Need help on doing comb honey into jars

[thomas]

Hello

Well i have made up my mine to go and take a super of honey and make it comb honey but i do not have a extractor to sling some of the honey out. I want to do comb honey by me cutting the comb into sections to put in jars should i let it drain after i cut it into sections and will it fill the middle up with honey i have never done this before i need all the advice i can get.



Tom

[berkshire bee]

Tom, If you're using jars you'd usually do chunk honey which is a jar of liquid honey with chunks of comb honey in it. If you just want to do comb honey for your own use, you can lay the frame on a sheet of waxed paper or something to keep things fairly clean and cut around the comb. I assume you have wireless foundation, but if it's wired you can cut around the wires. Then cut into whatever sizes you'd like and wrap in plastic or put into small containers and pop them in the freezer. They's be ready when you want a sweet snack

[thomas]

Hello

I plan on doing the chunk honey thing but like i said i do not have a extractor. What would be the best way to do the chunk honey because i have people and thats what they want to buy I have really two supers that need to come off but i was going to do the one without the wire and i will try to borrow some one extractor for the other super that has wire in it but i guess i could buy some cheap containers and do it the way you suggested and sale it like that it may come out a whole lot better for me since this super has only nine frames.


Tom

[nursebee]

It is tough to do chunk in jars sans extractor. You have to ruin/squeeze some of your comb to get some liquid. It is advantageous to know other beeks in your area to borrow equipment.

[Curtis]

Thomas I have an extractor that you can use.
Curtis

[Primo]

I don't know how much it matters to you but the foundation for comb honey (or cutl comb) is much thinner than the wired foundation you use in the brood chamber or wired honey super frames.

[Michael Bush]

Cut a cardboard template so you know how big to cut the combs. Do crush and strain to harvest the liquid to put in the jars.

http://www.bushfarms.com/beesharvest.htm

[Hill's Hivery]

Just be sure to freeze the comb before selling it to prevent wax moth larvae in the jars. A little tid bit I learned from another beek that forgot.

I guess the people were a little upset when they noticed worms in their honey. (Is that anything like the taquila worm?)

[Tillie]

I've got some good pictures on my blog of how to cut comb:

http://beekeeperlinda.blogspot.com/2...phase-one.html

How to crush and strain the honey that goes around the comb:
Part one: http://beekeeperlinda.blogspot.com/2...oney-comb.html

Part two: http://beekeeperlinda.blogspot.com/2...ing-honey.html

There are other pictures on my site as well, but those will get you started.
Cutting comb is great fun.

Like Michael says, you do have to have filtered honey to put around the comb in the jar. I found that it takes 1/2 the frames in a super to cut and then the other half to have enough of the same honey to fill the jar around the comb.

Note about freezing: it doesn't matter if you freeze the honey before or after you bottle it....the wax moth eggs aren't going to rise up and come out of the comb - they are just going to die, so I froze mine in the jars for 24 hours after bottling - it worked better for the space in my freezer.

Linda T in Atlanta

[Budster]

"I guess the people were a little upset when they noticed worms in their honey."

Tell them to just pick them out or eat around them if they dont like it... ;-)

I did see your blog Linda. I didnt realize you could get 22 pint jars from a super. I'm gonna have my work cut out (as well as my jar bill) this season!!!

[thomas]

Hello

I want to thank you all for this information and beek linda i am glad you sent me those pic's now i have and idea of what i need i bought me some cheese cloth i hope this does the same and i have quart jars and now i went to check on my first hive to see how they were doing on thier second super and they have that just about capped over so that will give me three supers my third hive is working slowly on thier second super but right at this time i am going to do only two supers i still have sourwood to come in. But i do have this to ask you should i cut out one super and then crush and strain the other one since one of them has the wire foundation in it or vice versa.

Tom

[Tillie]

If it would be of more help, I harvested honey today and made a video of doing crush and strain (not chunk although I'll do that and video it soon), but simple crush and strain.

Here's the link:

http://beekeeperlinda.blogspot.com/2...nd-strain.html

Happy honey harvest,

Linda T in Atlanta