Mieke shows off a couple of frames of beautiful comb honey about to be cut.

Our bees have produced some excellent comb honey this summer. Last week we removed the fully capped frames from our hives. We’ve tried a number of different techniques for comb honey production over the years. We’ve used the older style small wooden sections, Ross Rounds, Bee Pacs, etc., but unless conditions are just right, the bees are loath to work in those smaller sections. The most fool proof approach is to simply use a normal shallow or medium depth frame with a special thin surplus foundation. Once the bees have fully drawn the combs, filled with honey and capped, you simply remove the frame, and cut the comb into sections and package. The photos below demonstrate how this is done. Basically, this comb honey goes directly from the hive to your dinner table! It’s all natural, beautiful to see, and tastes great. Our comb honey this year is mostly produced from the white Dutch clover that blooms prolifically in our area, and yields a very beautiful light amber honey.

Comb honey is actually fairly hard to find these days. I’m not sure why that is. Some beekeepers say its more labor intensive to produce than extract honey, which is probably true if you are a commercial beekeeper. However, for hobby beekeepers one significant advantage is that you don’t have to purchase an expensive extractor and other honey processing equipment. For the end consumer, there are also advantages. Comb honey is totally raw and unprocessed, right from the hive. It has not been strained, or subjected to heat, and is basically exactly how the bees left it in the comb!

The comb is carefully cut into sections of approximately 12 ounces.

The cut edges are allowed to "drain" over night, before packaging.

The final product! Beautiful comb honey, packaged and ready our customers.