Lesson 74: Comb Honey and Cut-Comb

Honey the way the bees made it: a simple harvest that needs little equipment

Comb honey is honey still sealed in its wax comb, eaten comb and all. It's one of the least processed foods there is, it's prized by many customers, and it needs very little special equipment. That makes it a good way for a new beekeeper to start.

The kinds

• Section comb honey: bees build comb and fill it inside small frames or containers (traditionally thin wooden sections, now also round or square plastic sections) that fit in a special comb honey super. Each section is sold as-is, usually about one pound.
• Cut-comb honey: the bees build comb in ordinary shallow or medium frames; you cut the whole comb out of the frame, then cut it into pieces and package them in plastic boxes. The easiest and least expensive kind to produce.
• Chunk honey: a piece of comb honey in a jar, with liquid honey poured around it.

Producing good comb honey

It takes a strong colony and a strong nectar flow. Bees have to build new comb and fill and cap it quickly for it to look good.

1. Use special extra-thin (thin surplus) foundation, made for comb honey, not the heavier foundation used for brood and extracting frames. Don't use regular plastic or wired foundation in comb you'll eat. Some beekeepers use no foundation at all, or just a starter strip at the top of the frame.
2. Put comb honey supers on a strong colony right as the main flow starts (your Seasonal Guide notes when that is in your area).
3. Crowd the bees a little: fewer supers than for extracted honey, so they finish what they start.
4. Remove supers promptly once capped. Comb left on the hive too long gets "travel stain": bees walking over it track propolis and darken the white cappings.
5. Use a queen excluder so the queen doesn't lay in the new comb.

Harvesting and packing cut-comb

1. Take the frames off (lesson 71) and pick fully capped, evenly filled combs.
2. Cut the comb out of the frame onto a clean rack or tray.
3. Cut it into pieces to fit your boxes.
4. Let the cut edges drain for a while (on a rack over a pan) so the boxes aren't sticky.
5. Freeze it. Freeze comb honey (at least overnight) before selling or storing to kill any wax moth eggs or larvae (and small hive beetle eggs). Let it thaw in its sealed box so moisture condenses on the outside, not on the comb.
6. Pack in clean containers and label (lesson 77). The drained pieces and scraps can go to chunk honey or crush-and-strain (lesson 72).

What to remember

• Comb honey = honey in its natural comb; section, cut-comb (easiest), or chunk.
• Needs a strong colony, a strong flow, and thin comb-honey foundation (not regular brood or extracting foundation).
• Remove promptly to avoid travel stain.
• Freeze before selling to kill wax moth eggs and larvae.

Quick check

1. What kind of foundation is used for comb honey?
2. What is "travel stain," and how do you avoid it?
3. Why freeze comb honey before selling it?

Adapted from: UGA Bee Program, Getting Started: Processing Honey; Delaplane, Honey Bees and Beekeeping (UGA Bulletin 1045, rev. 2017); UF/IFAS Extension, Honey and Its Uses (AA154); Purdue Extension, Understanding the Honey Bee (4-H-571) and Advanced Beekeeping (4-H-1059); University of Arkansas, Complete Beekeeping Short Course, Part 9.

Adapted from university Extension sources. Experienced Georgia beekeepers are reviewing these lessons. See something that doesn't match your experience? Tell us.