what todo with uncapped?

rgy · September 12, 2011, 06:08:01 PM

I took off the four remaining supers this weekend and most of it is uncapped. what should I do with it? I hate to leave it out to rob as they destroy the comb. can I spin it out and feed it to them in the hive top feeder? should I freeze it and feed it to them int he spring? what do you suggest?

D Coates · September 12, 2011, 06:25:12 PM

When I run into this I put an inner cover on top of the super, I then flip the whole thing and put it back on the hive. The honey will want to drain out and the bees can't put it back because it's drawn wrong (upside down). They'll clean it out and not damage the comb. If there's some capped cells I run a cappings scratcher over them and treat them like I described above.

derekm · September 12, 2011, 06:30:10 PM

The issue is water contentit needs to be below 20%. To reduce the water content there are various methods: one is store the supers with some opened bags of sugar in a big poythene bag so that the water vapour migrates from the honey to the sugar via the air. Another is put the supers in a small chamber with a dehumidifier

Hethen57 · September 12, 2011, 07:53:58 PM

To be honest, if it is the end of the season (like yesterday), I spin it with the other capped honey and have never had a problem. Particularly, where they are starting to cap some of it, and with the high temps we have been having, I think it is ready to go and I'm saving them the effort of putting on caps that I will have to take off. Also, by the time I extract, strain and filter, and let it sit to settle, it probably looses any of the extra moisture.

asprince · September 12, 2011, 09:56:19 PM

I agree with Hethen57. Just because it is not fully capped does not mean the it is not ripe or close to ripe. I mix it all in together and verify the moisture content.

Steve

Michael Bush · September 13, 2011, 01:57:28 AM

A simple field test is to shake them and see if it falls out. If it does it's very high in moisture. Assuming it passes that test, and you have a refractometer I would check it before you mix it with the rest and put it back on the hive it's it's too high.

rgy · September 13, 2011, 09:05:08 AM

I was hoping to get wwrapped up for the season. BUT I'll do what you think is best. I have prob 20 frames with mostly uncapped.

so should I put them back on upside down like Coates said?

can I spin it and just put it in the hive top feeders along with the 2:1?

can I just wash it out with the hose?

freeze them all for the spring?

I don't want to put it on and then 3 weeks when I realy need to have these girls ready for winter, have the same issue when I take them back off.

thanks for all your advice!!! Next year I am going to wait to harvest a little longer and then take them ALL off instead of leaving some of the supers on in hopes that they will cap it.

organicfarmer · September 13, 2011, 09:21:01 AM

so should I put them back on upside down like Coates said?
That is what i would do. It does not entice robbing if set on top of inner cover in hive where it comes from (or alternatively on hive that needs feeding, granted you know the hive it comes from is clean/healthy of course)

can I spin it and just put it in the hive top feeders along with the 2:1?
Why bother with double work extracting + feeding when you have solution #1

can I just wash it out with the hose?
That'd be wasting it

freeze them all for the spring?
someone else can answer to that. Freezing whole capped frames yes but i have never tried unripe uncapped.

Hethen57 · September 13, 2011, 01:52:32 PM

Like Mr. Bush said, if it is runny it is not ripe and I would either let them rob it out away from the hives or tip upside down on hive. If it is thick, you could extract if you have enough to make it worth your effort. If you harvest, but don't completely trust the moisture content, you could also use it to make some mead because you will be mixing it in water anyway (around 2.5-3#/gal). I would not feed it in syrup...in my experience that makes a moldy mess quicker than with sugar by introducing all that water. Similarly, hosing off your frames is rarely a good idea because all the moisture is likely to mold the frames.

rgy · September 13, 2011, 02:20:09 PM

well I think I am going to try upside down in the hives. So back to the yard and off with the feeders and back withthe frames. A couple frames have brood that is the most perfect laying pattern ever!! i hope I didn't hurt the queen because that hive will strive next yr if it gets through winter.

I learned a lot this summer. second year beek and we only had one hive to harvest last year and we had four this year. Next yr mid to Late sept. all the supers are off! and back to shake and brush one frame at a time right at the hive. any uncapped will just go back with the empty for the bees to salvage. I made this year WAY to difficult on myself and WAY to stressfull on the bees.

Burl · September 13, 2011, 03:25:28 PM

Hi , We are a small operation . When we are faced with what to do with uncapped honey we extract it seperately . Then we store it in convenient size containers , mark them "RUNNY HONEY" , store them in the deep freeze , and bring them out throughout the winter to be used in baking and cooking . The one qt/liter container gets used up before it has time to go funny . If it did we would have to relable it as "FUNNY HONEY" . Haven't had to yet though. ---Burl---