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Author Topic: harvesting honey  (Read 1857 times)

Offline gkempf

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harvesting honey
« on: September 02, 2005, 10:56:11 pm »
Hello everyone, i am a new beekeeper and was just wondering what time of the day i should harvest my supers? also i have a big hive in an old truck that has been sitting in the weeds for about 30 years, i set up a hive nearby because early this spring i saw them swarm in a nearby tree, if they swarm again will they go to the hive? :roll:

Offline bassman1977

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harvesting honey
« Reply #1 on: September 02, 2005, 11:24:01 pm »
Depends if they like the hive.  I have heard people catching swarms just by putting out some drawn comb in a super and letting it out during swarm season.

Another option is to get some queen pheremone.  From what I've seen on Animal Planet, that stuff works really well at attracting bees.

I plan to try both methods in the spring in two different locations.

As far as harvesting goes, I've never heard of a "best" time to do it.  If it were me, I would get the supers off in the afternoon when the most bees are in the fields.
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Online Michael Bush

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harvesting honey
« Reply #2 on: September 04, 2005, 12:03:53 am »
>Hello everyone, i am a new beekeeper and was just wondering what time of the day i should harvest my supers?

Anytime can do depending on the method you're using.  If you want to brush them off and take the combs they will be in a better mood with less bees in the middle of the afternoon.  If it's chilly at night you can pull them after dark when the bees have moved down to cluster (less than 50 F).  If there's a flow (not a dearth) you can pull them just before dark and set them on their sides so they are open and wait for dark when most of the bees will go back tothe hive.

> also i have a big hive in an old truck that has been sitting in the weeds for about 30 years, i set up a hive nearby because early this spring i saw them swarm in a nearby tree, if they swarm again will they go to the hive?

Bait hives are like fishing.  If you put a nice fish on a line and throw it in the river will you catch a big catfish?  Maybe.  Maybe not.

If you take a have that has had bees in it and put it there your odds will go up.  Some old comb in the hive and your odds will go up.  If you put a few drops of lemongrass essential oil on the top bars your odds will go up.  If you put a few drops of queen juice (I put all my old queens in a jar of alcohol and this the "queen juice" for swarm lure) on the top bars in addition to the lemongrass oil your odds will go up.

Will you catch a swarm?  Who knows.  Sometimes you do.
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