# Cut Comb Prices?



## MikeJ

What do you sell your cut comb for? Retail/Wholesale?

Also - I believe I know the answers but I will ask anyway...
What exactly do you do different for cut comb than extracted honey (I mean other than not extracting it)?


Thanks
Mike


----------



## Beeslave

I don't make cut comb for sale but around here I've seen it from $4.50-$8.00 for a 12 oz. piece. ABJ honey market report for your area is $3.00-$5.00 for a 12 oz retail.

It is wise to freeze the comb honey after it is packaged(let the excess honey drain off of it first before packaging) to prevent the hatching of wax moths and having them destroy the section. Place the boxed sections inside a plastic bag(sealed). When you take the sections out of the freezer allow them to come to room temp before removing from the plastic bag. This will prevent condensation getting on the comb honey and darkening the wax.


----------



## bobber128

You cut the comb!!! :lpf:
Sorry, couldn't help it.. I don't actually know... wish I could be of practical use... instead, I'll just provide comic relief...:applause:


----------



## NasalSponge

The best way is to freeze the comb then unplug the freezer and allow it to come to ambient slowly


----------



## MikeJ

Thanks

A 5lb bottle of Sue Bee in the store is $15. So I guess cut comb at about $4/12oz is a pretty good profit over extracted.

I didn't know about the condesation problem. Interesting.

You can use normal foundation or do you need the thin? Someone said you need them to draw the honey fast so they don't "reenforce" the wax? I have not heard of such a thing.

I am interested because have ot have a license to sell extracted but not cut comb. I don't see a way to do the license this year. (I asked about extracting it here and bottling it at a licensed kitchen - answer was still need a license).

Thanks for all the information.
Mike


----------



## Michael Palmer

I only sell cut comb to other producers who can't make quality comb honey. I sell 4 1/8" square in plastic, 12oz, unlabeled, for $5/cut cash only. Sold 12-1500 last year. Poor honey year. Will have about 300 supers on when we're done supering. Already a better year than last.


----------



## beedeetee

Don't believe about the not supporting the thin wax. And I think you need to use thin wax if you don't want the cut comb to be chewy. The first time I did it I put the thin foundation in. I didn't support it thinking that the bees would quickly attach it at the top bar. On the first day it got to the high 70's I looked in and found that all of the foundation had fallen and blocked bees from entering the super.

Now I use support pins or run a bead of wax from my presto pot along the top bar after I put the foundation in. I think that the weight of the bees, along with the thin foundation and heat from all of the bees in the hive cause the problem.


----------



## BeePuncher

MikeJ said:


> Someone said you need them to draw the honey fast so they don't "reenforce" the wax? I have not heard of such a thing.


Yes drawing fast makes the comb more delicate, less chewy. I use starter strips from the thin foundation - more economical for one, a better product because the comb is very tender - less wax per bite! Half inch starter strip is all I use. good luck!


----------



## Monie

I get $8/lb


----------



## gaijin

BeePuncher said:


> I use starter strips from the thin foundation... ...Half inch starter strip is all I use.


I used starter strips for the first time this year (hobby, not commercial) and, because I
can't get thin foundation here, used normal thickness instead. This was probably a
good thing, as I'm not sure that thin would have withstood the heat and would probably
have buckled and fallen out before the bees got a chance to work it.

Starter-strip preparation









I used a teaspoon dipped in boiling water to "spot weld" the strip into the frame slot. As
you can see from the photo, my initial strips were a bit too deep, but the bees didn't seem
to mind and we ended up with some very nice, tender cut comb (before the flow dried up
and the bees started filling the frames with drone brood).


----------



## The Honey Householder

I wholesale by the super for $100 a super. I produce 60-100 supers a year.:thumbsup:


----------



## Wee3Bees Apiary

I cut mine up in 12 pieces per medium frame and sell it in a pint jar wholesale at $6 (chunk comb with liquid honey). I have estimated that the comb takes up about 40% of the space in the jar (so it sells for about $2.8 per slice - Gross). The math works out to be around $280 per super (Gross Sales not Net).

I don't have quicken up right now, but I think we have sold around 10 to 12 supers. Bad thing is that I ran out already... probably could have sold 30 supers.

For the last few years, I "toyed" with the idea of selling an entire frame directly to the consumer at $100. My wife thought I was crazy so we didn't do it. This year we had a few people ask for them.

Yep, I sold them for a $100 per each frame. We sold a couple of them like that right before I ran out :ws

Next year, I am going to produce some supers of cut comb in the little half frames which are used in queen production for $55 or $60 each. (I will give a hint, women want them for parties to display and have guests eat on a platter with blue cheese, crackers, etc.). The amount of money to this crowd is irrelevant.


----------



## Grant

99% of all my cut comb is sold as a slab of comb in a jar with extracted honey poured around it.

I sell plain jelly jars (unquilted, half pint jars) for $3.50 and wide mouth pints for $6.50

I've tried the Ross Rounds, Kelley square basswood boxes, Bee-o-pac and my customers want the old fashioned cut comb in a jar of honey.

Go figure.

Grant
Jackson, MO
http://maxhoney.homestead.com


----------



## Mike Snodgrass

Likewise Grant....likewise!


----------



## simplyhoney

What the many optomists will not tell you is the labor involved in getting perfect comb honey. Putting in the foundation, using clean frames to avoid wax streaks, pulling the supers before the bees stain them too much, putting them back on hives to clean burr drips, cutting, draining, cleaning, power to run freezer and last but not least the 20-25 percent that the little buggers dont get capped or fill full of pollen (not always the end of the world but not grade A) I've been producing between 1000 and 2000 12oz per year. Went this year to $8 whole sale and 14 retail. I usually sell out by February.
Don't sell yourself short fella's. You could make twice the honey if they didn't have to build the comb.

www.grampashoney.com


----------



## suttonbeeman

I believe ABJ prices are way too cheap! Wholesale price to packer in super was 2/lb two months ago...again too cheap. You cut your production in half by drawing comb. Takes more time to put in new foundation than extract. I produce comb honey in a med super....like the depth size as it fits a 1lb and pint jar perfect. at retail 1 lb jars sell for 8.00 pints for 10.00 quarts for 15 or at hgh end shows for 20.00(booth rent is 500). 4x4 boxes are 7.50 Box is almost a dollar). Wholesale is pt 7.50, 1 lb is 4.50, qt is 10.00 and 4x4 box is 6.00.


----------



## oldenglish

The Honey Householder said:


> I wholesale by the super for $100 a super. I produce 60-100 supers a year.:thumbsup:


Maybe I should just buy from you, I sell my extracted honey for $11 LB and as of lunchtime today I only have one bottle left of my first harvest done at the end of july that makes my supers worth $330 - $500. I sell my bee o pacs for $5 each even if they only draw out 50% thats $320.
Now I dont sell wholesale and until I produce in volumes that I cannot sell in a year I dont plan to.


----------



## simplyhoney

Not hard to sell a few hives worth at that but hard to sell 100k pounds of honey at 11$/lb.


----------



## Michael Palmer

simplyhoney said:


> What the many optomists will not tell you is the labor involved in getting perfect comb honey. Putting in the foundation, using clean frames to avoid wax streaks, pulling the supers before the bees stain them too much, putting them back on hives to clean burr drips, cutting, draining, cleaning, power to run freezer and last but not least the 20-25 percent that the little buggers dont get capped or fill full of pollen (not always the end of the world but not grade A)


While I agree about all the extra expense and the sometimes disappointing results, I think it's still worth producing some cut comb honey. Rather than look at all the combs that didn't get completed, I like to look at the combs that did.

For example, this year I put on just under 300 cut comb supers. Most got filled, but many weren't saleable. A little drone, a crack, pollen, uncapped...whatever. If you do the math, you'll see that only about 1/2 of the comb was saleable. But, I did manage 5,800 beautiful white cuts. At $5/cut, a sizable income from my cut comb supers...not to mention that I melted and sold the honey from the usaleable combs for $2/lb.


----------



## soupcan

Why do you not market the uncapped cut comb sections???
I used to sell on the capped ones & found out some years back that the uncapped ones sold just as good.
Way to much waste to melt them up after you have gone thru all that work to raise the stuff & not get paid for it!


----------



## Michael Palmer

soupcan said:


> Why do you not market the uncapped cut comb sections???


I sell entirely to other beekeepers who add their label. I want every cut to be perfect. They always come back, the orders increase every year, and it's all sold already. With all the bees I have to deal with, seconds aren't worth bothering with.


----------



## simplyhoney

yea, some grading is nessisary. Uncapped is ok. make sure its clean. it tends to attract stuff fast, and make sure your weight is acurate. Heck, this day and age pollen is desired in the comb. I have started running a few directly over the broodchamber to get some pollen stuffed in there. Some people love it........some don't. If you have store account deliver a case of 80% pure white pretty finished stuff and the other 20% uncapped or with pollen or otherwise off grade. Ask the dept manager to keep tabs for a few weeks (this may require a bribe of bottle of mead or other treat) see whats moving.


----------



## The Honey Householder

I sold over 75 super to the beekeeper this year. Avg. honey weigh this year per. super was 33 lb (nice super). Was sold out by late Aug. They ask me to produce more, but it really cuts into producation. Even at a $100 a super I don't think it's worth producing. Comb honey accounts for only 3/4% of my producation. 
Really is it worth the time to produce comb honey???:scratch:


----------



## Michael Palmer

The Honey Householder said:


> Really is it worth the time to produce comb honey???:scratch:


Not for $100/super. $5/cut is $200/super. Now we're talking bucks.


----------



## simplyhoney

Micheal,
what do you package in? p.m. you too


----------



## Michael Palmer

Standard 4 1/8" plastic cut comb boxes packed 12/cs in cardboard. W/O labels.


----------



## ekrouse

I package cut comb in plastic deli type containers I purchased from Betterbee 2 years ago (bought a case of 1,000). White plastic bottom and clear top. I don't think they sell them anymore. I get 10 from a perfectly capped medium frame, less if not perfect. Net weight for each one averages 5.5 oz. I sell each for $5.00 and sell out every year. That's $15.00 per pound. If you do the math that means a perfectly capped medium super produces 10 per frame x 10 frames x $5.00 is $500.00 per super... Needless to say that it's been well worth my time.

- ekrouse


----------



## HONEYDEW

I must say ekrouse I find your math impossible, you say you get 10 cuts from a medium frame, or do you mean 10 from a medium super? each piece is 4x4 so just wonderin ? :scratch:


----------



## ekrouse

Honeydew. My cut pieces are not the 4x4. The packaging I got from Betterbee is only about 2 1/2" x 4". I cut each medium frame horizontally (that's the 2 1/2") then five vertical cuts, one at each end and three equally spaced. That makes 10 pieces out of a perfectly capped frame. Hope that helps.

-ekrouse


----------



## HONEYDEW

OK thank you ekrouse now its clear..., To answer the original question I sell only retail and get 10$ apiece for basswood sections and have no prob. getting it, but it is only small amount a year just to much work for the return.


----------



## RiodeLobo

Hello,

Where do you buy your packaging for the cut comb? I am looking for smaller packs, to sell at farmers markets and the like (in the future....OK distant future)

Thanks 
Dan


----------



## wfarler

Michael Palmer said:


> While I agree about all the extra expense and the sometimes disappointing results, I think it's still worth producing some cut comb honey. Rather than look at all the combs that didn't get completed, I like to look at the combs that did.
> 
> For example, this year I put on just under 300 cut comb supers. Most got filled, but many weren't saleable. A little drone, a crack, pollen, uncapped...whatever. If you do the math, you'll see that only about 1/2 of the comb was saleable. But, I did manage 5,800 beautiful white cuts. At $5/cut, a sizable income from my cut comb supers...not to mention that I melted and sold the honey from the usaleable combs for $2/lb.


Put all of your uncapped frames back into a strong crowded hive. Feed the hive the honey from your unusable combs with a hive top feeder. Just crush and strain then put it in an inverted jar so you can keep tabs on the progress. Chances are they will pack and cap the rest of the frames very quickly. This also works if you can't get your bees to draw out cut comb during the flow. Just extract, then super one of you best hives with a cut comb super over the queen excluder (remove any other supers). Feed everything they will take as fast as they will take it. They won't have time to pack in pollen, walk all over the comb, etc.


----------



## Loranger Honey

We sell for 12/pound at the farmers market.


----------



## jayheyhoney

MikeJ,

It depends on your location and business model. We sell a lot of candles and lip balm so we need the wax. That, combined with the fact that we live in a semi-urban area, there are not a lot of bee keepers of that can produce cut comb in volume. I price at $20 per 8 oz. However if you are in a more rural area, the economics of industry would not support that. In that case, I would be closer to $5.00. Supply and demand. 

Jay


----------



## The Honey Householder

Nice to see the old thread back.

Wholesale by the super price is $165 (beekeeper supplies the super)
Wholesale price is full cut (4x4) $7.50 Retail price $11.
Wholesale price half cut (2x4) 4.00 Retail price $6.
Retail all scraps at $.50 a bite.


----------



## MikeJ

Only a $65 increase at 7 years later (I was so young 7 years ago). Still not at the $200 a super price though.

Cut comb still only 3/4th of a % of your production?
Almost every year I think of trying to do some cut comb. It would have to be shallows up here I believe.


----------



## missybee

The going price around here, for cut comb is $14.00 (fits in those plastic containers) a lb of honey goes for $10.00, Chunk honey $12.00 / lb a piece of comb in a lb jar with honey. 

I run out of it by August usually, chunk and cut sells out fast.


----------



## Mefco

We sold out of a limited supply of cut comb 4x4s (14 Oz or so) for $20 each at a Fair in September


----------



## sweetas

I sell cut comb at the markets. It's not my biggest seller but sell 10- 15 per week ( Sunday only). I do charge $48 per kg. I use 500ml take-away containers at 16 cents each and label. I do weigh each container and round to 50c. I find the $5-7 containers sell the best. It also adds something to stand and to show people what honey comb is. I believe it is worth doing.


----------

