[gman1001]

So, my 2nd year all mediums hive swarmed, caught the buggers, now I have a new hive but I had hoped the original hive was going to be my big producer.

So I have many frames in the original hive with honey on them, but I'd say equal parts brood pollen & honey. Then I found one frame that is maybe 90% honey. I WANT IT FOR ME!

There is some pollen and then on along the bottom of the frame there appears to be maybe 20 or so unhatched drone cells. Questions are:

- Of the honey cells, ~25% is uncapped, wait for the bees to cap before harvesting?
- Drone cells, wait for them to hatch or sacrifice them? Again, there isn't allot, just maybe two rows at bottom of the frame and only a small % are capped with brood.
- Pollen cells, how do I handle them? There isn't allot of them, and the pollen appears to be at the bottom of the cells.

Thanks all, I just did so much work to get this hive through winter and mentally I just want something out of it. Also want to show the kids what the work was for too before they start thinking that its all just work and there is no payoff!

 

[Aucoop94]

They might not cap the remaining if it's in the brood chamber. Are they backfilling? Could be the reason for the swarming. Might want to consider putting that frame into the new swarm hive. It's still pretty early in the season up there so you could wait a little while before harvesting..."patience grasshopper".

If you do harvest, all the other stuff will filter out if you strain it.

 

[David LaFerney]

Excess pollen in your unfiltered honey will settle to the bottom - brood though... That's what excluders are for.

 

[burns375]

I wouldn't harvest the frame you describe. Brood is a big no no for me, I don't want larva guts in my honey. I harvest frames that are mostly capped, generally if the cell is full and passes shake test. With a little experience you can tell if the frame is ready.

 

[Stonewall]

I'm not sure if this good or bad, but it's what I do. Place the frame in the hive, above a queen excluder, give the brood time to erupt. At that point one has a frame of honey with a little pollen in it. Not much good for comb honey, but fine for extracted or crush and drain honey. One should get about 3 pounds of honey from that, a small but nice reward.

 

[ForrestB]

I understand the desire to get SOMETHING...

If it were me, I would wait until the drone hatches and the remaining honey is capped and then harvest. I wouldn't worry about the pollen - Just filter the honey, or let it settle....

Cheers

 

[flhultra]

move it to the side 1 or 10 spot and wait a little longer.