Pulled three supers today?!!

[harvey]

I had pretty high hopes as the bees had been working the goldenrod and buckwheat real hard for the last few weeks.  It has gotten chilly now only in the 50s today.  I pulled three supers, all pretty much full of honey and pretty new comb but none of it was capped?  I set it out for the bees to rob if it warms up enough  someday.  I was really looking forward to some of the honey off of the buckwheat but guess I will have to wait.  Not sure out of seven hives if the bees have room for all that honey inside but we will see.  I did leave one super on one of the hives.  It is full but not capped.  I want to see if they will cap it and at least give me a little to taste.   

[asprince]

Check the moisture content. It can be ripe and not capped.

Steve

[fish_stix]

Why do you pull honey off and set it out for robbing?

[L Daxon]

I had a super the bees just quit capping when the dearth started.  After sitting on the hive for about 4 weeks and the bees not capping the honey, I used a toothpick to checked the consistency of some of the stuff in the uncapped cells and it was very thick.  I processed the whole super about 2 weeks ago and it all seems fine.

[hardwood]

Before refractometers were around the ole shake test worked fine. Take the frame and shake it facing the ground (or hive cover) and give it a good shake. If nectar spills all over it's not ripe. If it's hard to dislodge it's good to go.

Scott

[Kathyp]

shaking is how i do it with those frames that are not completely capped.  seems to do the trick.

[harvey]

I have never heard of shaking!   Still learning,  I didn't try it but if it is still cool tomorrow and the bees are not at it I will give it a try.  Hi Kathy P  haven't heard from you in a while.  Thought I had scared you off by talking about how facinating your avitar is.  As far as why I pulled the supers and want to feed it back?  Well I have not nor do I intend to feed the bees.  If they can fit any of the honey that is not yet ripe into the two bottom deeps that would be the best feeding they can get i recon.  Course If I shake the frames and the honey doesn't spill They might not get much!!!

[Kathyp]

you didn't scare me off!  been getting the hay in, the pellets for the stove, bedding, bees settled for winter, etc.  also trying to rescue what's left of the pitiful garden.

get to your supers early or the bees will have them stripped.  i'd go fetch them tonight.

[harvey]

Get to them early,  wish I would have seen the post last night early enough.  Went out there today and was going to shake them,  I didn't know I had that many bees!!  Wasn't much left so I left the rest for them to clean up.  On the good side the bees should have plenty to overwinter with.  I still have one good super on a hive so I will cross my fingers that it gets capped here in the next week.  If not I will shake it and take it.   Pretty much done as far as nectar and pollen go now in my part of michigan so it is all about what will or won't overwinter.  Once I get all my firewood in then I am going to start making frames and boxes for next year.  Am hoping that any of the hives that make the winter will produce next year.