Agri Vehicles Insurance from Greenlands

Author Topic: Hi all,  (Read 3720 times)

pottsie

  • Joined Jan 2010
Hi all,
« on: September 11, 2011, 02:59:08 pm »
i know i'm a bit late (due to knew born twins, working shifts and no sleep) but i've just taken the honey out of my super and was wondering what people do with there cappings? I have read an article were someone said place it in a pyrex dish and heat it in the oven which will split it from the honey and crud. Does this work and if so how long do you do it for. Also my honey is just in my extractor resting, how do you get everything from the sides and what do i need to do prior to putting in jars. I know it sounds a bit daft but everything i read seems to contradict everything else. Will join my local bee keepers this year.

Rob.  ;D

OldGaffer

  • Joined May 2011
  • Cambridgeshire
Re: Hi all,
« Reply #1 on: September 12, 2011, 08:37:41 pm »
All you have to do is melt the wax cappings the honey will sink to the bottom of the container and the wax will set on top. The wax can be used to make hand cream, which will contain some honey and will likely have some healing properties. and the honey is good for cooking :yum:

There is a tray called a Pratley tray, desinged for the purpose of melting the capping's, basically it is a steamer. The alternative is to use one saucepan within another, or an old bain-marie steamer. The trick is not to take the honey above 50 degrees C, to avoid high HMFs and avoid moisture entering the honey. Further, do not feed heated honey back to your bees, it is not good for them.

The honey should have been moved from the extractor to a honey storage tank or a jug and then straight in to jars, the problem with leaving it in the extractor is that it can granulate. If this has occurred, then the extractor will need to be warmed, again without allowing the honey to come in to contact with water, as honey is hydroscopic and needs to stay below 20% water content to avoid fungal growth.

Good idea to join your local association, as you should receive insurance in case of an incident or loss due to notifiable disease. Hope this helps  :)


pottsie

  • Joined Jan 2010
Re: Hi all,
« Reply #2 on: September 16, 2011, 03:01:12 pm »
Thanks thats great, managed to get all honey direct from extractor to jars with no issues and its probably cause its my first, but it is the best honey i have ever tasted. Managed to speak to head of Durham beekeepers who has found me a mentor to give me a bit of help so thats great and hopefully stop me causing myself any problems. I have put a feeder in the hive with syrup is there anything else that needs to be done this time of year. The wife is interested in the honey hand cream so will look at some recipees for that to.


Thanks Rob

OldGaffer

  • Joined May 2011
  • Cambridgeshire
Re: Hi all,
« Reply #3 on: September 16, 2011, 11:13:51 pm »
It is good practice to treat for Varroa, even if you think the bees have very few. I use a Thymol treatment in August, but it works OK while the weather is warm in the daytime, i.e. around 15 deg C or  above, so should work for the next few weeks, (fingers crossed for fine weather). The product I use is Apiguard, it is applied for one week and then again in a further two weeks. The idea is the varroa mite that are in the brood when you treat the first time, will hopefully be killed the second time around.

In between the Thymol treatment I feed using a rapid feeder and feed with white granulated sugar syrup. Do not use brown sugar.

Good luck and ask your mentor for advise about treating for Varroa again in December / January.

Plantoid

  • Joined May 2011
  • Yorkshireman on a hill in wet South Wales
Re: Hi all,
« Reply #4 on: September 28, 2011, 10:18:11 pm »
don't do it in a gas oven the naked flame can ignite the oils given off the melting wax

for small quantities  you can use a microwave and a lidded pyrex dish .. just nuke it a few seconds at a time , open the machine and look ..as soon as you see evidence of melting of wax stir it gently and then give it anothe short nuke session  .. stirr ..repeat till it has all melted .then stop don't overheat it .

remove from the microwave ..if there is any amout of big crud / grubs or dead bees pour it through a fine mesh kitchen sieve or a bit of clean curtain netting or muslin to remove the big stuff .. at a push use a clean jay cloth
 If you have it hot enough the honey and the wax will slowly pass through your strainer .


Let cool in  on the side ovenight with the lid on it and in the morning remove the layer of wax any crud that has passed through the filtering should be either at the bottom of the honey or right next to the wax .
« Last Edit: September 28, 2011, 10:22:43 pm by Plantoid »
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