Uncapping.....

[Jonathan]

I have arthritis in my fingers on both hands and it's becoming quite restrictive now. On Saturday I uncapped 15 supers using the Thornes laser cut uncapping fork. It did the job admirably but it was hell on my fingers. What is the best way of uncapping with the least finger effort if you know what I mean? What are those rollers like?

 

[MuswellMetro]

try an electric hot air paint stripper gun, works well on fresh white capings as they pop and melt, but not so well on old capings as no air under them to pop

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fuihSRBwYoY

i have had the same problems with rollers as this video, but some sayr that the rollers work well, ,so must be my technic

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mctw8N9tegc

 

[Jonathan]

Well the rollers look like they are harder to use than the fork and nowhere near as efficient. I just can't see that working for me but wonder if the ones with steel spikes are better?

The blowtorch looks like an ideal solution but when I tried that some years back the results were far from as good. I can't remember but guess I would have had combs with older cappings.

 

[MuswellMetro]

Well the rollers look like they are harder to use than the fork and nowhere near as efficient. I just can't see that working for me but wonder if the ones with steel spikes are better?

The blowtorch looks like an ideal solution but when I tried that some years back the results were far from as good. I can't remember but guess I would have had combs with older cappings.

BLOWTORCH!!!!,, an Electric paint stripper hot air gun is not a blowtorch LOL both may strip paint but one will caramelize the honey

 

[Jonathan]

Yep that was a slip - I didn't really use a blow torch

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

uncapping fork is a nonsense for multiple supers - use an uncapping knife - cold will still be a bit of work but heated a doddle

 

[madasafish]

First time I used an uncapping fork. Messy.Very. PIA.
Second time I used an electric heat gun. No mess and easy.

After that, electric heat gun every time.

 

[Finman]

try an electric hot air paint stripper gun, works well on fresh white capings as they pop and url]

I have tried and the honey got an aroma of burned wax.
Never again.

I use electrict knife with thermostat.

 

[Finman]

uncapping fork is a nonsense for multiple supers - use an uncapping knife - cold will still be a bit of work but heated a doddle

The combs should be heated to 35C. Then knife works fine. I have heating closet to heat combs before extraction. Air temp is 35C. And the extraction room temp is 25C.

 

[maddydog]

I have tried and the honey got an aroma of burned wax.
Never again.

I use electrict knife with thermostat.

Hmm, I've an average sense of taste and smell but swmbo is like a bloodhound so i did a blind test of cold uncapped and heat gun uncapped honey. She couldn't tell the difference so good enough for me.

 

[maddydog]

Not to say I wouldn't swap to a heated knife though as the heat gun won't work where the honey meets the cappings

 

[Jonathan]

Sod it I'll probably get a heated knife and heat gun as I just can't go with the fork again. Hands have done enough suffering no point in aggravating them.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

benefit of a knife - heated or no is you get the cappings to sell/make use of. You get nothing with a heat gun and it only works with fresh white cappings.

 

[Hivemaker.]

benefit of a knife - heated or no is you get the cappings to sell/make use of.

Also gives the young bees something to do in spring if stored wet, doing comb repairs.

 

[charlievictorbravo]

A couple of contributors have mentioned that the heat gun only works with white cappings. I have some that are light brown. What causes this and why won't the heat gun work on these?

Also, I've noticed a few cells containing something quite dark, possibly pollen. Will this discolour the extracted honey and should I try to "dig out" the pollen before spinning out the honey?

Questions arise from MY IMMINENT FIRST HONEY EXTRACTION, despite keeping bees for 4 years.

CVB

 

[Erichalfbee]

I don't know what your brown cappings are, sorry...unless it's brood.
Pollen in the super will remain there after spinning so it won't appear in the honey
Leave it there....it may still be there next year or pollen mites might have reduced it to powder you can shake out.
It will wash out if you're really fussy but the bees don't care

 

[MuswellMetro]

A couple of contributors have mentioned that the heat gun only works with white cappings. I have some that are light brown. What causes this and why won't the heat gun work on these?

Also, I've noticed a few cells containing something quite dark, possibly pollen. Will this discolour the extracted honey and should I try to "dig out" the pollen before spinning out the honey?

Questions arise from MY IMMINENT FIRST HONEY EXTRACTION, despite keeping bees for 4 years.

CVB

New capping appear white due to an air pocket behind the translucent yellowish wax, (the wax capping when scrapped off are not white but the same colour as the comb wax )

if the capped honey is old then there is little air beneath the cappings ( your old stores in your brood for example) then the hot air gun will melt the wax but the wax then resets as the honey conducts the heat away, if you use of more heat it may melt the cappings but can also char the honey....try it

 

[midnight sun]

I don't know what your brown cappings are, sorry...unless it's brood.
Pollen in the super will remain there after spinning so it won't appear in the honey
Leave it there....it may still be there next year or pollen mites might have reduced it to powder you can shake out.
It will wash out if you're really fussy but the bees don't care

These cappings are like that usually as some bees do not leave an air pocket under the wax cap. It's the cap touching the honey underneath that makes them appear like this. Usually get this in brood chamber stored honey, but some do it in the supers as well. don't know why though unless it is a genetic trait. Hope that makes sense. Some of mine did it this year one one hive.

 

[Jonathan]

What about those uncapping planes - anybody tried one of those?

 

[RogueDrone]

not tried but often thought of trying a kitchen electric carving knife