# Question about "capping" honey...



## pheasantplucker (Feb 20, 2007)

I've got two medium supers above my queen excluder. One is absolutely full of capped honey. It's been that way since about the middle to end of May.The other one, they seemed to neglect for about four or five weeks. I didn't check on them the first weekend in July, but this past Saturday, I went up there to peak in on them and they have that second medium about 50% full. (All ten frames each about half)...but it's not capped. They did all that in about two weeks, since I looked in on them last. Any idea how long before they cap this stuff? I want to be sure to wait long enough so that I can extract it, too.


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## Judy in IN (Nov 28, 2003)

It will all depend on your nectar flow. With all the rain we've had, I think your girls are doing their best. 

I've never known a lazy bee, besides a drone...


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## Durandal (Aug 19, 2007)

Pull off that full medium and leave the other one on. Some beeks swear that when you reduce honey stores around flows (assuming you have one) that the bees want to put more on.

Rather than one big harvest we are harvesting all season in small batches, worked in with our other farm duties. A super here and super there, if a new colony got ahead of us we,ll pull a couple honey bound deep frames to give them more room and put a medium on top...or two depending on when.

Just keep track and when you pulled and from what colony. We only have a little over thirty but even with that small amount its easy to forget when you are also worrying about baling hay, repairing fences, and taking produce to market.

It is getting late in the season though. We are getting lots of heat with good rain fall so we are experiencing good clover blooms, and we should be seeing lots of soybean blossom over a long period of time because of a long planting season this year, but we are starting to see a lot of stuff starting to bloom now that does not normally bloom till August. Its been a very warm year, from April on and lots of stuff is blooming early. 

We are about 2 to 6 weeks earlier depending on the plant. I have no idea if this will effect end of season foraging or not so be careful how much you take off.


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