Usually, there is no honey to extract during winter because the bees have consumed honey, and need to replenish the supply in the spring and summer. However, this colony is very strong, standing at already six boxes high. The lower boxes are used to raise the brood and the top boxes store honey. Remove the top box for honey extraction. First, we start by removing the side panel of wood that protects the hive from the sun. Since the colony is large, we will remove two top boxes. After blowing the bees downwards, use the putty knife to loosen the sides of the box first, just like with the duckboard.
Honey extraction
Next, uses the wire to cut the comb. The box full of honeycombs is placed in a plastic container.
The color of the honey depends on the nectar sources. The darkening of the comb in the center is due to the comb first being used to raise the brood before being used to store honey. We then repeat the same steps to remove the second box. Blow away any remaining bees before placing the box full of honeycombs into the plastic container. The duckboard is screwed back to the top of the hive and the lid is put back into place.
Adding boxesÂ
Since Japanese honeybee colonies prefer to build Honeycombs downwards, boxes need to be added to the bottom, not the top of the hive, Use a hive lifter to lift the hive. Several queen cells indicate that the colony will swarm soon. It is not easy to add empty boxes because there are so many bees, and the comb is sticking out, the blower is used to remove the bees. Make some small adjustments to make sure that the boxes line up and put the roof back on and finally reattach the sunshade. The colony is now all set.
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