frames half filled with honey

filmmlif · March 08, 2006, 10:20:53 AM

i had 3 hive not make it thru the winter and each has maybe 5 half filled frames of honey...what do i do with it? i don't need the frmaes for feeding the 2 hives that made it and it seems like too little honey to extact...i need advice becuase the comb look pretty good.
fyi, i lost the hives to mites...the surviving hives are looking good and strong.

Finsky · March 08, 2006, 10:48:15 AM

When it is time to put on honey super, put those honey frames in the middle of brood area. If you give them during bad weather bees consume part of honey.

First tear open wax cappings.

filmmlif · March 08, 2006, 11:51:37 AM

i don't have storage for the frames...any suggestions on how or where i keep them for a few months?

amymcg · March 08, 2006, 03:51:27 PM

you could put them in the freezer.

Or just shove them into a spare hive body

Jack Parr · March 09, 2006, 08:03:23 AM

Quote from: filmmlifi had 3 hive not make it thru the winter and each has maybe 5 half filled frames of honey...what do i do with it? i don't need the frmaes for feeding the 2 hives that made it and it seems like too little honey to extact...i need advice becuase the comb look pretty good.
fyi, i lost the hives to mites...the surviving hives are looking good and strong.

If there is nothing obviously wrong with the frames of honey I would put them on the stack adove the excluder, if you use one. You are close to seeing the end of the cold weather in your area and soon the nectar gathering period will be in full swing.

I left two medium supers with some half filled frames of honey overwinter and they are fine. The bees should continue filling the comb. Actually our winter has been almost non-existant this year and nectar gathering is going on as we speak, where I live.

The mites are not in the honey supers, I don't think?

Finsky · March 09, 2006, 11:09:05 AM

Quote from: Jack ParrThe bees should continue filling the comb.

I suppose that honey is crystallized. No idea to excract them.

Jack Parr · March 09, 2006, 09:25:37 PM

Quote from: Finsky
Quote from: Jack ParrThe bees should continue filling the comb.

I suppose that honey is crystallized. No idea to excract them.

:?: If the honey is crystallized, what do you do with it?

I have some frames with some nectar, uncapped, in the cells however I did not really check to see if in fact it is crystallized. We don't have the cold weather as you do.