You should harvest honey when most of the cells in the cassette are capped. This indicates the honey is ready. With HiveKeepers, you can harvest one cassette at a time during normal hive inspections, rather than waiting for a full box.
With HiveKeepers, you’re not locked into a harvest schedule.
You can harvest as often as it makes sense for your hive.
If one cassette is ready, you can take it. If several are ready, you can take more. There’s no need to wait for a full box.
How do you know when honey is ready?
The main thing to watch is the capping.
When most of the cells in the cassette are capped, the honey is ready to harvest. This is the same indicator used in traditional beekeeping.
If a lot of cells are still open, it’s best to leave it a little longer so the honey can fully ripen.
Do you need to harvest everything at once?
No.
You can harvest one cassette at a time, or as many as are ready. There’s no requirement to remove a full frame or box, which makes it much easier to harvest in smaller amounts.
What if honey crystallises in the cassette?
You don’t need to fix it yourself.
Simply return the cassette to the hive. The bees will consume the crystallised honey and replace it with fresh nectar over time.
Are you getting less honey overall?
No.
The hive still produces similar amounts of honey. You’re simply collecting it in smaller portions instead of large batches.
So instead of one or two big harvests, you might have many smaller ones throughout the season.
That’s where the flexibility really shows. It allows you to harvest when it suits you, while leaving more time to focus on looking after your bees.
👉 Timing article
“cells are capped”
👉 Understanding the Cassette System
“one cassette at a time”
👉 What Harvesting Actually Looks Like (Step by Step)
“crystallises in the cassette”
👉 After the Harvest: What to Do Next
“smaller portions instead of large batches” →
👉 How Much Honey Do You Get From a Cassette
