[2hives]

What would be the preferred way to crush comb and drain the honey when you have capped comb on plasticell foundation? Just scrape the comb off the plastic foundation into a straining apparatus? I may go this route vs. extracting, since I only have 2 hives, and don't want to invest in an extractor at this point. I'm also not sure about asking someone if I could "borrow" their's. In my county BK assosiation there are many members who would have extractors, but is it proper to ask someone you only see once a month if you can rent or borrow an extractor? Does anyone know if Brushy Mount. rents them? I'm only 2 hrs. from them.
Right now I have 3 med. supers capped, with 2 more being worked on by my girls. I believe this translates to somewhere around 200 lbs. of honey, assuming 5 med. supers capped. If my colonies do well through the winter, I might just put in new wax found. and let them draw it all out next year. Any advise or suggestions?

 

[Michael Bush]

>What would be the preferred way to crush comb and drain the honey when you have capped comb on plasticell foundation? Just scrape the comb off the plastic foundation into a straining apparatus?

That's what I would do. A double bucket strainer is what I use.

>I may go this route vs. extracting, since I only have 2 hives, and don't want to invest in an extractor at this point.

I would do it before I would buy an extractor for that number of hives.

>I'm also not sure about asking someone if I could "borrow" their's. In my county BK assosiation there are many members who would have extractors, but is it proper to ask someone you only see once a month if you can rent or borrow an extractor?

Certainly. Just remember it is a big investment for them and they may not want you taking it home and it's a big mess and a lot of work to extract. But it doesn't hurt to ask.

>Does anyone know if Brushy Mount. rents them? I'm only 2 hrs. from them.

I don't know.

>Right now I have 3 med. supers capped, with 2 more being worked on by my girls. I believe this translates to somewhere around 200 lbs. of honey, assuming 5 med. supers capped.

Close enough.

>If my colonies do well through the winter, I might just put in new wax found. and let them draw it all out next year. Any advise or suggestions?

7/11 surplus is nice, especially if you aren't using an excluder. The queen doesn't like to lay in it and you can just make cut comb or crush and strain. Walter T. Kelly has it. Any surplus foundation is ok if you are using an excluder. But don't put the foundation in until just before you put it on the hive, and don't put it on the hive until the bees need it or the foundation will warp and buckle.

Starter strips instead of full sheets, help with this. Or, better yet, foundationless frames. Just rip the corner off of a 1 by to make a 1" x 3/4" x 3/4" triangle and nail this on the bottom of the top bar. No more foundation to put in, no more buckled foundation.

 

[topbee]

Before you destroy all the comb, I would ask the other beekeepers in your association to maybe assist you in extracting or someone may have a two frame to borrow you.

That is what a beekeepers association is for. To learn and help each other in our beekeeping adventures. I have a two frame extractor that I borrow to folks all the time. Your bees work too hard to produce the comb. By extracting you would have drawn comb to put on right away for next year and maybe catch the early nectar flow.

Remember, it's o.k. to ask for help. We realize that beekeeping is not cheap and it is also frustrating at times, but maybe if someone helps out with the smaller folks, it might promote more people to start keeping bees.

Good Luck!

Tony

 

[2hives]

Thanks, Michael and Tony.

For Michael: I'm not familiar with "7/11 surplus". Is that a certain kind of foundation?

 

[Michael Bush]

http://go.netgrab.com/secure/kelleystore/asp/product.asp?product=114

Surplus is any thin light colored wax foundation made for comb honey.

7/11 is a cell size. It's actually about 5.9mm. This is too big for a worker (natural worker size is between 4.7mm and 5.0mm and the "normal" artificially enlareged bees worker size is between 5.3mm and 5.5mm) and too small for a drone ("standard" drone foundation is 6.6mm), so the queen doesn't like to lay in it. If she does, she will lay drones, but usually she doesn't.

 

[chemistbert]

You can also uncap the frames and let gravity and warm air do the extracting for you. Takes forever but works. No expense either.

 

[Oxankle]

Coyote:
Get a tub, an ordinary washtub or something like that. Cut a piece of 1x2 long enough to cross it and put blocks on the end so that it will stay in place. Drive a nail up thru it so that it sticks up in the middle of the tub. Cut the nail off short and file it semi-blunt, but not so blunt that a frame end will slip off it.

Sit on a chair next to the tub. hold the frame by one end, put the other end on the nail so you can spin the frame as needed.

Go to work, either scraping comb or uncapping with your knife.
Ox