# Cut Comb Honey Production



## clgs

Thank you so much for the comb honey instructions. Why do you store them in the freezer? Can't they stay out in room temp?


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## riverbee1

you are welcome, hope it is helpful for you. comb honey must be frozen initially to kill any wax moth eggs that might tag along, but i freeze the sections to keep them looking very nice until sold, nice and white, no draining of the honey in the bottom of your tray or crystallization, PRESENTATION!


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## garyk1398

Thanks much for the link and info. just curious to know what the average retail price is for a pound of cut comb honey might be?


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## soupcan

Because of our latest bee pest called SHB.


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## riverbee1

hi garyk1398, 

i apologize for the delay in getting back to this thread. there is no average retail price in my area of the midwest for the type of comb honey i produce. all the beekeepers i know who produce comb honey use ross rounds or the sections. ross rounds and section squares typically weigh about ¾ of a pd, or about 12 oz., or 340 grams. In my area these sell for anywhere between $12 and $15.

my cut comb honey will weigh anywhere between 412 to 530 grams (14 1/2ozs to 1lb 2 ¾ ozs) and I sell by the gram, .03+ per gram, so anywhere between $14 and $18 for a section. 

I hope this is helpful to your curiosity!


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## SERGE

Thanks so much for the good info. I'm a little confused about this method because I thought that with giving bees extra empty room between frames of honey, they just keep pulling out existing frames of honey further?


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## riverbee1

Hi Serge,

thanks for the compliment, not sure I understand your confusion about my method? 

yes, bees will by nature, draw comb out to what we as beekeepers call the ‘bee space’ between frames. they are natural hoarders and the more you give the girls, the more they will fill. I use 1 or 2 empty frames for the comb honey mixed in with frames for extracted honey, and the bees will draw the empty frame out exactly to that existing space and no further. this provides a harvest of very thick comb honey in those frames. 

what amazes me is how large and perfect the ‘free cells ‘are vs. what we use for foundation, or other comb honey methods. the bees build in nothing but a blank frame and draw this out, fill and cap it to perfection. it is truly amazing. 

don’t know if I answered your question?


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## SERGE

riverbee1,
When I put an empty frame with foundation between two drawn or partially drawn out frames, the bees prefer to keep drawing out the drawn out frames further into the empty space instead of starting the new frame. Of course, they do a perfect job drawing out on an empty frame between two frames of brood. Sounds like the trick with your method might be that you put the empty frame between two capped frames of honey?
Thank you


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## riverbee1

aren’t bees wonderful?! those girls keep us thinking! :scratch:

surge, when I place an ‘empty’ frame in for comb honey (with no foundation), it is not between capped frames of honey; it is between super frames I have used from the previous year for extracted honey. so these frames are drawn frames, but empty from extraction. I use 8 frames in a super, not 9. I use 7 drawn frames if I am putting in an ‘empty’ frame for comb honey, and the empty frame is placed off to the side of the super, and not in the center. The bees know what to do, and they excel at making wax comb in an empty frame, almost like top bar, but the entire frame is drawn and filled perfectly, with larger cells than you would find in foundation.

the key to this method is to place the empty frame between 2 drawn frames in your super, and not partially drawn frames.

hope I answered your question?


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## SERGE

thank you riverbee1! Looking forward to trying it out


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## TWall

This worked great for me this year, until the flow stopped! I had a medium frame drawn out completely. The queen agreed with me and filled every cell with a drone!

I may give it another try with our goldenrod flow for the experience.

Tom


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## riverbee1

Serge, place a bead of beeswax in the slits in the top and bottom of the frame, this will help get them started, and also the girls spend time filling this in. just enough beeswax to fill it. 

Tom, sorry to hear your flow stopped, and I was happy to hear a report from someone who tried this! You could have pulled that frame out and saved it for another go if it did not have nectar in it, or left it it in for the next flow, depending on your circumstances; the strength of your hive, your weather and nectar sources. Also, I use a queen excluder, I do not want queens in my honey supers. I would not reuse that frame for comb honey if the queen has laid drones in it.

Thanks for your post, and let me know if you try for goldenrod!


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## woodedareas

riverbee1 said:


> I put together a slide show on my method of producing cut comb honey for beekeepers that are interested in producing comb honey for the first time, with minimal expense, using equipment you already have. I learned this method from old timers and continue to use foundationless frames to produce comb honey. This is a great method to use, and a great way to get started, especially if you are interested in producing cut comb honey for the first time and don’t want to invest in extra, expensive equipment. This method works very well.
> 
> Cut Comb Honey
> 
> Enjoy and happy beekeeping!


I just watched your video. It is excellent. I have two questions regarding the empty frames. Is it necessary to have a starter strip at the top of the frame, and how many empty frames would you recommend for a 10 frame super? I grew up in Wisconsin, but where is El Paso?
Thanks
Allen
Thanks


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## riverbee1

hi allen, thanks for the compliment. to answer your question, you don't need a starter strip at the top of the frame. for starting out, as i said before, just place a bead of beeswax in the grooves, but really this is not necessary. i use 10 frame lang medium supers, but i only run 8 frames in them. depending on the strength of the colony and the flow determines how many empty frames i place in. usually no more than 2 in each super.

el paso? el paso township is just 7 miles south of ellsworth, wisconsin, in the rush river valley.

best wishes to you allen on trying this method. it work's great!


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## SueBeeTN

Thanks so much for putting this information on the web for all of us to use! I am excited to try this!


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## riverbee1

suebeetn,
you are welcome, and best wishes to you and your bees on some great comb honey!


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## DRAKOS

Riverbee1 thank you for the info
As I understand it, you put the empty frames in the places 2 and 7 of your super.
Am I correct?


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## riverbee1

hi drakos,
using 8 frames, i place the empties, if i use 2, in position 3 and 6 of the super, and then keep an eye on them, so they are not getting 'tracked' on, then may move them out one frame over, so 2 and 7.


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## DRAKOS

Thanks for the reply, but I don't understand the expression <<tracked >> on. It is not my mother language. Can you say it in more words please?


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## TWall

Drakos,

What we mean by that is as the bees continue to walk across the capped comb they leave dirt making the capped comb darker. It no longer has the bright white appearance of freshly capped comb. We try not to leave comb honey on the hive very long after it is capped.

Tom


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## riverbee1

drakos~
"_Thanks for the reply, but I don't understand the expression <<tracked >> on. It is not my mother language. Can you say it in more words please? _"

my apologies drakos, and a warm_ hello _to you in athens, greece  

yes, 'tracked'...... what tom (TWall) said~ "_What we mean by that is as the bees continue to walk across the capped comb they leave dirt making the capped comb darker. It no longer has the bright white appearance of freshly capped comb. We try not to leave comb honey on the hive very long after it is capped._"

if i see any 'travel stain' appearing, as tom said, from the bees walking across the comb, i will move the frame out towards the end of the box, like position 2 and 7, and might even *flip the frame around when it is moved to avoid any additional stain to that side of the frame. this is also the reason i place the empty frames away from the center, position 3 and 6, to avoid having any travel stain (walking of the bees) on the face of any existing white comb.(*flipping the frame side that faced the 2 center frames). as soon as the frame is fully capped, i remove it for the same reason, and as tom also indicated.

also, you can place the frames in position 2 and 7. it is imperative that you choose a strong colony and have a very strong or strong nectar flow. i like to place them in 3 and 6 because the bees will draw the comb, fill and cap them before position 2 and 7, and also if they are in position 2 and 7 and your nectar flow slows or quits, you might wind up with frames that are not filled.

i hope this answers your question and is helpful. best wishes to you on trying comb honey!


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## DRAKOS

Thank you both for your answers!!


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## S. Rummings

:thumbsup:


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## ScienceGirl

Thank you for the tutorial!


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