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Author Topic: Newbie with upcoming extraction  (Read 3062 times)

Offline dalewills

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Newbie with upcoming extraction
« on: February 11, 2016, 10:01:32 pm »
Hi guys,

Am hoping to get some advice on an appropriate method for my first extraction.
I have hive that consists of 2x8 frame deep brood boxes and 1x8 frame ideal honey super. I added the ideal about 2 weeks ago after discovering that the bees had had a very productive few weeks and it became apparent that they would need more room.
So in a couple of weeks time I'm banking on extracting 8 ideal frames of honey. How should I go about this? I am a member of a local beekeeping club who hire out an extractor but I question whether its worth going to this extent for such a small amount. There is the crush and strain method or the comb honey option but this will push back my next extraction as the bees will then have to draw out new comb.
I'm sure lots of you have been in a similar situation when you first started out and am willing to offer me some suggestions and advice.

thanks in advance

Dale

Offline iddee

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Re: Newbie with upcoming extraction
« Reply #1 on: February 11, 2016, 10:23:07 pm »
Buy another super.   :grin:

8 frames should give you about 12 kilo of honey, or 8 liters. That should be enough to extract. The drawn comb left for the bees to refill is like gold.
"Listen to the mustn'ts, child. Listen to the don'ts. Listen to the shouldn'ts, the impossibles, the won'ts. Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me . . . Anything can happen, child. Anything can be"

*Shel Silverstein*

Offline dalewills

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Re: Newbie with upcoming extraction
« Reply #2 on: February 11, 2016, 10:50:56 pm »
Thanks iddee.......is that 12kg based off 8 ideal frames? and r u saying that I should be adding another super?

Cheers Dale

Offline iddee

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Re: Newbie with upcoming extraction
« Reply #3 on: February 11, 2016, 11:32:48 pm »
I'm not sure, but I think an ideal is 6 5/8 inch. If so, then yes, that's what I am basing it on. They can fill 10 deep frames of drawn comb in 10 days. One per day. That's 9 5/8 inch deep. I don't know how long your season is going to last.
"Listen to the mustn'ts, child. Listen to the don'ts. Listen to the shouldn'ts, the impossibles, the won'ts. Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me . . . Anything can happen, child. Anything can be"

*Shel Silverstein*

Offline PhilK

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Re: Newbie with upcoming extraction
« Reply #4 on: February 12, 2016, 12:25:09 am »
G'day mate, where abouts are you in Australia?

We did our first extraction not long ago. It was 8 deep frames and ended up being about 14-15kg of honey. We were going to do the crush and strain method but decided on hiring an extractor and I'm really glad we did! It was super easy and quick that way, and the freshly extracted combs went back into the hive for the bees to use again - they had them repaired, cleaned, and storing nectar again in a matter of a few days.

Offline chorrylan

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Re: Newbie with upcoming extraction
« Reply #5 on: February 12, 2016, 12:53:15 am »
I'd take iddee's suggestion and add a super.
Adding a super means that at the end of summer you end up with:
 - at least one additional box of drawn frames
 - enough honey to make extraction using an extractor borrowed from the club 'worthwhile'
 - hindsight to tell you how long the flow lasted and whether later flows kicked in and hence how much honey you're leaving the bees for winter rather than having to guess this ahead of time in your first year of beekeeping

If it's your only hive (which I'm guessing might be the case) then I'd probably add a FD super to get drawn frames suitable for a nuc/second hive, otherwise an ideal super to match the one you have already.

If you have a desperate need to harvest some honey, being the first extraction and all, then grab a single frame and crush/strain it to satisfy your urge :-)

Offline Rurification

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Re: Newbie with upcoming extraction
« Reply #6 on: February 12, 2016, 10:32:04 am »
Welcome to the forum!   As you see, there are a lot of friendly and helpful people here.  Congratulations on your harvest.     Crush and strain is easy and a great way to harvest.   And then you have wax for candles, soap, balms, etc. 
Robin Edmundson
www.rurification.com

Beekeeping since 2012

Offline SlickMick

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Re: Newbie with upcoming extraction
« Reply #7 on: February 12, 2016, 11:54:17 pm »
Welcome to the forum!   As you see, there are a lot of friendly and helpful people here.  Congratulations on your harvest.     Crush and strain is easy and a great way to harvest.   And then you have wax for candles, soap, balms, etc.

I would agree with Rurification's comments.

With only a handful of hives I had always found extraction was problematic especially with a hand turned extractor.

Once I discovered crush and strain it took the hassles out of harvesting.

Mick

Offline Honeycomb king

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Re: Newbie with upcoming extraction
« Reply #8 on: February 19, 2016, 06:00:25 am »
Ideal box 145mm to 147mm.
Frame internal wax usable space. (If that makes sense) 105 to 110 mm.
An ideal is half the usable comb space of our "full depth".
10 kg as a count, but I have had frames uncapped weighing in at 3kg.
As to should you extract etc, would need to know hive location and how many frames of bees, brood pollen and honey In your brood boxes.what is currently flowering and what is next to flower. It's not a question of whether you want the honey it whether the bees need it.
Let us know those things.but while your in th ed hive finding those things under super th ed ideal with another ideal.

Offline Jedda

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Re: Newbie with upcoming extraction
« Reply #9 on: February 21, 2016, 12:02:46 am »
Excuse me for being such a newbie that I haven't even done a proper extraction yet. But I've heard another method for doing a small batch of frames is to decap one side of a frame and leave it laying over a tub to allow the honey drip out, then decap the other side and repeat. It's a slow process but allows you to save the comb. I've only had the experience of crushing and straining comb from a cutout so far.

Offline azzkell

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Re: Newbie with upcoming extraction
« Reply #10 on: February 21, 2016, 08:23:24 am »
Hi Jedda. No need to be excused,  everyone was a newbee at some point.
That method does kinda work, I did exactly that for a few frames  but it does take a considerable time to get out and does not work well in cooler weather. But for just a frame or two here and there it is fine and any left over the bees will appreciate being returned to them. They will collect and re deposit into the cells, don't leave in the open as it can attract other bees and may result in your hive being robbed.
Hot tip: use a container that has a completely flat internal bottom as this makes it easier to use a spatula to scrape out the honey.
Enjoy
Aaron.