Comb Honey

[sc-bee]

Not sure if this was the right forum to post in buttttt...... :-D

Always wanted to try a little comb honey production. I understand I need a hive packed with bees, foundation without wire or foundationless. Do I remove the queen or not. Any other particular tips to share?

I tried a search and did not have much luck.

[wd]

If you're after keeping brood out, I'd use a queen exculder. on top of brood chambers, then add your super(s) / frames with comb guides. a bit messy when cut out, Crush and strain? How bout ross man rounds or the like?

http://youtu.be/Q8b4k-RIH14

[Kathyp]

somewhere on lindas blog is an excellent video and tutorial on cut comb honey.

http://beekeeperlinda.blogspot.com/

what i didn't learn, and have not yet figured out, is how she keeps things so neat.  oh well.....

[wd]

She has everything categorized by label/tag. Using find in the menu bar it's easy to locate

http://beekeeperlinda.blogspot.com/search/label/cut%20comb%20honey

[Kathyp]

http://beekeeperlinda.blogspot.com/2007/07/cutting-and-boxing-cut-comb-honey.html


thanks wd.  went a little farther and found the cut comb pics and instructions. 

[sc-bee]

I goofed, I should have said chunk honey! I have watched Linda's video in the past.

I am more interested in hive configuration etc. to get the honey in the comb. Although i was wondering about her freezing the whole jars of chunk honey.

[glenn c hile]

I put foundationless frames between drawn foundation to get nice even frames that are easy to cut into chunks with a sharp knife and put in wide mouth jars.

[uglyfrozenfish]

I put foundationless frames between drawn foundation to get nice even frames that are easy to cut into chunks with a sharp knife and put in wide mouth jars.

From what I have read and been told this will work and result in straight comb (assuming the comb on surrounding frames is also straight)  but you need to make sure the comb on the adjacent frames is capped before adding a foundationless frame in between other frames.  Otherwise the bees will simply draw the adjacent comb sections out further and impeding on the new frame's space.  This is what I have been told no experience yet.  If it is wrong someone will correct me. :shock:

[tillie]

Although i was wondering about her freezing the whole jars of chunk honey.

It's fine to put whole jars of chunk honey into the freezer.  The point is to get wax moth eggs below freezing so that no little critters hatch out in a jar you've sold or given to someone.  Honey does fine in the freezer - doesn't crystallize, etc.  I suppose I wouldn't want to leave it there forever, but I usually leave it for 24 hours or 48 - doesn't seem to matter.

Here's the post on chunk honey:
http://beekeeperlinda.blogspot.com/2007/06/harvesting-chunk-honey.html

The only important hive configuration is to have new comb - new that season.  It's an advantage of using foundationless frames because all of your comb is new comb. 

Medium frames are the best for this, I think.  I pick and choose in a frame to find the prettiest section - it's why medium frames work great.  A shallow super takes the height of the comb of the full frame to cut a chunk for a jar.  You have a little leeway with a medium frame so that you can pick the prettiest part of the comb.

From a honey contest point of view and just for pretty presentation, you want the chunk to fill the jar to the fill line.  I really don't like seeing "chunk honey" that truly is a small chunk of honey floating all catty-whumpus in the jar.


Linda T in Atlanta

[Brian D. Bray]

If you decide to do traditional comb honey using Ross rounds or square bass wood boxes you need to force the bees.
The way to do that is to sandwich the comb honey super between 2 other honey supers.
Once they start working the combs well more comb honey boxes can be added.
Manipulation of individual comb boxes is often required, moving them into the center from the sides.
The center 4-5 frames will look nice but the outer combs will look half done in comparison, that's why the manipulation is necessary.

[sc-bee]

Thanks for all the replies!

I just want to try a few jars of chunk honey (Using shallows). Folks always ask about it. I have a friend they worry to death about it and when he has it he can't get rid of it.

I like the idea about freezing the jars- not alot of room for frames and super in my freezer. I was just wondering about moisture ---- Duh-the jar is sealed dummy

I am not into the show thing, but heard a hint one time on the comb honey. Heat the jar a little before you place the comb in and it helps stick it to the bottom.

[tillie]

I've tried heating the jars to keep the comb from floating (sealing the comb to the bottom of the hot jar) and it really didn't help anything although I have a friend who succeeds with that all the time.

The point of knowing and using show rules is not because you want to win blue ribbons.  The point of having rules for jarring honey for a show is to teach you how to jar your honey well.  So even if I am not entering a show, I still follow the principles of well-jarred honey as if I were entering, so that my honey will be the best it can be.

Good luck with your chunk honey - and BTW, the first time I did it, I cut all the comb from one super into chunks and then wondered how I was supposed to get the liquid to put around the chunk.  A good rule of thumb (learned from this and many other mistakes) is that it takes half of a super to fill the liquid part of the chunk honey - so cut half of your shallow super into chunks and make liquid honey to fill the surrounding jar with the other half.

Linda T in Atlanta

[sc-bee]

I extracted 11 supers today ---- we should be in a full flow but It don't look like it is happening. It's been a weird year. Weather continually back and forth if not raining.

Thought I would condense my strongest down and remove all remaining honey and see if they will draw a super of comb on thin foundation. I ain't had good luck with the foundationless thing.

Just trying to decide whether to remove the queen and open brood???