Author Topic: What to do after harvesting honey? (Read 4901 times)

tillie · « **on:** August 29, 2006, 10:34:53 pm »

I've harvested all my honey except for one full super that I'll do the weekend after Labor Day - great honey - I got 45 pounds the first weekend from two supers and 28 pounds this past weekend from one super. The first weekend harvest was dark red tulip poplar honey and the second week was much lighter with a lighter taste and a tart ending to the taste....loved it!

I had one knee sting the first time and this past weekend got stung on my eyelid - really crazy looking face for two days.

I put the empty frames (I crushed and strained and/or cut comb) back in the hives for the bees to clean up. They've done that and the frames and supers that I harvested are now off of the hives.

Do I add new supers and frames of wax foundation to the hives? Or is the year over with? I can't find in the books what to do at this point. I think we have a small honey flow in the fall of not nice tasting honey, but don't know whether I should prepare for this or not???

Linda T befuddled in Atlanta

EOHenry · « **Reply #1 on:** August 29, 2006, 10:56:34 pm »

You should let the colony keep the fall flow for their own consumption thru the winter. You let them build up as much as they can in the brood boxes especially since it is a 1st year colony. I usually wait until after Labor Day up here in Mich. before I remove and extract my supers and then let them clean up and save all they gather for the winter consumption. We also have a bitter nector flow from ragweed flowers.

Henry

tillie · « **Reply #2 on:** August 29, 2006, 11:08:16 pm »

Each of my two hives has a not-full super on it that has been there since late July (we've had a bad drought in Atlanta this summer). And one still has a full super that I haven't taken off yet - I'm waiting to do it with some friends' children so they can take honey home with them that they crushed and strained.

So it sounds like I should now start crowding the hive a little so that they store mostly in the brood areas? Does that mean I should remove the not-full supers that are still on from July?

Linda T so glad for the help in Atlanta

Finsky · « **Reply #3 on:** August 29, 2006, 11:13:59 pm »

Tillie! You should follow hives, do they fill combs again, how much they have room for brood and food. If bees are all in and bees have free combs there it it Ok.

Before autumn feed bees with sugar syrup so they fill brood combs with winter food.

I suppose that you have real summer there for long time and you need not to hurry up with hives.

It takes only one week when you put hives in winter condition and feed them with sugar. I start that today here in Far North

Brian D. Bray · « **Reply #4 on:** August 30, 2006, 12:40:28 am »

I believe EOHenry has related the standard practice here in the states. Feeding a few gallons or so of syrup in mid-late September will help them load up the excess comb in the brood frames. If you decide the remove the super that's been there since July you might try placing some of those frames into the hives, especially where there may be frames that still haven't been drawn out yet.

Finsky · « **Reply #5 on:** August 30, 2006, 12:52:00 am »

Quote from: Brian D. Bray

I believe EOHenry has related the standard practice here in the states.

USA is really wast country and it is odd if you have "state standard" what you do after extracting. :shock:

Brian D. Bray · « **Reply #6 on:** August 30, 2006, 01:13:46 am »

Not a state standard but a maybe more properly called a common practice in most states of the USA. When it comes to beekeeping it might even be called a world wide practice of harvesting at the end of the summer season.
After extracting there is bottling and selling and getting things ready for next year.

TwT · « **Reply #7 on:** August 30, 2006, 01:58:35 am »

fall flow here in Ga can be a very big flow, a single hive can fill 3 supers in the fall with goldenrod honey and like last year every hive filled about 1 and 1/2 supers, it wasnt that good a fall flow because of drought and weather, we have a few more weeks before it blooms but I will put my supers on again just incase we have a good flow, there are a lot of people that love goldenrod honey, the amount that your hives will get will also be determined on how much goldenrod you have in your area, a lot here around me in farm country.....

Finsky · « **Reply #8 on:** August 30, 2006, 03:40:51 am »

We have had especially hot and rdy summer. Canola gived very small yield. We have had only some rainy days during 3 months.

I have nursed bees 45 years but never I have met that in August, when we have no flowers, honeydew are so much on trees. Bees have foraged honeydew like during best flowering time.

I take away honey from nucs and i gived empty combs that queen makes brood there, but after one week combs were full of honey.

Mici · « **Reply #9 on:** August 30, 2006, 03:58:52 am »

everyone around here are saying that this year, was a special year, a yield that happens only on every 50 years or so. some were kidding that this year every darn pole is giving mana and nectar. one some days a yield was up to 4kg, i don't really know how much the average yield per hive was but i'm sure it is close to 100kg

tillie · « **Reply #10 on:** August 30, 2006, 07:38:48 am »

Thanks for the local info, Twt. I'll put the supers back on as soon as I can, then. Maybe the partially filled ones now on the hive will in fact be filled then and I'll wait to make a decision about them.

Even in Keith Delaplane's book (and he's a local boy - even gives talks at my Metro Beekeep meetings every once in a while!) there's no advice about the fall flow!

Linda T