Comb honey is a really incredible product and is loved by honey lovers. Comb honey is different from extracted honey as the honey is given to customers directly in the comb and presented in these custom comb honey boxes. Both the honey and the beeswax comb are edible.
These comb honey cassettes are made from pine and are cut to the correct dimension for the standard Langstroth frame. Each cassette is easily assembled into a rectangle and can be placed inside the wooden frame most beekeepers use for the bees to start producing comb honey.
BEFORE ORDERING, CONFIRM THE FRAMES YOU ARE USING WILL FIT THE CASSETTES. You can confirm this by measuring the interior of an assembled frame.
- 1 Cassette for the medium frames measures - 5-1/16 x 4-3/16 x 1-1/2 inches
- 1 Cassette for the deep frames measures - 3-7/8 x 4-3/16 x 1-1/2 inches
Watch our video on how to Assemble the comb honey cassettes.
The joints on each cassette are cut precisely so the frame can fit together easily. The interlocking joints allow it to hold it's shape without collapsing, without glue, and without nails to make assembling the cassette much easier.
Each rectangle has 2 slots so a thin sheet of beeswax foundation can be slid into the cassette to form a starter strip or guide for the bees to build their natural comb. The honey bees will produce pure comb honey directly in the frame during a honey flow. The two slots allow you to put 2 sheets of comb as a guide, allowing the bees to build more complete comb honey.
The wooden sections are disposable, so after the bees have finished their comb honey production, the cassette can be sold to a customer or given away.
Beeswax sheets are not included, but wired and unwired foundations can be used when installing. Deep sheets of pure beeswax foundation are the right size and can be cut into strips easily. Nails are unnecessary when assembling into the cassette, but a small piece of wax foundation in the right place can help keep the cassettes in the right space before the bees proplise them together.
One deep frame will hold 8 wooden comb honey cassettes. One medium frame will hold 4 wooden comb honey cassettes. There is a difference in the size of the cassettes, so the medium and deep cassettes are not universal.
Be sure to check out our book on making comb honey.
The wood section can be placed into the frame without any special tools and does not even need glue or nails to assemble. The wood sections all have finger joints and are easily put together. A small strip of beeswax foundation can be used to help secure the sections into the frame. No other nails, glue, or screws are needed.
The frames are best used in honey supers or a deep box with only these cassettes. This will encourage the bees to build straight comb and discourage burr comb. These cassettes are easier to assemble, use, and sell than Ross Round or Half Hogg Cassettes. These are commonly called basswood sections because they were originally made from basswood trees. Their simple and easy-to-understand design is a favorite among beekeepers.
Producing comb honey works best when there is a natural honey flow or nectar flow, and a strong colony is given the comb sections to build on. In these conditions, it is easy to produce comb honey using these cartridges and the equipment you already have. An alternative to single sections of comb honey is a full frame of comb honey using our foundationless frames.
When harvesting the comb sections from the honey super, the wooden cassettes are popped out of the Langstroth frame, placed into a clear bag, and frozen before consumption. Freezing is a best practice to stop any pests in the comb. The bagged comb section with the wood frame is then placed into a cardboard box for display.
See our other Foundationless Frames
And our entire collection of Wax Foundation, Frames, and Assembly Tools.
Watch our video on How to Assemble Comb Honey Cassettes for Beekeeping.
