First year at the Oilseed rape

[The Drone Ranger]

My tip is watch them like a hawk because rape is a very early crop and a bonanza for bees
So it suits them down to the ground for swarming purposes

They build up very fast and need a lot of space

Even if the huge amount of forage doesn't set them off then the second issue with rape is that it often all starts to disappear at the same time
When they start to lose their unlimited food source that can trigger swarming as well

You need to take the honey off before it is fully capped
A densitometer can tell you the moisture level in case its too early (and will ferment)

let your honey set in buckets then cream it
If you put it straight in jars it sets brick hard

You can get a lot of wax drawn on rape which will be a really valuable thing to have later

[mbc]

Yes, all of what DR said, plus I have a few other suggestions:

- they can build in to tall stacks quite quickly on the rape, once they've filled out the bottom brood box stay well ahead of them on space. Also, I find it easier to have them closer to the ground for stability.

- to get the most crop plus filling up your empty hives, let them build on multiple brood boxes, aiming to harvest honey from brood sized frames and split the hives down at petal fall (once petal fall has started dont hang about, rarely will you get much more osr honey even if large patches of the fields still look to be in flower, also, be prepared for the bees to be a bit tetchy, the sudden stop of flow can leave a lot of bees grouchy)

This is my plan anyway, good luck

[fatshark]

let your honey set in buckets then cream it
If you put it straight in jars it sets brick hard

Or let it set rock hard in buckets and then deal with it in a quieter time of the year. I make creamed (er, soft set) honey when it's cooler* as crystallisation is optimal around 12C I think.

As long as you follow DR's advice and don't let it set in the comb, and ensure it's got a low enough water content, it will be perfectly OK in buckets for a few months ... or more.

* these things are relative

[gwizzie]

Hi Guys,
Thats for all the suggestions and advice, I will take them all into account and will keep you posted on my adventure. I heard somewhere that you can keep OSR in a liquid for for longer if you heat it and then cool it rapidly? can anyone confirm this and how this is done correctly...

[Greengage]

Dont know if your interested in reading this http://cereals.ahdb.org.uk/media/176...lseed-rape.pdf
So you will have to keep an eye on farmers spraying their crops.

[Adam]

Once OSR has set in buckets and has been re-heated, it tends to stay liquid well-enough.
The biggest problem is getting out out of the comb before it sets hard but ensuring the water content is low enough so the honey doesn't ferment.
As has been said, OSR yields well and bees do well on it - with or without neonics it seems - so honey comes in very rapidly so you can find that the brood-nest is full of honey where the queen should be laying and the super(s) are full in a matter of days. If you are then thinking of putting on a super, put on two!

[gwizzie]

Hi everyone, just a small update on the bees at the OSR. Well I have added their second brood box last week and they have draw out the foundation nicely BUT they seem to be filling in with nectar! I have added a super to each hive.

My question is this will they move the nectar up into the super? as I don't want nectar filled brood frames...