Did you realise your beehive was a multi product factory?
We all think of harvesting honey and honeycomb* and beeswax BUT there are also other goodies!Did you know?
Propolis is an essential substance in the life of the hive that bees use for many purposes:- control of the flight hole opening according to climatic variation
- weather proofing the hive by blocking holes to insulate against wind and rain
- coating the interior walls of the hive to remove irregularities
- as a disinfectant, spreading a very thin film inside the cells before the queen comes to lay
- mixed with wax and used to "embalm" small animals or insects which have been killed by the bees but are too large for the bees to remove.
To harvest propolis:
Depending on the breed bees can produce more than 300g per year. The beekeeper can use several methods -- Simply scrape queen excluder, undersides of hive mats and feeders, interior walls of hives (excluding bottom trays which are too dirty). Unfortunately the propolis obtained this way is full of impurities and wood debris.
- Use a propolis mats. Sit on top of the super and after a while the bees will have closed up the grid holes with propolis deposits. This is easily collected by freezing the mat then rolling it to loosen the deposits. If you wish to easily produce a powder then put the propolis fragments through a coffee grinder while still very cold. Store in light proof containers away from heat.
Pollen - Did you know?
Pollen is the main source of nutrition for the larvae. It provides the protein necessary for them to mature. Because pollen is rich in protein, it can be harvested, dried and consumed by us. Fix a pollen trap at the entrance of your hive for a couple of weeks in the pollen season to easily collect pollen. However, do not leave on for longer at a time. This ensures bees can collect enough for their own needs.*Honeycomb
Hive World sells two systems for making honeycomb:- A wooden 3/4 depth frame with 8 x 250g capacity plastic box units to place in your ordinary supers or full depth with 12 x 250g units.
- The English section rack with wooden comb cases to place on your super.
Apibox Maxi Comb Honey System
$34.35 – $43.39
Apibox Maxi is an easy-to-use system for preparing honeycomb for sale. It uses a 35mm wide basswood frame (wide enough to hold two rows of containers), and special PET food grade recyclable plastic boxes that fit neatly in your super either with your regular frames or as a whole super load.
When the boxes are filled out all you need to do is simply close the lid on each packet and you have 24 attractively presented packs of comb honey for sale. The sections hold up to 125g of comb honey in each. We also supply the replacement packs of 24 boxes to use in your frame next time.
The usual precautions for producing comb honey remain:
- Do not harvest comb after the end of December in tutin areas.
- Always ensure the honey is tested before sale.
- To produce the best quality comb honey you must insert your boxes right at the peak of the honey flow so the bees fill out the comb quickly.
See our blog on comb honey for more information – https://www.hiveworld.co.nz/comb-honey-production/
Assembled Escape board
$23.04 – $26.00
Hive World’s assembled escape board allows the bees to exit the super before harvesting.
This proven method does not require chemical intervention.
Place underneath the super to be extracted and return between 2 and 24 hours to remove the super without the bees. Do not leave too much longer or the bees will tend to find their way back!
When harvesting from hives with very strong colonies and the honey flow is still in progress, it is necessary to provide a super with empty combs on top of the brood nest below the harvest board, to accommodate the bees coming down. It is also essential to ensure that the supers being emptied are absolutely bee-tight to prevent robbing once they are empty of bees.
English Comb Honey Sections x 28
$56.00
Hive World supplies these premium English wooden comb sections in packs of 28.
Requires thin wax foundation 105 x 105mm: https://www.hiveworld.co.nz/product/pre-cut-beeswax-for-comb-honey/
Supplied as a flat pack. Before folding the sections into shape, dampen the timber. This will soften it and prevent breaking the edges. (see page 212 of the Practical Beekeeping in New Zealand book)
Hive World Big Brute hivetool
$27.80
The Big Brute hive tool is a serious tool for serious beekeepers. No propolis will be able to stand against this. Guaranteed to get your supers apart with ease.
This mighty tool is manufactured by us from 5 mm high tensile steel and is 320 mm long. However, it still fits on our HiveWorld Bee Belt so you won’t lose it!
Metal Corner Bee Escape
$1.74
The metal bee escape is a great option if you like to paraffin dip your harvest boards. It provides a short, easy route for the bees to leave the honey super.
Use on a 40 or 50mm thick hive-mat rim to provide ample room for the bees to leave the supers you wish to harvest.
Pollen Trap
$13.00
The pollen trap is an easy, economical way to harvest pollen. Pollen can then be fed to bees when natural sources of pollen are scarce.
You can also collect pollen to sell as a sideline. Pollen must be frozen or dried to ensure it doesn’t go mouldy.
Always ensure your bees have enough for their own needs before harvesting. It is advisable to leave the pollen trap on your hives for a 2 weeks on/2 weeks off rotation allowing the bees to collect sufficient stocks for the hive. Springtime is generally the best time for this as the bees collect far more than they need during this period.
Section Divider
$40.87
Hive World sells these 4 section size Plastic Section Dividers in packs of 8 to place between each row of sections in your section rack. This prevents bees making brace comb and ensures an attractive level capping for each comb section.
Suitable for Langstroth as well as Dadant, National and WBC racks.
These dividers are easy to clean and have no sharp corners. Most importantly they are “warmer” for the bees.
Manufactured in 1mm polystyrene.
Priced per 8 dividers.
Section Rack complete
$182.61
Hive World supplies a complete comb honey package for you including the wooden section rack with support base and spring clips and 28 wooden comb sections (for you to assemble) with thin wax foundation squares to enclose and cardboard cases for the finished product. Also included are 8 x plastic dividers to keep your comb nice and clean.
This is the premium way of producing comb honey with the traditional wooden frames. For best results put the sections on in the peak honey flow so the bees build quickly.
Do be aware of the danger of tutin poisoning if you are wanting to do this north of Kaikoura and in the North Island – best to avoid comb honey production from January through to July if you are in a tutin risk area. Look up the MPI Compliance Guide for the food standard for more information – https://www.mpi.govt.nz/dmsdocument/20489/send
Some photos courtesy of Arron Baker.
