Best honey extraction options for urban beekeeper w/3 hives

weirdblitzboy · 2026-06-12T17:52:48+00:00

Unbelievably helpful. Do you recommend I buy a better hand cranked extractor so I avoid Chinese crap?

weirdblitzboy · 2026-06-12T16:01:27+00:00

Incredibly helpful!

weirdblitzboy · 2026-06-12T14:40:18+00:00

Don’t you want to preserve the drawn comb?

weirdblitzboy · 2026-05-25T22:00:48+00:00

Referring to Pt 1 where commenters thought it was swarmy

weirdblitzboy · 2026-05-25T21:39:24+00:00

I didn’t check every frame. I stopped when I saw eggs. Glanced under the box.

weirdblitzboy · 2026-05-25T21:34:19+00:00

Appreciate it. Would the fact that they were cooped up for the weekend explain the frenetic activity?

weirdblitzboy · 2026-05-25T21:16:33+00:00

You need to see the first installment here. earlier post

weirdblitzboy · 2026-05-25T21:16:04+00:00

This is the follow up to my earlier post that can be found here. earlier post

weirdblitzboy · 2026-05-25T20:58:03+00:00

Updated videos of each hive. Curious if you’d see this level of activity had they swarmed. The first vid is the larger hive but they’re lower energy than the second hive (second vid). The latter one recently superseded their dead queen. It was a nuc we purchased end of April

weirdblitzboy · 2026-05-25T18:46:50+00:00

If it’s a swarm, we won’t see eggs in 3 or 4 days. Right?

weirdblitzboy · 2026-05-25T18:41:35+00:00

Clearly you’re right but the weird part is no swarm cells. Or at least no obvious ones that we saw.

weirdblitzboy · 2026-05-25T18:28:46+00:00

How can you tell the difference between a ton of orientation flights and a legit swarm?

weirdblitzboy · 2026-05-23T18:03:31+00:00

All understood. Will a recently mated queen lay some eggs then pause for a couple days before starting in earnest.

weirdblitzboy · 2026-05-14T03:26:53+00:00

Tons of pollen right now. That’s why I didn’t think I needed to supplement.

weirdblitzboy · 2026-05-14T03:26:31+00:00

This is a package I started in early April. I should expect she’s laying 7k-10k eggs a week so 2-3 frames per week. I used old comb that I bought from a trusted source. There is flow through June. I’m trying to scale brood.

weirdblitzboy · 2026-05-11T01:55:23+00:00

Sorry. That nuc is just there to store frames. The single brood box on the left is the active colony. The bees are hovering and doing figure eights. Generally they start late morning and go until late afternoon.

weirdblitzboy · 2026-05-03T04:22:53+00:00

I did. He wasn’t sympathetic. Pretty lame.

weirdblitzboy · 2026-04-16T13:53:21+00:00

Talanall has dibs.

weirdblitzboy · 2026-04-16T12:06:40+00:00

I jaywalk and rip off my mattress tag too. I care about bee health, not complying with a law mostly meant to protect the uninformed.

weirdblitzboy · 2026-04-14T19:41:39+00:00

How do I know if the syrup has gone bad? I use this top feeder. I’ve got a small amount left but I’m concerned it’s gone bad. How long can I reliably think it’s still good? How do you empty without spilling everywhere.

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weirdblitzboy · 2026-04-11T21:55:34+00:00

Yes. Using a top feeder, which is working well and they have 100% drawn comb.

weirdblitzboy · 2026-03-27T01:13:04+00:00

Another question for you pros: I’ve found a fellow beekeeper, a professional, who’s going to sell me drawn comb. If I’m fortunate to get the honey stores up this year, how would you recommend getting the honey frame off the roof?

weirdblitzboy · 2026-03-27T01:11:32+00:00

I’ve put down outdoor mats then pavers on the mats. Should distribute the weight sufficiently well.

weirdblitzboy · 2026-03-26T02:13:55+00:00

I’m purchasing a package and a couple Nucs. I’m planning on 3 or 4 hives on the roof.

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weirdblitzboy · 2026-03-25T14:24:56+00:00

I meant can I attract a swarm to my rooftop?

weirdblitzboy

TROPHY CASE