like a proud daddy...

[asciibaron]

my girls done good.  my first frame of honey. 



i wrote this season off and left the hive alone after a disappointing early summer.  they stepped up and filled 7 frames in the honey super over the past 2 months.  from zero comb to full frames.  and man is this honey sweet.  this frame weighed in at 5.43 pounds.

[Delmer]

Wow- congrats!

[asciibaron]

it's exciting to find filled frames when 2 months ago it was just foundation - they weren't drawing any comb, just chewing holes in it.  i was hoping i might get one frame worth of honey, but seven, woohoo!  i'm hooked all over again and can't wait for next season - some of my mistakes from this season can be easily fixed at the start of next season - feed earlier and get the supers on before the first of June!

[Kathyp]

you'll be surprised how much honey you'll get out of those 7 frames.  not enough to run the extractor though.  you'd lose to much.  crush and strain is probably the way to go, or just eat comb honey!

[asciibaron]

you'll be surprised how much honey you'll get out of those 7 frames.  not enough to run the extractor though.  you'd lose to much.  crush and strain is probably the way to go, or just eat comb honey!

i'm enjoying the comb so far ;)  i'm reading up on some ways to crush and strain.  i have cheese cloth, just no fine strainer.  i won a bucket with a honey gate at a club meeting this summer.

[Kathyp]

http://beekeeperlinda.blogspot.com/2007/06/honey-harvest-crush-and-strain.html

Tillie did an excellent tutorial.  it's not hard and you don't need complicated stuff.  a bucket, strainer, and if you want it more finely strained, you can use those disposable paint strainers that HD sells in 2 packs. you can also use the cheese cloth.

[sarafina]

Your first honey is always the sweetest !!!

I decided to do crush and strain after watching Tillie's video - it really is as simple as it looks.  I bought the plastic bucket with the honey gate (which you already have) and 2 basket filters that fit in the top - one coarse and one fine - and I just nest them together with the fine under the coarse one.  The basket filters will hold your 7 frames of crushed wax and they were very inexpensive.  I got mine from Dadant, I think.

[asciibaron]

Tillie is a source of inspiration for me - she really jumped into the hobby and her willingness to share is just awesome.  i'll the bucket strainer and some bears tomorrow ;)

[giant pumpkin peep]

gratz

[David LaFerney]

Is it foundationless or did they chew out the foundation?  It looks very straight.  Very nice.