taking frames out of the super to harvest - small problem

tillie · May 19, 2008, 04:46:30 PM

I don't use chemicals to tell the bees to leave the super. I just remove one frame at a time, shake it in front of the hive to release the bees, put the frame into an empty super, covered with a sheet. When I've gotten all the frames, I carry the super into the house, beeless, and harvest the honey.

One of my hives has some beautiful honey on it, capped, perfect for cut comb. I want to take it in to harvest. When I looked into the box on combs 4 and 5 (where there was a starter strip), instead of using the starter strip they built a wide comb that went from 4 all the way through 5. It's full of honey, capped, but two frames thick.

Here are the options I am considering:

1. I have a bee escape that I have never used - an oval shape, came with the beginner's kit. I could try to put that on and use it to invite the bees to leave the super - but I don't know how to use it or if it will work (do you put the super on top of the inner cover for this procedure)?

2. I could take all the combs but those two and leave them for the bees, adding empty frames around them to start filling again (but that's a bad model for the bees - don't want them to think filling the frames two at a time is a good idea)

3. I could try to lift the two out together, but how will I shake the bees off of two at once?

I'm open to ideas, suggestions, etc. HELP!

Linda T in Atlanta

randydrivesabus · May 19, 2008, 05:03:17 PM

i'm trying to picture this....is there any space between the 2 frames where there are some bees? If not would the frame be like all the others with bees on 2 sides?

Dane Bramage · May 19, 2008, 05:09:13 PM

here's one idea - take the entire super off, flush ALL the bees out of it (got leaf-blower? :lol:), then harvest. I wanna see pics of some 2-frame thick cut-comb honey! Yummmmmmm!

derrick1p1 · May 19, 2008, 06:27:03 PM

Is removing the remaining frames from the super an option? Then possibly shake them out of the entire super?

Just a quick thought.

Best,
Derrick

annette · May 19, 2008, 07:14:58 PM

I plan on using a bee escape to remove the bees this year. But not that oval shaped one, which by the way, does not work at all. I tried it last year and they never left.

I purchased a triangle shaped one from Brushy Mt. Heard this works really well. Will let you all know about this. The way it works is you place the honey super on top of the bee escape and they go out through the escape to go down and they cannot get back up as it is a one way opening.

But I like the idea of using a blower on those frames so you do not destroy the honey combs. But I am also trying to figure out why you cannot just brush them off with the brush.

This is good news Linda that you have a honey harvest already. You really have great honey flows out there. Boy we are so dry out here, I hope I get some extra.

Take Care
Annette

jimmy · May 19, 2008, 08:06:32 PM

I am a newbie but,last Sat. my wife and I harvested 2 small cut comb frames and 4 plastic cell frames. I shook off most of the bees and finished by brushing the rest off, back in the super. They were some mad and my wife got stung twice thru the Alex.veil.After brushing the bees off we worked together putting the frames in a plastic container w/lid to keep the bees from getting back on frames.
BTW: that's when the real work started in the house extracting ,straining and filling washed jars. I doubt we could extract 10 full frames at once due to our health and age.
jimmy

tillie · May 19, 2008, 08:13:28 PM

I suppose I could try lifting the two out together and shaking them as a duo to shake off the bees. It isn't that there are bees between the two frames (there's honey there) but there are bees all over the outside of the capped comb as there are in any honey super. The other frames are perfect - white and gorgeous for cut-comb honey but all I can imagine doing with this one is crush and strain!

The idea of awkward me shaking the two as one without a complete honey dripping catastrophe just doesn't work as a visualization ;) ;) ;)

Linda T puzzling over this in Atlanta

watercarving · May 19, 2008, 08:29:11 PM

What a great problem to have! Tons of honey. I know it's not as easy to mange but imagine the huge cut comb you could make...you could sell Famous Linda's Double-Decker Cut Comb!

Kathyp · May 19, 2008, 09:14:54 PM

sounds like brushing might be your best bet. you should be able to get most off that way. you don't mind a few in the house with you, do you? :-D

Scadsobees · May 20, 2008, 09:25:18 AM

I don't have a leaf-blower, but I do have a shop-vac that I can stick the hose on the "exhaust" port, which blows a lot of air.

With the hose blowing all that air you can get a lot of the bees out of the super, although for spots between comb those little bee feet can sure hold on really tight!

tillie · May 20, 2008, 10:46:24 AM

Quoteyou don't mind a few in the house with you, do you? grin

Are you kidding? With bees 10 feet from my sunporch door and long-haired black dogs, there are at least 3-4 in my house every night, not to mention the ones who ride in on my beesuit when I work the bees!

Linda T bee covered in Atlanta

Cindi · May 20, 2008, 11:05:36 AM

Linda, oh you have an interesting quandry. I am picturing what you have going on there. Are you saying that instead of two separate frames of honey, they have made one comb only, but two stuck together? Haven't quite got a grasp of what is going on.

Did this happen because of two foundationless frames beside each other? I would love to hear more about it. I wonder if this is a common occurrence when using foundationless frames. I also wonder if there should be a foundationless frame alternated with frames with foundation? Can you clarify deeper. I would love to hear what you finally wound up doing too? Little confused here, you probably have heard me talk about the problems I have with conceptualizing stuff, it is a nasty thing to be lacking in.....have that most beautiful and wonder-filled day, as you are having, Cindi

DayValleyDahlias · May 20, 2008, 11:19:52 AM

Well I just can't wait to see the video!

tillie · May 20, 2008, 02:02:49 PM

I almost always use foundationless frames in the honey supers. They are cut out from last year's crush and strain and have a ridge of comb left on the top and bottom of the frame and the bees usually do fine with that. I always put one full frame of comb or foundation in the middle of the box.

This was two foundation-less frames side by side and they built the comb hanging down in the right direction (it isn't cross comb) but they filled the expanse of two frames with a wide honey comb filled with capped honey.

Linda T in Atlanta

ElDoBill · May 20, 2008, 03:21:01 PM

Linda, Dane is right when you get those frames out, pictures are a must. Perhaps you could rest the bottom of the frames on a corner of the box and brush them off.

Ross · May 22, 2008, 11:47:15 AM

If you have two uncapped framed (or empty frames) side by side in a honey area, they will almost always fatten one comb at the expense of the other. Once capped, that doesn't happen, and it doesn't happen in brood areas. I usually go to 9 frames in the honey supers for this reason. That's about the spacing they seem to prefer for honey.

tillie · May 22, 2008, 02:41:10 PM

This is just the beginning of my third year, but I didn't use foundation last year and this never happened - the bees drew really nice comb in each honey super and I had no problem. This year it is happening and in my oldest established hive....hmmmm

Linda T in Atlanta

Ross · May 23, 2008, 10:32:33 AM

I'm completely foundationless for 5 years, but it happens with any uncapped frame in my experience. They will fatten combs used to store honey and it often steals space from adjacent frames. You end up off center as it marches across the box and eventually you get comb drawn across two frames. I rotate fat frames to the outside of the box, uncap if necessary to get them to fit, and go to 9 frames.

DayValleyDahlias · May 24, 2008, 10:52:43 AM

FYI Tillie, I tried your frame removal, shack, store method of honey removal! Worked great! :-D

tillie · May 24, 2008, 02:55:37 PM

Ross was absolutely right. I opened the box this morning to find that what I thought was going to difficult to remove from the hive turned out to be a very, very fat honeycomb stretching under the frame next to it. In fact it was only attached to the second frame in about a one inch area.

Here it is.

I was going to crush and strain it, but I hate to lose the sight of this huge thing so I think I'll cut it into chunk honey chunks for wide mouthed jars.

Linda T with a potential mess on my hands (and in my kitchen) in Atlanta