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What do you do with uncapped supers

  • 22-08-2019 1:03pm
    #1
    Mellifera
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 249 ✭✭


    Hello,
    Apologies if this has been dealt with before but I couldn't find it in a quick search.

    I've one hive that was starting out this year and due to them starting/weather, etc. they've got halfway through the super and there is a mixture of capped and upcapped honey. My query is...what do you do with these? Do you spin them to get nectar out before spinning for honey? Do you mix in with honey if less than a certain proportion?
    I don't really want to leave them on the bees as the last time i did this it was filled with ivy honey and i couldn't extract it.
    Just interested to know what other beekeepers do.
    Thanks
    M


Comments

  • #2
    yosemitesam1
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,024 ✭✭✭yosemitesam1


    Mellifera wrote: »
    Hello,
    Apologies if this has been dealt with before but I couldn't find it in a quick search.

    I've one hive that was starting out this year and due to them starting/weather, etc. they've got halfway through the super and there is a mixture of capped and upcapped honey. My query is...what do you do with these? Do you spin them to get nectar out before spinning for honey? Do you mix in with honey if less than a certain proportion?
    I don't really want to leave them on the bees as the last time i did this it was filled with ivy honey and i couldn't extract it.
    Just interested to know what other beekeepers do.
    Thanks
    M
    Give the uncapped frames a good hard shake and if nothing drips out extract as normal. It's not unusual at all for ripe honey not to be capped, it's more down to the intensity and persistency of the flow and storage space than ripeness of honey


  • #3
    Apiarist
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,681 ✭✭✭Apiarist


    yosemitesam1 wrote: »
    Give the uncapped frames a good hard shake and if nothing drips out extract as normal. It's not unusual at all for ripe honey not to be capped, it's more down to the intensity and persistency of the flow and storage space than ripeness of honey

    And if you want a guarantee that the honey is ripe, borrow a honey refractometer to check for the moisture content.

    I have extracted unripe honey before, it started to ferment in 3 months. you can eat it before that ;) Or make mead.


  • #4
    Apiarist
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,681 ✭✭✭Apiarist


    Also unfinished supers can be placed under brood boxes for bees to move the honey up into brood frames.


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