# Made plywood part for jar comb honey



## Lauri

more pics:
will hold 12 -1/2 gallon mason jars too, but JUST barley. I'm not sure if even a strong hive could fill this many, LOL









Here are someone elses photos of jared comb honey, in case you have not seen it before. Here it is as it is being drawn out. The person who did this I believe used a comb guide inside the jar










And here it is full of honey with no comb guide-attached to the side of the jar


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## Mike in Amboy

Very cool! Just out of curiosity, what did you do to make your deeps look like that? Torch them or stain them? If you stained, did you use some spar urethane or something to protect from the weather?


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## Lauri

Propane torch, a little time to do a good dark burn. And yup, Spar Urethane makes it glow! Two thin brush on coats with it slopped on heavy on the box joint ends.

You can see the difference between the burned but uncoated bottom board and the finished box.


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## Mike in Amboy

They look good! Wood working and furniture repair is my gig. I should have done something fancy with my boxes instead of plain old paint.


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## Mbeck

Once again looks great!


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## USCBeeMan

Hard to read the ruler to see exactly the points of reference for drilling pilot holes. Can you input this data?


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## Tazcan

Thats the most amazing thing i have ever seen.
How much does a jar of honey like that cost, i would buy it just cause it was so pretty.

Thanks for sharing


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## Lauri

Here are the measurements:
lay out on the 16 1/4" side is:
3" - 8 1/8" - 13 5/16"
(Or just come in from both sides at 3", center at 8 1/8")

Long side is
3 1/4"
7 3/4"
12 1/4"
16 1/2"
Hope you can understand this. Here is the photo again so you can see: Between 4 1/2" and 5" spacing on the holes









Mark your holes and use a square to get them straight.

Heres a short video, not my idea but very cool.No?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dl9i...xt=C3857d58UDOEgsToPDskK3ZDi2sQBAJZ6fds9JOVE-


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## USCBeeMan

Thanks! Would like to try it if for nothing else as a customer attraction with some jar-comb-honey on the table. Got to have every extra attraction to compete with multiple honey sells at a market.


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## robherc

I *LOVE* it!!! ... now I think I'm gonna have to run out to the garage & start building a new cover for my TBH with 3.375" holes in it & some rails to secure a deep box on top of it (make a lip right inside the edge of the box so rain can't get in by puddling on the rest of the lid...and so our high winds won't blow it off) & make a new lid for the deep....what an awesome idea!


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## robherc

USCBeeMan said:


> Hard to read the ruler to see exactly the points of reference for drilling pilot holes. Can you input this data?


Just measured a 1qt Ball Jar....4" wide (from flat to flat), so 4.25" minimum Center-to-Center spacing on the holes will keep the jars spaced at least 1/8" apart. I also checked the height, overall height=7" if that matters to you.

Hope this helps,
Rob

P.S. I just blew up her pic....looks like between 4.375" and 4.5" spacing on the pilot holes.


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## Cleo C. Hogan Jr

I did this a few years back, (2008) but, I did it a little different. I used a hole saw to cut the holes the size of a Ball Mason Jar lid. ( I think this is 2 1/2 inch hole). Use the ring and lid type tops. Place the ring on the jar, but don't use the lid. This will keep the threads on the jar clean, and will fit tight enough that it will stand on its own. Use 3/4 plywood or Advantec and the jars will support themselves. Pour about 1/4 inch melted bees wax in the jar to give the bees something to start on. Place a super over the jars and a top to keep the sun from melting the wax as they build it. Even with this super I got some melting of combs. When the jars are full, remove the ring lid, and place a regular lid. Add honey to fill, or leave as comb honey.

Only problem I had was it makes the bees want to swarm like crazy. Too confining for a strong hive. I tried giving them a super and the 9 pint jars, but when I did that, they ignored the jars all together, and only worked in the super. I used a one deep chamber hive, but they swarmed three times during the summer. Also, did not want to complete the combs, did not fully cap the combs and finally just stopping work in the jars.

I also tried with another hive, laying the jars horizontal. Not as good as vertical.

It is a novelty, but, my experience is that it was not profitable enough for me to want to do it the following year.

cchoganjr


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## mrnewberry

That's pretty cool!


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## flyingbrass

fatbeeman has a video on this also on youtube if it helps you


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## Adam Foster Collins

These are certainly interesting, but I find they look kind of gross. I showed them to my girlfriend, and she thought they looked like a jar full of organs. I also find most people here don't really "get" comb honey. They ask what they should do with it. If you can get the prices Fatbeeman talks about ($35 a jar) - then I guess it would be hard not to get into it.

Probably would make great gifts for some people too.

Adam


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## rocket08

That is WAY cool ! My girlfriend and I are wanting to jar some comb honey also so we just installed foundationless frames in a medium super, placed it on our strongest hive and then planned to cut the comb and insert it in the jar with honey to top it off. This way looks much better and cooler looking ! Plus I bet it doesn't make near the mess we are about to . lol Thanks for the construction drawings . Jim


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## Lauri

LOL, yes, the one photo does look kind of scientific and creepy
But interesting none the less- and less work for the beekeeper to harvest I assume.
I have a link to fat beemans video in a post shown above. $35.00 for a quart??? Not sure about that, maybe in a tourist area or around the holidays.

Thanks Cleo for the swarming tip. That is a great bit of info we can keep in mind. If that is so it would make a difference in which hive I try to get to fill these jars. Perhaps I will get a nuc or two out of the deal with frames of swarm cells (Which are always amazing and huge) 
But I will keep a sharp eye out for cells!

Now an experiences beekeeper might take the queen and all the open brood out of a strong hive and let the hive concentrate on filling the jars during a good flow, then reintroduce the queen and brood after a few weeks. The hive wouldn't swarm without the queen and not set back since the queen and hatching brood and larve would be reintroduced. Just a thought..lots of ways to manipulate and experiment!

Glad you all got some ideas. That is why I poat pics of stuff I've been building-to give others ideas for themselves.
Lauri


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## Cleo C. Hogan Jr

To be profitable you would need to get $35.00 per jar. I wasn't able to get any where near that. You will not get a lot of production. My experience is you don't get that many that are usable. You will get lots of unfinished comb in the jars. , lots not capped, so not usable, and a lot of bees who decide to swarm rather than work in glass jars. It is a novelty, I tried it, but no more.

cchoganjr


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## Lauri

Thanks again, perhaps I will try pint jars first.


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## Lauri

OK, Heres what I came up with to take in consideration Cleo's post about the bees not capping the comb in the jars. I am going to assume part of the problem is they don't have good enough ventilation for dehydrating the nectar. I was using large mouth jars anyway, but that would be a good start. 

Keep the jar opening as large as possible for ventilation. Next you can scroll down to see my photos of the hive vent design. 
I have several top covers with holes already drilled for feeding. I just covered the inside with #8 hardware screen and will lay a rubber mat over the top to keep it dry. The rubber stall mat has nubs on one side so there will be air flow over the top and through the hole in the top cover. 
(In my climate is rairly gets over 80 degrees and black hives and covers are not a problem, in fact in winter and early spring they are a big asset. If your climate is hot, just use a piece of white painted plywood with a few well placed spacers to hav ethe same covering/venting effect)


























I use these rubber mats in the winter to help waterproof the migratory covers and insulate. They are already part of my equipment. Get them at most feed and farm stores. 1/2" works best and is not too heavy. But it also helps keep lids from blowing off with a bit of extra weight.
(More info on rubber mats on the next post so I can add pics)

Next I added a shallow rim to the underside of my queen excluder to allow a narrow upper entrance. This will allow bees to directly work the jars and also increase ventilation. It does increase bee space however and I will have to watch it closley to be sure they don't make a mess there. Might need to modify that further to avoid them partying in that space!










Bottom board is fully screened with insert. I can slide the insert out partially or all the way to increase ventilation when temps are warm enough. 
So the short story is-have good air flow and large opening to your jars may help greatly with the bees being willing and succesful in making and capping comb inside the jars..
We'll see!


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## Lauri

Heres the scoop on rubber mats. They are about $35.00 for a 6' x 8' mat. You will get 6 -10 frame sized migratory cuts + 3 -8 frame pieces (or a few nucs) Very little scrap. 1/2" is best, 3/4 of course works but is heavier and harder to cut. Be sure your cut is not angled.

Do your self a favor and buy a NEW sharp razor knife, straight edge and square.
Heres how they look installed:









This as a long queen castle:










These mats are heavy-so if you can cut them right out of your truck. Let gravity open up the scoring cut for you:



















Make your scoring cut lightly and very carefully. If your blade wanders you will end up with a poor fitting edge. You can see this last cut is not so good.


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## Cleo C. Hogan Jr

Lauri.. Good idea. it might work. It is worth a try. When it works it is pretty. Interested to see how you do with it.

I was using pint jars, regular Ball Mason Lids. Wide mouth jars might be better. I used ring and cap lids, and left the cap out. The ring helped to keep the threads on the jar clean.

I haven't tried it since 2008. I don't fool with honey any more. I sell bees.

cchoganjr


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## Lauri

Ya, I don't want to fool with honey ether, although I am setting up an extracting room and just bought a 20 frame radial Maxant. 

Queen rearing is what I am leaning toward. But since I will get honey might as well play around with it. If I can make unusual Christmas presents with this jared combhoney and such I'm upfor a bit of extra work to make that happen.

I'd like to raise bees too, but way up North I fear my season is too short to do anything but make my own increases and nucs for covering winter losses. 
Heres my new crew for this year:










Although they had frames of honey and nectar, I had to feed them for the first few days to keep them from robbing out my smaller overwintered hives that were not as active. You might be interested in seeing how much faster they can take syrup from a wide mouth jar VS a small mouth. All these jars were full that morning




















Hungry buggers!











http://www.itsmysite.com/laurimilleragricultural/

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Miller-Compound-HoneyBees-and-Agriculture/256954971040510


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## BayHighlandBees

Lauri, 

how did things turn out? Did the bees fill your jars?


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## Acebird

I am thinking you can make a frame out of a hollow core door. Using a hole saw to cut holes through the door and then line the perimeter of the hole with balsa. After the bees have filled the holes with comb you can slice the comb honey out with a proper sized tin can that is slightly warmed. This should fit into a wide mouth mason jam jar. The sides are straight and very close to the size of the opening. Fill the voids with honey and you should be good to go.


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## Kevtater

Hey Lauri,
I found your post after reading about this in Kelly's newsletter a few months ago. I'm curious how it worked out for you. 

In doing my research, it sounds like there's more unfavorable results than positive ones. Anyone who's been successful, can you share what you attribute your success to? Success - meaning capped comb, and no swarms.


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## KQ6AR

I made mine a little differently, I siliconed the metal bail to the wood so the jars could be threaded on.
Didn't use any foundation starter strips & didn't have any luck. Kept the board so I can try again.

My jars got condensation in them was moisture a problem for you?


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## Kevtater

I left one jar out and covered the hole with SS screen, added a vented super above the body with the jars in it, hoping this helps avoid condensation from the brood nest.


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## gmcharlie

the one I saw in an old ABJ, she had used her wax tube to put 3-4 small starters on the sides of each jar. just used pieces of thin surplus as starters. she wasn't looking for full comb... just a few starts. then she cut out any the ignored.


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## Kidbeeyoz

Lauri said:


> Propane torch, a little time to do a good dark burn. And yup, Spar Urethane makes it glow! Two thin brush on coats with it slopped on heavy on the box joint ends.
> 
> You can see the difference between the burned but uncoated bottom board and the finished box.


Lauri, does the scorching process preserve the timber or is it purely cosmetic?


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## Bill91143

I wonder how you get all the bees out of the jars? One dead bee in the jar of honey would freak some people out.


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## CLICKBANGBANG

OST. 

I'll try this one day. I'm always impressed at Lauris boxes and yard. Looks good!


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## Rosilin

How would the Jars do here in the Deep South. Wouldn't the jars be like little green houses, and over heat the hive?? I didnt get to read all the posts, sorry.


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## KQ6AR

The jars have a deep super, & cover on them. The sun doesn't shine on the jars.


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## petra79

Lauri said:


> Thanks again, perhaps I will try pint jars first.


I built one a few weeks back. Pint jars is what I plan on using. I drilled my holes at 2 3/4". Wide mouth jar lids fit snug into the holes(same as front feeders). This way they can glue the lids in place. Unscrew the jar when done and replace with another.


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## Paul McCarty

I have a hive I do this with. It works pretty well for me. I have a dozen 76mm holes drilled as Cleo described, and simply screw them on the threaded rings. The hive I have them on made two supers of honey and is currently filling the jars and a third super. I managed it as you would for comb honey, with a single deep brood chamber and queen excluder. The supers were mostly foundationless for cut comb.

The condensation worked out great for this hive (in the desert) - gave them extra water. I previously tried it up in the mountains where it is not as dry and hot, and it went over about as well as a dead fish.


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## Ronald Carteret

I really like this concept. How productive is this method?


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## ReginaB

Hello to all.
I joined this forum just to ask a question on this idea.
Myself and my partner think this is a wonderful idea but we are worried about the condensation and how on earth do you get all the bee's out when it has come time to store/sell?
Please could anyone give us some advice.
Thank you.


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## gmcharlie

To answer the last two, No its not super productive... its a "cool" factor more than anything. 
The bees will not stay as long as you don't let the queen in them.
Just take them off early evening and teh bees will want to be back in the hive.


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## tommysnare

im going to try this for the first time this year. my thoughts are that i will try much smaller jars and ask a premium. i think they are interesting JUST eough for people to pay a premium. but, i dont think they will pay a large sume over all for a very large jar. smaller jar,higher profit margin with a higher volume...if possible. eh we'll see. maybe ill do it on a couple strong nucs. like 5 jars max each.


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## Lauri

I do have some updates for this design and tips for getting the jars drawn out. More info on my facebook page


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## Rader Sidetrack

> I started this thread in 2011 ....

Hmmm :scratch:


Post #1 of this thread is dated 4/11/2012.  

It's OK, I used to live in Washington too .... I understand some folks march to a _different drummer_! :lookout:


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## Lauri




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## jorre

This doesn't seem easy to do just anywhere, but it's one of the most amazing things I've seen so far when it comes to honey production! Nice work.


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## jcolon

I would like to see who else have tried this successfully.


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## D Coates

I did it successfully for 3 years in a row. It's as easy as Lauri shows and is an incredibly cool novelty. 

The catch I had was those that I did last year but didn't sell fermented over the winter. They were capped and stored in my basement with lids on them. The jars pressurized and when I opened them the caps cracked and carbonated honey started coming out. I fed them back to my nucs a couple months ago by leaving them on their sides with the lids off. I didn't do it this year as it's not a high seller for me, I don't know what I did wrong that got them to ferment and I was more interested in liquid honey production.


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## drummerboy

There's a renewed interest in comb honey and from my perspective it hinges on the growing belief by consumers that most honey sold in stores is adulterated. 

Comb Honey is hard to imitate or fake and is somewhat tricky until the ropes are learned, so as more folks become aware that as much as 70% honey sold in stores is possibly not even honey or is a mixture of honey and other substances, I feel comb honey will become increasingly popular. Even Wallmart has begun selling it....tiny strips of capped comb bathed in something looking like honey.

I'm old enough to remember a time when comb honey was all that was once available (clear honey was suspect) and now it seems its once again en vogue as consumers are generally requesting food purity over cheap food.

Requests for comb honey seem to increase each season for our small operation....:scratch: I've also noticed that after years of educating locally, folks are finally accepting the fact that only pure honey crystalizes and don't complain about it as often as they used to.


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