Author Topic: Hot weather, deep frames, and harvesting honey  (Read 1295 times)

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Offline Noise Maker

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Hot weather, deep frames, and harvesting honey
« on: July 13, 2018, 03:27:00 pm »
So my bees made it through the winter. My frames are about 19 inches deep. I've had a few issues with heavy comb breaking off while inspecting and removing cross comb. One of the horses managed to knock over the hive on one of the coldest days of the year trying to get her blanket off, that caused some of the breakage I'm sure. Luckily the lid stayed on and being one of the coldest days of the year, I was not about to open it up, but I could still hear them buzzing away with my ear to the hive.

Without trying to find my source material that I got my information to build the hive and frames, I think some of them were what seems to me now too narrow to support the comb. About one inch wide I think. I wired some vertically, and some were open, with mixed results. The last set of frames I made were 1 1/4 and 1 1/2 inches wide to beef them up a bit, and I tapered the side pieces much lower, to give more support. A few I tried wiring horizontally, for support, as weaken comb cannot slide down the wire. A few I glued a thin starter strip at the top as a guide.

I know using foundation helps a lot in frames, but am suspect about the possibility of contaminated wax in commercial foundation. I now have a bit of wax that the sun is in the process of melting and dripping through a filter, and will be looking to make my own wax starter strips to help keep the comb straight and hopefully in the frame. At least I know there is nothing contaminating my wax, and it came from my own hives. Oh and I even put a horizontal wood strip in a few frames, halfway to add support. It's been almost a month since I added extra frames, which was about a month after I made the split. Anyone have any suggestions?

My second question is about when to harvest. I will be opening up the hives just to see how things are going in there in the next day or two. I don't plan on doing anything more except to look and possibly add more frames if needed. I'm wondering if now would be the time to harvest honey, and leave anything made after to help the bees get through the winter. On the other hand with the lack of rain and the fields drying up, should I wait on harvesting honey? I will be asking at our beekeeping meeting real soon, and will wait to hear what they have to say also. It will be my first harvest, and the only honey I have gotten so far is from broken comb.

I have been really enjoying the experience so far, even the parts where I am learning the hard way!!
I don't know what I'm doing, but am doing it with confidence.

Offline CBT

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Re: Hot weather, deep frames, and harvesting honey
« Reply #1 on: July 13, 2018, 09:05:32 pm »
How will you extract that honey they are putting up for you?

Offline apisbees

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Re: Hot weather, deep frames, and harvesting honey
« Reply #2 on: July 13, 2018, 11:28:30 pm »
Going foundation-less with no crimped wire support in the foundation  you should have 4 cross wires in a 9 1/8 frame and 2 wires in a 6 1/4 frame.  With out wires to support the wax from braking off sideways, you will continue to have frames bread till the bees draw the wax all the way out to the sides and bottom bars. The width of the top bar will not help much in keeping the comb from breaking if not wired properly.
Extract when frames or supers are full and mostly capped or when you take your honey off to do your mite treatments. mid to late August.
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Offline Mikey N.C.

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Re: Hot weather, deep frames, and harvesting honey
« Reply #3 on: July 15, 2018, 01:54:58 pm »
19" frames.
Was thinking crush & strain.

Offline Noise Maker

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Re: Hot weather, deep frames, and harvesting honey
« Reply #4 on: July 17, 2018, 03:53:26 pm »
Will be doing the crush and strain method. Thank you for the frame info also :)
I don't know what I'm doing, but am doing it with confidence.