🐝💗Our Backyard Beekeeping Journey!💗🐝

[R2elk]

Rabbit Brush

No honeybees

Sagebrush

No honeybees

Sweet Clover

Honeybee

 

[cavemanrich]

Simple question, obviously from a non bee keeper.
After you extract the honey, the wax remains in the frames. What do you do with the wax??
I am aware peeps do make candles from it,, But can it be just left there, and bees will refill it with new honey next time???
Seems it would save the bees much additional effort to just gather honey, not also wax matter.

Second part of question;
Has anyone experimented making synthetic honeycomb frames, to save bees the wax production work, and concentrate on bringing in the sweet honey products.

Always thinking of helping out,, even the Bees

 

[R2elk]

After you extract the honey, the wax remains in the frames. What do you do with the wax??
I am aware peeps do make candles from it,, But can it be just left there, and bees will refill it with new honey next time???

The cappings which are removed to let the honey be extracted are the wax used to make candles, etc.

The cells are left for the bees to refill.

 

[R2elk]

Second part of question;
Has anyone experimented making synthetic honeycomb frames, to save bees the wax production work, and concentrate on bringing in the sweet honey products.

Synthetic "frames" and foundation are made. The synthetic foundation is coated with bees wax to give the bees a starting place to build their cells.

I have not heard of anyone making synthetic cells which appears to be what you are asking.

 

[Apis mellifera]

Second part of question;
Has anyone experimented making synthetic honeycomb frames, to save bees the wax production work, and concentrate on bringing in the sweet honey products.

Always thinking of helping out,, even the Bees

Yes, you can get synthetic comb. I was given a few to try a couple of years ago and they work but the comb and cells didn't really hold their shape over the summer. They looked a little weird and I took them out the following spring. They may be better now, I'm not sure. It's not something I would use because healthy colonies have no problem drawing comb.

https://www.betterbee.com/foundation/bcombd10-bettercomb-drawn-comb.asp

 

[drstratton]

Rabbit Brush
View attachment 4226552
No honeybees

Sagebrush
View attachment 4226553
View attachment 4226554
No honeybees

Sweet Clover
View attachment 4226555
Honeybee

So far no honeybees on the sagebrush, but they are all over our Rabbit Brush.

Rabbit Brush

Their pollen pouches are loaded with dark orange pollen.

Love the gif feature! Thank you again for the instruction.

Potentilla

They're still loving the Dahlias .

They are also on the Marigolds.

We still have a ton of other flowers blooming that they are on. Not enough to fully support 4 hives. Need to get our seeds planted!

 

[Sally PB]

They are also on the Marigolds.

I have not seen any honeybees on the marigolds. Bumble bees, gobs.

 

[drstratton]

We are back home. We'll be mixing up more sugar syrup tonight. I bought 125lbs at Costco today.

 

[drstratton]

I have not seen any honeybees on the marigolds. Bumble bees, gobs.

It kind of surprised me.

 

[Sally PB]

I was thinking of pulling up the marigolds. I plant them to help keep stink bugs off my tomatoes. I've pulled up all the tomato plants (early; the deer destroyed the 'mater patch), so I don't need the marigolds. They're still blooming, so I'll leave them in case the bees get interested.