bee culturing advise

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I don't expect any honey this first year with package bees. Nonetheless, I'd like some tips on extracting without an extractor. It may be some time—if ever—before I invest in such a costly piece of equipment. My foundation is plastic covered with wax—not the best, but free with the kits I purchased. Mind you, I also do not have access to a uncapping knife. I've seen some gravity methods and heard of cutting of the caps with a hot kitchen knife or just an uncapping fork. What's your method? Thanks in advance!

 
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Rick said:
We planted stuff for the bees and they couldn't care less. The stuff in the yard is rarely visited by my bees. They fly out of the hives and up and away.
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Haha! I've read (oh my goodness, I've read all the way through, and skimmed a couple, of more than 15 bee books!) that honey bees tend to fly farther away from their hives, saving the nearby plants for bad weather, emergencies, or nectar dearths. Seriously though, my darling lady bees, if you don't harvest the nectar from those painstakingly planted flowers, some other bee will!!!!!

I've also read that each bee has a preference to where they forage, and which plant they forage. Honey bees have a remarkable "culture."

jamurfjr said:
I don't expect any honey this first year with package bees. Nonetheless, I'd like some tips on extracting without an extractor. It may be some time—if ever—before I invest in such a costly piece of equipment. My foundation is plastic covered with wax—not the best, but free with the kits I purchased. Mind you, I also do not have access to a uncapping knife. I've seen some gravity methods and heard of cutting of the caps with a hot kitchen knife or just a uncapping fork. What's your method? Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...
If you are using plastic comb, I think that your only option will be extracting. Look around and use your search engine. Some bee clubs have extractors that you can share or rent. Some bee equiptment companies sell 2nd hand extractors, or let you rent theirs. My favorite bee books are very informational, informative, and offer solutions to many problems. My two favorites are:

  • The Beekeeper's Handbook by Diana Sammataro and Alphonse Avitabile
  • Beekeeping for Dummies
 
The association to which I belong has an extractor for member use, but so many compete for it.

Here's the gravity extractor I mentioned: http://www.greenbeehives.com/gravityextractor.html. Draw back on this appears to be time or waiting as well.

I may just have to bite the bullet. There is a member selling his extractor relatively cheap. He's going with a bigger model.

The books on beekeeping that I own focus only on the use of a conventional extractor.

 
I don't know Science Girl, my bees never visit the bee friendly things we have planted.

 
Rick said:
I don't know Science Girl, my bees never visit the bee friendly things we have planted.
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What did you plant? Lavender probably works well, I'm guessing. The neighbors have large lavender bushes - the bees (not ours, idk whose they are or whether they are wild), butterflies, and mantids love it. :)

jamurfjr said:
The association to which I belong has an extractor for member use, but so many compete for it.

Here's the gravity extractor I mentioned: http://www.greenbeehives.com/gravityextractor.html. Draw back on this appears to be time or waiting as well.

I may just have to bite the bullet. There is a member selling his extractor relatively cheap. He's going with a bigger model.

The books on beekeeping that I own focus only on the use of a conventional extractor.
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If you can afford it, that's great!!! The other thing with sharing equiptment is that foulbrood spores and other disease spores can last about 80 years. This honey is FINE to feed to people and sell, but if you feed it to your bees, they have a good chance of getting the diseases.

 
We planted lavender, bee balm, and a few other things I can't recall. The bees NEVER visited any of it.

 
jamurfjr said:
The association to which I belong has an extractor for member use, but so many compete for it.

Here's the gravity extractor I mentioned: http://www.greenbeehives.com/gravityextractor.html. Draw back on this appears to be time or waiting as well.

I may just have to bite the bullet. There is a member selling his extractor relatively cheap. He's going with a bigger model.

The books on beekeeping that I own focus only on the use of a conventional extractor.
Click to expand...
Rick said:
I don't know Science Girl, my bees never visit the bee friendly things we have planted.
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Officially a beekeeper! I'll be posting a new thread soon with pictures and everything, so we can continue our lengthy bee related conversations in a more suitable place. :p

 
Rick said:
We planted lavender, bee balm, and a few other things I can't recall. The bees NEVER visited any of it.
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That is strange. Lavender always seems to have bees en mass foraging on it, no matter where I go... I've never tried bee balm - maybe it attracts customers, rather than bees? :huh: I've heard of it before, though. Hopefully we'll get a big garden crop this year!!!

 
But the bumblebees love all this stuff. No, bee balm is a bee friendly plant. I actually did some research and didn't just buy what I thought looked good.

 
Rick said:
But the bumblebees love all this stuff. No, bee balm is a bee friendly plant. I actually did some research and didn't just buy what I thought looked good.
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jamurfjr said:
Yeah, bee balm was recommended in the last class...
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Hmmmm.... That's strange... How many bee balms did you plant? If you just planted a couple, maybe the variety was different, or the genes from it's parent plants affected the amount of nectar produced.

 
Rick said:
I don't know Science Girl, my bees never visit the bee friendly things we have planted.
Click to expand...
jamurfjr said:
The association to which I belong has an extractor for member use, but so many compete for it.

Here's the gravity extractor I mentioned: http://www.greenbeehives.com/gravityextractor.html. Draw back on this appears to be time or waiting as well.

I may just have to bite the bullet. There is a member selling his extractor relatively cheap. He's going with a bigger model.

The books on beekeeping that I own focus only on the use of a conventional extractor.
Click to expand...
Okay, guys! I started a new post!

"Beekeeping"

posted by ScienceGirl

http://mantidforum.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=29424

 

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