

 

[drex]

If I waited until my OSR honey was capped, I would not be able to extract it easily, as it would be concrete in the comb.

 

[Finman]

If I waited until my OSR honey was capped, I would not be able to extract it easily, as it would be concrete in the comb.

Perhaps out there spring is cold and rape honey is easy to harden.

I have harvested rape honey 40 years and it has been my main crop. But it is spring rape and extract in July. If I take honey boxes off from hive to wait extracting, it will harden inside a week in combs.

 

[Finman]

Dandelion is easy to crystallize too.

.

 

[Cuckmere couple]

we spun our OSR honey and it was runnier than summer honey at the time

in fact, on frames of mostly capped honey, it was still falling out of the cells that werent capped so it was mostly capped but would have failed the shake test...but overall was 18%

 

[Andrew2000]

Just a query on free with partially capped honey. If some is good to spin and some bit, what is the thinking?

I happy to leave the partially capped stuff in the hive but obviously concerned that it will crystallise in the upsets over the summer then be useless??