A Comb Honey question
I took off some nice 1/2 frames with no wires.
I have placed them in the freezer for now. I think this was Muichael's suggestion to kill any wax moth eggs.
The next ime we have a rainy day I plan to cut the slabs into smaller chunks.
Question: Should i cut the comb while frozen or let it warm up a bit?
I haven't done comb honey for many years.
Refrigerator frozen, -6 C, cut it.
Freezer frozen -18 C, warm it a bit.
Disclaimer.... Opinion only, no science.
Wax is very brittle at low temperatures. I cut all my comb honey at room temperature when wax is pliable and cuts easy. Then I store frozen until needed. Freezing also stops the honey crystallising in the cells.
No reason why you can't thaw cut and refreeze if you wish.
A sharp knife helps a lot at any temperature. You may need to experiment. Frozen is stiffer but also more brittle. Thawed is softer and gets squashed easier. I've had both fail and both succeed. Nice white comb is very soft but it also varies a lot in strength. So we have the variable of the hardness of the wax, the thickness of the honey, the sharpness of the knife, the solidity of the surface you are cutting on etc. etc. etc.
We cut a lot to sell at markets. Warmer the better. Dip your knife, thin blade like a fish filleting knife, in hot water, wipe with paper towel and cut. much cleaner cut.
Cold weather the wax crumbles a bit and in not as clean a cut, but seems to not make a difference to customers.
Cut and packaged a half frame will sell for $48.
https://youtu.be/nIjiInZRxrQ
Warm combs. Hot knives, two of them cycled thru scalding water so they're always clean and hot. I got the two thinnest blade serrated steak knives at goodwill. This year I will sharpen them further.
I cut mine asap out of the hive, drain 24-48 hrs, then in the box, then into the freezer. If you have any humidity at all put the boxes in a freezer bag and such out the air, bc when they warm back up the humidity will condense on the capping and color them.
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I did as Michael B suggested " experimnet"
And I also took on board other suggestions.
I have two very sharp knifes. I think one is a grafting knife - very sharp.
The other is a Voctorinox ( I'm Swiss born) with a serated blade - also very sharp.
I boiled enough water so that the full blade is immersed.
I tried to cut the comb - lovely white stuff, probably a bit of Clover - but it was hard going.
I left the 1/2 frame for a while - still cold but it was easier to cut with clean edges.
The boxes I purchased means I get 5 pieces of comb and a bit.
Each piece comes in at around 200gr
I will have to see what the market is willing to pay for this. :tongue:
Thanks for the suggestions and encouragement.
I made up a few more boxes of Comb Honey.
You definitely get better with some repeats.
Comb Honey means PATIENCE!
You have to have the right conditions - a good flow, strong hives.
Even cutting out the comb from a frame means going slow - slower cuts means less cracking on the edges.
Saturday is market day for us. We shall see what the response is
Good luck with the markets Max. Hope the comb is a winner for you. I?ve got markets on Sunday. With Xmas coming up you may do well.
Thanks, Les.
yes, the pore Christmas markets are often our best.
I have fair few kg's of honey in stock plus the Comb Honey and beeswax candles and tealights.
The season has turned positive for us with the melaleuca's and Lilly Pilli's flowering. The Blue Gum is still flowering too.
We hope that the BrushBox will do something for us.
The nuc's are selling quite well
Wishing you all the best for your market too
max
We have been making up more Comb Honey and selling some at the market this morning.
Some people here have never seen it....and others, well, it seem to bring baclk old memoris.
I will be looking for some more outlets.