Well, I am planning ahead this year (sort of!) and wanted to ask a couple questions about honey - pulling it, straining it, and storing it. Last year my hives did well enough, and I crushed comb and all, straining the honey. Honestly, the crushing and straining was a pain in the behind, and pretty messy to boot! With my hives increasing this year, I want to be more efficient.
Can I pull honey supers through the year and work them as they get full, or is there an advantage to leaving them on the hives? Last year I kept stacking supers and pulled everything in the fall - but pulling them earlier would be useful for me. The fall gets pretty busy with other harvests, and if I can pull supers as they are filled, that is what I will do.
Last year some of my honey granulated - what steps might I take to avoid this? I strained the honey and bottled it in Mason jars, but a number of the jars became fully granulated. Any advice on avoiding this is appreciated.
I know most everyone is focused on the spring and summer management of their hives, but I appreciate any advice on managing the production of honey in an efficient manner. (I have four hives, so this is a hobby-scale operation.)
Charles Fry
Fry Farms