I like to think that I am harvesting rather than robbing. It's not just semantics in my opinion. I am harvesting the honey the bees make above and beyond what they need to get through the winter. For me, that means any honey above the third brood box. If I were to take frames of honey from the brood boxes (which it sounds like you are doing since you are concerned about accidentally killing the queen,) then I would call that robbing since I would be taking the very food the bees are storing and rely upon to get them through the winter.
When I was in Maine, I generally harvested full supers of honey all at once in the fall. Here in PA, I'm thinking I might get two harvests, all full honey supers, not frame by frame. To much work to extract & clean up.
Wayne
When I was in Maine, I generally harvested full supers of honey all at once in the fall. Here in PA, I'm thinking I might get two harvests, all full honey supers, not frame by frame. To much work to extract & clean up.
Wayne