CUT COMB

[KONASDAD]

I will be placing one small super of cutcomb on each hive when the black locust blooms. What is the best place to put this super? 1st, 2nd top bottom etc. Any other suggestions appreciated too.

[Understudy]

I would say on top of another honey frame if possible. That way you can try to avoid brood in the cut comb.

I am very jealous of the fact that you have locust trees. I wanted to get one down here for me. However when my wife and I found out it's hurricane rating was almost zero and it gets large all I saw was the trunk of the tree in my roof after the next big hurricane.

Sincerely,
Brendhan

[KONASDAD]

I must have about a dozen w/in a few hundred yards. They are always losing limbs from wind as they are very brittle. They grow fast and become brittle when aging. Understand your wife's conscern.

[Scadsobees]

Wow Brendhan,
they must grow really fast to be big enough to damage your house with their trunk in a year!!

:O

BTW, approximately when is the bloom in the norther states?

Rick

[KONASDAD]

Last years locust bloom began the first week of May and ended w/in 4 weeks after a strong storm knocked'em out of commission w. haevy rains last year. This year looks like it will be a week earlier if I am interpreting their leaf buds accurately. The buds are just enalrging this morning as i look every day. In you area they should be blooming very shortly.

[tillie]

I agree with Brendhan about placing it above another honey super.  Also try to bring the frames in pretty close to when they are capped to keep the cappings white and beautiful (no bee footprints!)

Also I learned in a bee meeting about honey that the cut comb should go into the jar with the comb in the direction it hangs on the frame.  In other words with the comb slanted downward / \ . If you enter a honey contest with the comb slanting up, you will not get a ribbon!

Last year I didn't realize until bottling the comb honey that I needed almost as many frames of capped honey to do crush and strain with to fill the empty spaces in the jar around the comb.

You may already know all of that but I wish someone had told me ahead of time....

Linda T in Atlanta.