Sally's GF3 thread

[Sally PB]

So, with maybe a positive outcome on that bee hive,, do you think you need more bee housing on hand??
Meaning,, have an empty hive available when overcrowding happens?

You need a queen if you start a new hive. You can actually buy mated queens! They're about $65-80. Yes, for a bug.

What we would do is add another box on top of the stack. This is called "supering." The box for honey ("honey super") had what is called a "queen excluder" underneath it so that the queen (who is slightly bigger) can't get up there and lay eggs. You don't want brood in with the honey.

We do have another box and frames, so we're set for that.

 

[Sally PB]

The problem with all the rest of our boxes/frames is that the frames are new. This means that there is no comb on them. Bees spend a LOT of energy drawing out comb. There's a phrase among beekeepers: The queen is the queen, but comb is king.

If you have frames with drawn comb, the bees can get right to work making honey or rearing brood.

 

[cavemanrich]

They're about $65-80. Yes, for a bug.

That does sound pricey. I will ask my neighbor when I will see him. He keeps bees still......... I think
This was a couple years ago,,, but told me he was paying a Double Saw or less for his queens. Not sure of the variety,, but they made honey,,, (the workers of course)

 

[Sally PB]

Here's why queens aren't cheap.

The keeper has to raise them. They have to go on mating flights and return. An unmated queen is useless. A poorly mated queen is useless.

A friend of mine got a bunch of packages of bees (that's different than a nuc) and every hive he put them in failed. Why? because the queen was poorly mated. She wasn't laying enough fertilized eggs. Which means all/most that hatched were drones (males).

A drones ONLY function is to mate with a queen. He does nothing to help the hive. The workers groom him, feed him, clean up after him. Guys, if that sounds like a dream life, keep this in mind: After he mates, he dies. One shot deal and you're done.

 

[Sally PB]

Another reason why queens are so expensive: some beekeepers artificially inseminate her with specially raised bees' sperm to make her young have specific traits. A big one now is VSH, Varroa Sensitive Hygiene.

Varroa mites are the bane of beekeepers. They came on the scene in the 80s and kill/spread disease. The new bees are more aware of them, and groom them off ("sensitive hygiene").

Anything that will help get rid of varroa mites is a big bonus. This is an evolving knowledge/technology.

 

[NanaK]

But. We. Have. Honey!!!!

Congratulations!

 

[Sally PB]

Honey extraction will be a new process for us. When we bought our original equipment, it included an extractor. It's a bare bones model, and we'll see how it goes.

More educational info. This is basically what all non-commercial extractors look like on the outside.

The hive frames sit in holders and are spun around. Centrifugal force extracts the honey. There are hand crank and electric models. Ours is a hand crank.

There are two main ways the frame holders are arranged inside. One is like spokes of a wheel, and that is a radial design. My bee guy, Ed, has one that he had the kids in his fabrication class build for him. It's also electric. He has 16 hives, so he needs the capacity.

Our extractor holds two frames, and is what's called a "tangential" extractor. The side of the frames face out, instead of the edge.

Put the frames in, SECURE THE LID!, and crank-crank-crank. Flip the frames around and, oh, did I say, secure the lid? and crank crank crank. Take those frame out, put in the next two.

We have not had a "honey accident" but I've heard the stories at club meetings. I also heard it's about 5-7 minutes per side on the frames. So we're looking at 15 minutes (I'm a pessimist) times 4. We have 8 frames of capped honey.

The good news? This does NOT destroy the comb, so we put the empty frames back in, and bees clean up any bits of honey left behind, and they have all this nice drawn comb.

The better news? A frame can have 6 pounds of honey. A gallon of honey weighs about 12 pounds. Yes, we could have

FOUR GALLONS OF HONEY!!!

 

[ShrekDawg]

Honey extraction will be a new process for us. When we bought our original equipment, it included an extractor. It's a bare bones model, and we'll see how it goes.

More educational info. This is basically what all non-commercial extractors look like on the outside.
View attachment 4160790
The hive frames sit in holders and are spun around. Centrifugal force extracts the honey. There are hand crank and electric models. Ours is a hand crank.

There are two main ways the frame holders are arranged inside. One is like spokes of a wheel, and that is a radial design. My bee guy, Ed, has one that he had the kids in his fabrication class build for him. It's also electric. He has 16 hives, so he needs the capacity.

Our extractor holds two frames, and is what's called a "tangential" extractor. The side of the frames face out, instead of the edge.

Put the frames in, SECURE THE LID!, and crank-crank-crank. Flip the frames around and, oh, did I say, secure the lid? and crank crank crank. Take those frame out, put in the next two.

We have not had a "honey accident" but I've heard the stories at club meetings. I also heard it's about 5-7 minutes per side on the frames. So we're looking at 15 minutes (I'm a pessimist) times 4. We have 8 frames of capped honey.

The good news? This does NOT destroy the comb, so we put the empty frames back in, and bees clean up any bits of honey left behind, and they have all this nice drawn comb.

The better news? A frame can have 6 pounds of honey. A gallon of honey weighs about 12 pounds. Yes, we could have

FOUR GALLONS OF HONEY!!!

Awesome!!!!!!!!

 

[Sally PB]

If we do indeed get that much, I will be thinking about making my kombucha with honey. That would take some time, as you have "retrain" the SCOBY (Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast), which is the "mother" of the fermentation process. The bacteria in the SCOBY and the bacteria in honey don't play well together, so you have to make successive batches with a higher ratio of honey.

I would have to have a regular supply of our honey to do this. Honey sells for about $50/gallon, so that's why I've never done it. I make and drink a lot of kombucha.

 

[NanaK]

If you can, take pictures during the process. I would love to see!