[AHudd]

While I try not to be overly effusive, I believe credit should be given when it is due.
I had been thinking of trying to produce cut comb honey for awhile. While doing research on the topic I came across Michael Palmer's video of a talk he gave at a honey show on the subject.
I unabashedly copied his jig used for installing the thin surplus foundation and the tip about cutting the foundation short so it doesn't contact the bottom bar.

Here is the result.

If you want to produce cut comb, I highly recommend watching his videos.

Thank you,
Alex

 

[JWPalmer]

Alex, have you ever tried just going foundationless for your cut comb honey? I am trying it myself this year and so far I have several nice combs drawn and mostly capped. Nothing but a medium frame with a waxed starter strip.

 

[AHudd]

I tried that last fall, but we did not have a good flow due to lack of rain. I used a frame as you decribed. The bees started but just didn't get anywhere with it. I was going to save Goldenrod chunk honey till this year and cut it into sections to pour Spring honey around it so customers could have both in one jar, yet retain the unique flavors of both.
Maybe this fall.

This is as far as they got. Yes, pitiful.

Alex

 

[JWPalmer]

Agreed on the pitiful. About how well my bees did last year too. This year is much better and I am looking forward to my first really decent honey harvest. First year for cut comb too as one of my wife's friends expressed a strong interest. I only have ten foundationless frames deployed out of around 280 total and not all are being worked yet.

 

[psm1212]

Pretty frame of honey.

 

[ruthiesbees]

getting bars of cut comb from a topbar hive with no foundation are pretty easy for me now.

I've added a few frame hives this year and they just don't draw out foundationless comb like a topbar hive does. Wondering if it has something to do with the fact that the bars touch in a TBH so there is no space at the top between the wood.

I will run full size TBH's with a one year old queen that I made the prior summer. Pull her around the end of April right when we are in the middle of the strongest flow to let that hive make queen cells. Divey out all the bars with queen cells to make nucs and leave one or two for that hive to requeen and they focus on pulling in the nectar and capping a ton of honey (so you don't worry about brood in the combs). Will try and get some photos when I harvest in about 3 weeks.

 

[AHudd]

psm1212,

Thank you. It's nice when a plan comes together.

Alex

 

[AHudd]

That does look good. I used Snelgrove boards to stop swarming and to crowd the foragers into the supers. After new Queens were made in the top box I removed the old Queen from the bottom into a split. One colony swarmed twice anyway, so it is on the eliminate list.
I suppose the top bar hive more closely resembles what they would move into on their own, with what looks like a solid ceiling, as you mentioned.
I hope the rest of your season goes well.

Alex