Fixed-Comb Hives and Comb Honey

A karakovan is a traditional fixed-comb hive in which the bees build their comb directly onto the hive body without frames; honey cut from it is sold as comb honey. Today comb honey is also easily produced in movable-frame hives, using thin foundation or frames without foundation. This page covers honey production in the karakovan, comb honey methods in the modern hive and the points that determine quality.

What is a karakovan and how is it made?

In Türkiye, karakovan is the common name for any traditional hive without movable frames. The bees build their combs freely downwards from the ceiling and walls of the hive; the beekeeper cannot take the combs out one by one to inspect them. The building material varies by region:

• Log hive: A hollowed-out tree trunk; both ends are closed with wooden lids. Common in the eastern Black Sea region.
• Board (nailed) hive: A box- or barrel-shaped body nailed together from thick boards.
• Wicker hive: A body woven from willow or similar twigs and plastered with mud and dung.
• Clay hive: A tube-shaped body made of clay; in dry, hot regions these are stacked inside walls or in stone shelters.

On the forested slopes of the eastern Black Sea, karakovan hives are hung high in trees or on poles, mainly to protect them from bears. Honey from these hives is known in the region as a high-value product.

How is honey stored and harvested in a karakovan?

In a karakovan the bees usually store honey above the brood nest or in the part farthest from the entrance. The brood stays in the area near the entrance. The harvest follows this arrangement:

1. Timing: The harvest is usually done once a year, after the main nectar flow has ended, in late summer or early autumn.
2. Opening: The lid on the side opposite the entrance is opened; the bees are moved away from between the combs with a little smoke.
3. Selection: Only fully capped, light-coloured honey combs are cut. Dark combs containing brood, pollen or cocoon remains are left.
4. Winter share: Honey combs near the cluster must stay in the hive as winter stores. Cutting too much causes the colony to starve in winter.
5. Closing: When cutting is finished, the lid is closed tightly; bits of comb left in the open and dripping honey start robbing.

What determines the quality of karakovan honey?

In consumers' eyes the name "karakovan honey" is associated with naturalness; however, quality depends more on the beekeeper's practice than on the shape of the hive.

• Age of the comb: Comb to be eaten must be fresh comb built that year in which no brood has been reared. Dark combs that have stayed in the hive for years and held brood contain cocoon remains and are not fit for the table.
• Feeding: In a colony fed sugar syrup during the nectar flow or before the harvest, the bees also carry syrup into the comb. Presentation in the comb is not proof of purity on its own.
• Ripeness: Honey in uncapped cells is wet and can ferment; only capped comb should be cut.
• Treatment residues: Wax accumulates treatment residues. No treatments should be used during the honey flow in a hive producing comb honey; varroa control should be done after the harvest and with licensed products.
• Hygiene: Cutting should be done with clean knives and containers, in a closed, cool place; the comb must not touch soil or leaves.

How do you produce comb honey in a modern hive?

You do not need a fixed-comb hive for comb honey. In a movable-frame hive the colony can be inspected, disease can be seen and comb quality is easier to control. In international honey standards, comb honey is defined as honey stored by bees in fresh, brood-free combs or on thin foundation made solely of pure beeswax.

Production methods

• Cut comb: Comb built in an unwired super frame with thin foundation or with only a starter strip is taken out of the frame and cut into pieces.
• Section comb: The bees build the comb directly inside small wooden or plastic sections; the product is sold without cutting.
• Whole frame: A full, capped frame is sold as it is.
• Chunk honey: A piece of cut comb is placed in a jar and topped up with extracted honey.

Conditions for success

1. A strong colony: Wax building needs plenty of young bees; you need a crowd big enough to fill the super.
2. A strong, uninterrupted flow: Bees build and fill comb quickly only when plenty of nectar is coming in. Supers should be given at the start of the flow.
3. Limited space: If too many supers are given, the bees spread the honey out and leave cells half-filled. The next super is added only once most of the previous one has been drawn.
4. The right foundation: Use thin, unwired foundation of pure beeswax, or just a starter strip. Thick foundation leaves a hard layer in the mouth.
5. A suitable honey source: Honeys that crystallise quickly in the comb (e.g. rapeseed) are not suitable for cut comb; honeys that stay liquid are preferred.

Cutting, packing and storing comb honey

• Take it off in time: The super should be removed from the hive as soon as the comb is capped. On comb left in the hive for a long time, the capping surface darkens as the bees walk over it.
• Cutting: Cut with a clean, sharp knife or cutter; the cut edges are left to drain on a rack and then boxed.
• Against wax moth: Keeping the comb in a freezer (about –18 °C) for at least a day before packing is the common way to kill invisible moth eggs.
• Packaging: Use closed, food-grade boxes so that it does not absorb moisture or odours.
• Storage: Keep in a cool, dry, dark place. The fridge can speed up crystallisation; comb honey keeps better at the cool end of room temperature.

Yield and economics

In comb honey production the bees build new wax every time; the total honey yield is therefore clearly lower than in extracted honey production. On the other hand the unit price is high, and no extractor or settling tank is needed. It is a good option for the small-scale beekeeper and for thick honeys that are hard to extract.

Switching from the karakovan to the movable-frame hive does not mean giving up comb honey production; on the contrary, the same product can be produced more safely while monitoring colony health and controlling winter stores.

Common mistakes

• Selling dark comb that has held brood: comb with cocoon remains is not fit for the table.
• Cutting uncapped comb: wet honey runs and ferments.
• Feeding syrup during the flow: the syrup is carried into the comb and the naturalness of the product is lost.
• Not leaving a winter share in the karakovan: the colony cannot survive the winter.
• Using thick or wired foundation: not suitable for cut comb.