Thread: Life The bee keeper diaries
View Single Post
Old 07-17-2019, 08:36 AM   #308
Iowanian Iowanian is offline
Supporter
 
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: Utopia
Comb honey is all bees wax and there are different methods to get it. This is my first attempt so I'm not an expert at all.

Plastic foundation makes it easier for the bees to build comb, but you can't cut the complete comb out. You're using those foundations to let the bees build comb that you'll scrape the wax cappings off and extract honey and have comb for bees to reuse. By not having to build the comb they can produce honey much faster.

As for comb honey, it's what bees do when there aren't plastic foundations. What I did was remove the plastic foundations from frames. I had purchased some wax foundations. I cut a couple of those into 1" strips and I placed the wax foundations in the top slot of the frame and then used the strips like caulking to smash it into place. I just wanted it tight enough to hold and knew the bees would built it up solid. It seemed like a dismal failure for 2 weeks, but this week the bees went ape shit and had the comb built and almost full.

Another guy told me yesterday that he just removes frames 3 and 7 from a box. He'll take the foundation out of those and replace them but space them out a little further and says the bees will do their magic even without starter strips. I'll probably try that next to get a few more.

Some people do starter strips along the top of the frames. The method Groves is using is ONLY comb honey from what I understand.

I'm thinking more about building a horizontal hives because it will be easier to manage and remove frames as people need it....and I just think they are cool and want to try one.

As for how you "get it" you pull the frame out, measure it and cut the squares with a fillet knife.

I should be able to cut (3) 4x5/6" squares of comb honey out of each frame. You can buy plastic containers that look like something you'd buy a breakfast biscuit in at a gas station, or something more like a sandwich tupperware with a lid to sell it. I'm doing this because Comb honey sells for a lot more than regular spun honey.
Posts: 61,557
Iowanian is obviously part of the inner Circle.Iowanian is obviously part of the inner Circle.Iowanian is obviously part of the inner Circle.Iowanian is obviously part of the inner Circle.Iowanian is obviously part of the inner Circle.Iowanian is obviously part of the inner Circle.Iowanian is obviously part of the inner Circle.Iowanian is obviously part of the inner Circle.Iowanian is obviously part of the inner Circle.Iowanian is obviously part of the inner Circle.Iowanian is obviously part of the inner Circle.
    Reply With Quote