How to produce
Section and Comb Honey
A talk by Don Streatfield of Alveston, Thornbury, South Gloucestershire
Date: Thursday
4 November 1999
Venue: Church Rooms,
Stow on the Wold
Why do it?
·
It generates revenue!
A British Standard Frame full of capped honey can be cut into 5 x 8
ounce pieces selling at £2.50 each. Each Super can therefore generate about
£112.
This compares with about 25lbs of honey if spun off at £2 per lb
therefore generating £50.
·
There is big demand
Section honey is very popular. At time of writing, the honey stall at Bristol Farmers Market is selling circa 60lbs of honey and 15 x 8 ounce section packets per day.
Producing Comb
Honey
1. Develop Drawn Out
Foundation
Use unwired, thin foundation. In spring, put on a Super without a Queen
excluder. Ensure that a minimum of 2 combs in the middle of the Super are drawn
out. Spray these middle combs with sweetener.
Only put the Queen excluder on at the end of June.
The bees are much healthier when they are drawing foundation. This
gives the young bees something to do as this is what they are physiologically
made to do.
Useful Tip: Always have a sheet of un-drawn foundation in the Brood
Chamber. This reduces the tendency to swarm.
2. Developing Fat Comb
Need to ensure that the comb is drawn out wide enough - nice and fat!
Ensure that start with 11 Frames and put them close enough together. In
mid-May, take out the 2 other frames thus reducing the number to the necessary
9. Keep out the 2 removed frames for use later in the summer.
3. Cutting Comb
Place the comb still in the Frame onto a sheet of glass or very clean surface. Cut around the drawn out comb. Keep the whole block on the clean smooth surface.
Put your stainless steel Block Cutter (8oz or 12oz) into a tub of
boiling water. Draw out of the water, shake dry and cut the comb into sections.
Transfer the cut section straight into the box and drop from cutter.
Ensure that the box is clean and rigid.
Producing
Section Honey
Obtain the wooden strips from which to build small squares to hold comb. Make up boxes.
Obtain thin comb in small squares and insert into strips in the Super.
OR
Buy specially adapted Super Frames for Sections. These have a special cover to go across the face to stop the bees building across from Super to Super.
When
are conditions right to get bees to fill out the Sections.
· Big Colony and Honey Flow
Need a very strong colony of 1 ½ - 2 Brood Chamber size. Then shake the bees down into one Brood Chamber and immediately put on a Section Frame.
Best at time of Lime and Blackberry Flow.
· Swarm and Honey Flow
The best results come from a medium to big swarm. Put the swarm into a shallow frame Brood Chamber and then put a Section frame on it. The swarm will draw out the wax very quickly.
References
Taylor, Richard Comb Honey “A Wonderful Read”
Spear, Lloyd Simplified Comb Honey Production Beekeeping in a Nutshell Number 50
