Not sure I'd feed it back to them Paul, I wouldn't want the risk of them
restoring it and ruining other honey. Sounds like a bin job to me :)
A
On 11/06/2020 12:48, Oxnatbees wrote:
After cutting comb from bars I strain it, I did a short write up about how I do it here <https://oxnatbees.wordpress.com/2016/09/19/onbg-meeting-and-apiary-visit-10th-sept-2016/> (about half way down).
I have a lot to learn about honey. The last lot I took from our TBHs had a real mix of types, I think a fair bit was ivy and was basically solid plugs which will not liquefy. I didn't bother trying to strain it but put the combs in a sealed container and every now and then I open it and cut out some solid honey as best Ican from the comb for my toast. However there was a wax moth larva in there and it is no longer palatable... guess I'll feed it back to the bees once the rain is over by simply leaving the box open at the far end of the garden. (If I leave it open near the hives it may trigger robbing.)
Paul
On Thu, 11 Jun 2020 at 12:17, Stefanie Taeumer <stefanietaeumer@xxxxxxxxx <mailto:stefanietaeumer@xxxxxxxxx>> wrote:
Thanks Gareth, I wasn't aware that too much agitation would affect
the aroma of the honey that much. I will handle it more gently
next time!
Stefanie
On Thu, Jun 11, 2020 at 10:16 AM Gareth John
<dmarc-noreply@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:dmarc-noreply@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>>
wrote:
Bar width
The standard spacing, centre to centre, of combs in a Golden
Hive is 36mm. Bees like to make honey combs a bit wider than
brood combs. Apart from anything else it is more economical of
labour and wax to store honey is wider combs. It also makes
life easier for the honey robber (beekeeper) as there are
fewer combs to handle. I have experimented with super combs
in my Golden Hives at spacings between 45mm and 50mm centres.
At the top end of this range I find the bees insert extra
little combs in between, so I find around 46 or 47mm works
well. There is no need for huge accuracy but remember that
although 1mm seems a small amount to us, to a bee it is 1/6th
of its body width.
The frames need to have a bottom bar. Otherwise the comb will
be attached to the top bars of the box below. For comb guides
I run a bead of wax down the centre line of the top bars, or
round the centre of the rim of the roundels.
Harvesting
I cut the comb from the frames and place it in jars. I also
use a stainless steel small wine press to crush some of the
comb to get run honey to fill the gap between the cut comb and
the sides of the jar. I avoid agitation as much as possible
when creating run honey as the more the honey is disturbed the
more one loses the volatiles that give honeys their
distinctive aromas. Processing is best done in a warm kitchen
to aid honey flow; even a few degrees of extra warmth
massively increase the speed at which honey runs. But don’t
over-warm honey; one loses volatiles and also heating speeds
the formation of unwanted chemicals in the honey, such as
HMF. If I am warming honey I never do so above 40 deg C as
this is about the maximum temperature the honey will reach in
the hive while it is being processed.
If using roundels, they need to be a few mm _smaller_ in
diameter than the neck of the jar. Too tight a fit and it
gets messy, which obviates the beauty of the approach.
Human Factors
Negotiate with other users of the kitchen before handling any
quantities of honey. Careful planning of workspaces will
minimise honey on the floor but it can never be eliminated and
it walks everywhere on the soles of feet or shoes. In
particular, carpets don’t like honey. I keep a set of
footwear just for use in the kitchen when I am honey
processing and ensure the soles are meticulously clean before
I start. I know one US natural beekeeper who processes honey
almost naked to prevent it getting all over her clothes and to
keep cool in a warm kitchen!
Gareth
On 11 Jun 2020, at 09:43, Stefanie Taeumer
<stefanietaeumer@xxxxxxxxx
<mailto:stefanietaeumer@xxxxxxxxx>> wrote:
Hi Robin,
I have 2 National hives (I rushed into choosing those when a
friend offered me a swarm in 2017 and I felt more confident
starting with them as I had done a conventional beekeeping
course 3 years previously where they teach you mostly on
those. I am thinking of getting a top bar hive next), one of
which has 2 supers on at the moment. I took 3
(foundationless) fully capped frames out from the top super
last week and cut the comb out of the frames, put them in a
big bowl and mashed them up with a potato masher. I poured
the whole mess into a double metal strainer (from Thornes)
which I put over a honey bucket with a tap (also from
Thornes) and left it overnight, covered with a kitchen towel.
The next day I opened the tap and let the honey run into the
jars. It is quite a straightforward procedure but your
kitchen surfaces and floor can get a bit sticky if you are
not careful...
Stefanie
On Thu, Jun 11, 2020 at 8:52 AM Robin Colyer
<robin@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
<mailto:robin@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>> wrote:
This is inspirational. Thanks for sharing!
On a practical note, having so far only dreamt of the
honey harvesting bit, what are the favoured methods in
this group? Do you do any kind of pressing or mashing, or
do you just put the cut comb straight into jars?
Robin
