Comb Honey can be a challenge! Any keeper needs the trifecta for successful production:
- A strong, healthy colony
- Peak nectar flow
- Lots of bees crowded into your hive space
Our recommended approach for supering with SimplKomb:
Pack Your Super.
Single Pack Approach: Loading your 10-frame super with all 10-frames ensures that you are managing bee space as SimplKomb is designed. The bosses on the packages should touch neighboring bosses in order to manage the bee space - this will control the height they build the comb out to in the package. If the frames are not pressed snug together, you risk overbuilding.
Bunt Pack or "Chimney" Approach: Allow your colony to fill a single super first so that your know you are in a solid nectar flow. When the capping begins you can try the Bunt Pack method:
- Remove the center regular drawn frames from your super to create a void in the middle of the box. Your bees will be motivated to fill this "dead space" quickly.
- Leaving the regular drawn frames either side of your super, fill the void in the center with waxed SimplKomb Cassettes.
- To mitigate overbuilding, we recommend placing a Follower Sheet or another separator on either side of your SimplKomb, bookending the frames and separating SimplKomb from the regular drawn frames.
- Press your frames together tightly to ensure appropriate bee space and encourage the correct build/capping height.
- Place your super on a strong, healthy hive that is crowded with bees at peak nectar flow.
- Check the progress on your SimplKomb cassettes by tipping your super box up on end and looking in from the bottom.
- Note: Try to avoid separating the frames until they are all filled and capped as removal can cause overbuilding and wonky comb if the frames are not placed back together tightly.
Other Notes: Our Bunt Pack (sold at select retailers) comes with 6 SimplKomb Cassettes to outfit 3-medium frames - you can remove as many frames as you see fit from the center of your hive. The Bunt Pack also comes with 2 Follower Sheets (or you can purchase them separately) used to bookend either side of your SimplKomb frames. Our Follower Sheets are designed to separate your honey super to manage bee space, mitigate overbuilding, and separate your SimplKomb Frames from the regular drawn frames in your super.
Squeeze 'Em In.
Ensure your frames are snug together and the bosses are touching each other on neighboring cassettes. Using a follower board or two can help take up any extra room in your box and squeeze your frames together snug. We want to bee sure that we can get the lids to snap in place once we harvest. If the bees are given too much space, they will over build the packages and your lids will not snap shut. Then, you'll have to eat all that delicious comb honey by yourself!
Squeeze your bees in, too. A packed or "crowded" super filled with lots of bees makes light work for comb production. Here are a few helpful super setup recommendations:
- Single Brood Method: Condense a double brood box down into a single brood chamber, add a queen excluder, then your medium super of SimplKomb on top.
- Under-Over Method: Split a double brood chamber by sandwiching your super of SimplKomb between your brood boxes. Adding a queen excluder on either side of the super is encouraged.
Make the Choice Simpl.
Giving your bees access to drawn comb or other locations to deposit honey can result in the avoidance of SimplKomb cassettes. Make their decision simpl by removing any other supers and providing SimplKomb as the only honey storage option. This will speed up their fill time, too!
If you are attempting the Bunt Pack/Chimney Approach described above, bee sure that the drawn frames on either side of the SimplKomb frames are capped so that your bees are encouraged to start building new honey storage space in the SimplKomb packages.
Start Early in the Season.
Comb Honey is said to be best produced early in the season. While we have harvested late-season comb honey here in Minnesota, we do recommend getting your Simplkomb supers on early. The first sign of a strong nectar flow is your cue!
Give the Bees Something to Buzz About.
Ensuring your cassettes are prepped for the season is critical - the main part of this prep is waxing each package thoroughly. Be sure to get into the corners and along the edges for the best fills. Pay special attention to the top of each cup.
We recommend:
- Brushing melted wax onto each cup, rather than scrubbing solid wax so that you create a thick foundation layer.
- Using a double boiler method or temperature controlled griddle to keep wax between 140°-175°F. Please ensure your wax is not too hot as this could potentially warp the SimplKomb cassettes.
Bees having trouble finding SimplKomb? Entice them into the super by spritzing a few packages with 1:1 sugar-water, 1:1 honey-water, or dab a bit of honey on a few packages. Adding an upper entrance into the honey super can increase the traffic flow and create a path directly to your SimplKomb cassettes for honey storage (as opposed to only providing a lower entrance through the brood chamber)
Again, if you provide other options for honey storage, like drawn frames, this may result in a delay of interest in the SimplKomb cassettes. Remember, we're training our bees by encouraging their natural behaviors: make the choice Simpl for your bees!
Peek from Underneath.
Checking your super frequently is important as the cassettes can fill quickly. We recommend tipping your super on its side and viewing the cassettes from the bottom to check on fill and capping progress.
Try to avoid removing frames from the super while your bees are making progress as this will impact spacing or cause damage to the comb. When frames are removed from the super and not placed back tightly together the bee space is impacted and this can result in overbuilding - this is why we recommend the tipping approach described above.
Harvesting Made Simpl.
Harvesting comb honey has never been easier! Gently remove the frames from your super, use your hive tool to scrape any propolis off then get under the tabs to gently pry your cassette from the frame. Unsnap the lids from the back of the cups, and fold around to close the packages.
Like any comb honey production, folks freeze their product for 48hrs to kill any potential wax-moth larvae in the comb. SimplKomb cassettes nest nicely on top of one another and slide into your freezer with ease. While still frozen, snap the cassette apart into individual packages and use a butter knife to clean up any propolis on the edges, as necessary.
Labeling for Sale.
How you label your filled comb honey packages is up to you! Slap your branded sticker on the front, or scribble a price right on the package. At Fry Family Farms, we allow the comb honey to be the star of the show by using clear labels customized from Better Bee. Here are some places you can design and purchase clear, two-inch labels:
Package weight depends on the moisture content of your honey and any variation in fill or cappings. We find SimplKomb packages weigh about 5.5oz on average, but they can range anywhere from 5.0oz to 7.0 oz! If you like to feature weight on your labels, stack your packages on a scale, then divide that weight by the number of packages for the average weight of each unit.
Storing Your Comb Honey.
Most keepers will freeze their comb honey after harvest for about 48hrs to kill any potential ants or wax moth larvae that may be inside the comb. It is our recommendation that once you harvest and close your packages that you should freeze your comb. SimplKomb is designed to nest together so you can stack the closed cassettes or packages up in your freezer neatly.
Honeycomb has an indefinite shelf life when stored properly, much like raw honey.
It's best kept at room temperature in a sealed container (like SimplKomb packages), away from moisture and direct sunlight. This storage method helps to maintain its flavor and texture. If you are worried about pests in your storage location, you can stack the SimplKomb packages into a larger Tupperware container for secure storage.
While it won't expire or spoil, the quality might degrade over time if exposed to air or moisture, which can lead to crystallization. While this change may alter the texture or appearance, it doesn't make the honeycomb unsafe to eat.
Retailing SimplKomb Packages.
On average, comb honey retails for about $2.00/oz, compared to the national average of liquid honey at just 60¢/oz. SimplKomb packages weigh, on average, 5.5oz once filled and capped. We have seen a country-wide market rate sitting around $10/package for our comb honey.
This number of course depends on your market - here in the Minnesota, Twin Cities metro-area we price our packages at $10/package. If you are in an area where comb honey is not easily accessible, you may be able to price even higher around $12-15.00/package.
Keep in Touch with Us!
If you have any questions throughout your season or if you are just keen to send us your results, we would be happy to hear from you!
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Each year we hold a Summer Photo Contest where you can submit photos of your SimplKomb to a few different categories for a chance to win a Single Pack and other fun prizes! All photos submitted make it into our Customer Photos compilation for the season. Bee sure to join in on the fun!