comb honey

Bell jars for honey production (1800s)

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This entry is post 12 of 24 in the ongoing series Landing Board beekeeping history posts

In the later 1800s, beekeepers induced honey bees to make and fill comb in glass jars, set atop hives, where we put supers. The jars made an elegant display and salable form of comb honey.

Example of a hive topped with glass jars for producing, and containing comb and honey1)Alfred Neighbour, The Apiary; Or, Bees, Bee-hives, and Bee Culture Being a Familiar Account of the Habits of Bees, and the Most Improved Methods of Management, with Full Directions, Adapted for the Cottager, Farmer, Or Scientific Apiarian, London: Kent & Co., 1865, p. 28.
Front and back of a hive enclosure fitting 12 hives, and showing bell jars for honey2)Alfred Neighbour, The Apiary; Or, Bees, Bee-hives, and Bee Culture Being a Familiar Account of the Habits of Bees, and the Most Improved Methods of Management, with Full Directions, Adapted for the Cottager, Farmer, Or Scientific Apiarian, London: Kent & Co., 1865, p. 55.
Apiary with a mix of skeps and wood hives with bell jars for comb honey3)“Homes of the Honey Bee: The Apiaries of our Readers,” British Bee Journal, November 19, 1898, p. 445.

Today, some beekeepers set up an array of mason jars atop their hives, and the bees build comb and cap honey inside. They top the jar off with extracted honey, and sell them as chunk comb honey.

Comb honey in jars4)Public Domain, via pixnio.com

This practice today may be a grey area in the law of some states. Most states require bees be kept in movable frames. A movable super containing jars may pass the test, but it is unclear if all apiary inspectors would accept the practice.

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