Wanted to let TH-cam know I enjoy all your videos! 👊 We just wax the top bars on medium and swallow frames and stagger them with drawn comb. Cut 4 inch squares to place in 4 inch plastic containers. Buddies ask me if that's a chaw of chew in my jaw. Negative, chaw of APPALACHIAN SOURWOOD!
I tried Ross Rounds a few years back. They tend to work ONLY when the hive is full. The bees tend to only put honey in them if they didn't have any other choice of locations. (at least that is my experience). I switched to a standard cut comb approach where I put the comb wax foundation in the shallow frame and let the bees fill it up. I then just cut the comb to fit into the container (I found you can get 7, 8oz pieces from one shallow frame). I am still tossing it over, but will probably be giving away my Ross Round equipment this year. All that being said, thanks for sharing. Information is always good :)
if you give it away, let me have it; as I mentioned above in my comment, I have 9 boxes of 9 frames each, if you put them in strong hives with only one deep brood box, they should fill the ross rounds without too much issues; Its absolute imperative that you don't allow for empty space in the brood chamber and they will put the nectar in the space available, as is the ross; one more thing, I use queen excluders on all my hives, as such, I have top access for the bees to bypass the brood chamber on their way back from nectar harvest, I put a hole in all my mediums supers (that is what I use for honey supers) for ease of the bees to bypass the brood chamber and the queen excluder; it works for me and I am in MI.
Thank JC I think I’m going to go this route this year. I look forward to some more detailed information regarding setting up the hive as well as i hear you need a strong hive that you’d like to cramp enough to encourage drawing comb but not enough to swarm. So, we’ll see how it goes
Hey Jason, I was planning my order for Ross Rounds when I found your video....perfect timing , you just saved me some money on altering my own boxes instead of buying them with the first kits. THANKS
The selling point to these is the presentation of the comb honey. There are not many ways to get a prettier section of comb honey than with RRs. They look like frosted god nectar, lol. Yes they are tricky to convince the bees to fill them out. It takes a good strong flow and a good production colony. It is NOT a system for noobs or for the weak of heart, it takes some skill and effort. Like I said though, when it works it's quite a cool product to offer and it's cleaner than trying to actually cut full comb. They were a hell of a lot cooler back years ago before hive beetles and mites. Back before I started keeping bees in the 90's, my uncle ran bees from the late 60's and he ran a lot of the RR's when I was old enough to pay attention (in the 80's). He got me into bee keeping in the 90's and gave me a bunch of his old stuff and an education to go with it. I sure miss uncle WD. Thanks Jason for the trip down memory lane ;)
Gods nectar,huh? lol They are quite pretty when they are capped off.You are right though, in order to use RR you must use strong colonies and be prepared to keep pushing the bees. I am glad I was able to kick up some good old memories for ya buddy. I think you may have mentioned your uncle to me once before but I didn't realize you got his old equipment, that rocks! Not long after I caught my first swarm of bees, I got a bunch of my grandfathers old beekeeping equipment so I understand how that feels.
Jason One thing that is a major factor that you should've mentioned is that for the bees to fill all 9 frames of Ross, you better have a really strong hive to do that, otherwise you end up with incomplete cartridges. I have 9 setups like you showed, custom made them myself with full 9 frames in them, I did install a clit on each end the entire side of the box, but also created channels by drilling holes in the 3/4" clit from top to bottom for bees to be able to use them as routes to move around; those things work like a charm, when nectar is in full swing, they go up first, filled up in notime; the benefits of Ross cartridge is that your hands never touch the honey comb, that is the best marketing incentive for costumers when it comes to Ross Cartridge, and I guess the hogg-whatever the other ones are called. I used to do the traditional cutout, but a lot of my costumers didn't like the smeared honey in the package, with this option, that is eliminated. Also, the only thing you ever have to clean is the frames, the rings and the lids, may it be clear or white, those are always new, as you won't reuse the old ones, unless you have hit-or-miss full cartridges. Great video my friend.
Thanks for sharing your insight! Maybe I should have mentioned needing to install these on strong colonies but that's kinda a given if you ask me. I wouldn't stick a super on a weak colony and expect to harvest honey from it in the near future. I am just giving overview of how the setup works. It sounds like you've gotten pretty good at getting good results with Ross Rounds, that awesome! Can I ask what you sell them for? Glad you enjoyed the video!
@@JCsBees I meant you stick them on top of the strongest hives for best result; I sell the rounds for 15$ without any effort during summer/fall time, and 17$ during winter/spring time when it is hard to come by. Your overview was correct, I was just adding about the need of a stronger that typical hive to get best results. The fact that you figured out to put them in a shallow super and stick 9 in it vs 8, that puts you ahead of the game. Some people says that they have better results in 5frame nucleus style hives, at this time I don't have harvest hives in nucleus configuration, if I do, I might try that approach to see how that works.
Sounds like your doing well selling the rounds. I like how you raise the price in the winter. I have thought about trying these on a nuc but haven't yet. I think I seen Fat Bee Man do that in one of his videos.
Thank you. I was just about to say you missed the part where bees will build on the gaps on the sides. BUT you didn't, :). For that, I have another solution other than the (block all the way down) you suggested. You can fill the gap by fixing a piece of wood to the frame itself (on each side) so you can use it also in any other standard box.
Interesting video JC. I almost picked up a Ross round setup at a bee auction a few years ago. Comb honey goes for a nice price in my area. Perhaps something I will try some day now that I know a little more about it. Thanks!
Thanks for the lesson. I was gifted a Ross Round super kit for Christmas this year. I guess you have some “dirty” rings after a season of cut comb because not ever round is complete? Maybe the colony or flow prevents all rounds to be
Thanks for the video.... Hope you wash those before using them. You never said 'a single word' about cleaning them in the video.... lol.... Keep the video's coming!
Is the box you use for a ross round the same depth as a medium box or is it closer to a shallow box?? I'm going to assume that the colony should be able to fill a ross round box faster than a standard super that's not been previously drawn comb??
Ron, It seems to me it is closer to a shallow box. I would think they could fill the rounds faster than standard frames, they are surely less area to work.
@@lynnburroughs7507 Personally I think the Hogg system is well worth the money. If you buy the complete kit you can pick it up for around $119 and then just to purchase the refills the following year is $91. If using a 10 frame system there is 40 cassettes per box. I sell mine retail for $14 and wholesale for $10 so there is a pretty good profit margin either way and I have no problem selling all of my honeycomb. I had more demand for the product than I had product this year. I hope this answers your question.
Massachusetts Prepper thanks it does. I like what I have read about the high system and square makes more sense to me than the round since it makes more use of the available space
Thanks Jason I have been looking at these Ross rounds and also have been looking at the hogg half’s also . I do not know the ones I going to get . I am trying to find out the one that gives me the best return on my money because you have to get the refill kit each time you reinstall for the next cycle . I think the Ross rounds are 8 - oz and the Hogg half’s are 12 -oz so that would be different price to sale them . Have you tried the Hogg half’s and there are different amounts of disk for a 8 frame and a 10 frame boxes I run more 8 frames boxes . What is your thought on the two different kinds . Thanks Jason
Hello Kathy, Hope all is well for you. My experience with comb honey is limited even though I have the Ross Rounds set. I have not tried the Hogg's half's either. Looking at the size difference you would make more return on the Hogg's due to their size. I want to throw a 3rd option at you, have you seen the mason jars with comb honey in them? They sell like hotcakes and you only need mason jars, and inner cover with holes cut for the jars. Here's a link to see what I am talking about th-cam.com/video/QpA8YN15lWQ/w-d-xo.html I'd consider the mason jar as I think it would cost less out of pocket. Plus the looks of the comb with the honey kinda sells itself. Sorry I am not much help on the rounds.
I've done Ross rounds and it's easier to just do cut comb and buy the expensive plastic boxes. Shallow frames and boxes. I get 4 cuts to a frame. Forty in a box if perfect and eight bucks a piece all day. Whoosh they're gone. Yup They sell. The Ross rounds are half the size and people caught on instantly. Ended up giving them as gifts.
I see the system as profitable and it would only take one round of a harvest to pay for the setup. As far as comparing to other systems it's comparable in price but may require a little more labor on the beekeeper. Sorry no reviews on gas vaporizers.
Great video! My mother thinks honeycomb in these containers are not real honey, that its man made 😑 I cant get through to her. Is it only the foundation that you use for the bees to start making honey?
That may work but I've never tried it that way. I would be afraid the bees would not center the comb in the sleeve and attach it to the frames would be my concern.
I tried them for one year and had a similar result. Although they did fill out some of the rounds I found that they tended to put the honey anywhere else first. I went back to just using a comb foundation in a shallow frame. Once the bees filled and capped them I cut the comb into 8 oz pieces and put them in a container to sell. I found this approach was far cheaper and less time consuming than Ross Rounds.
@@JCsBees Extremely valid questions that may/may not lead to others having a different result than I did. To be honest, I did not track when I had the RR on in comparison to when a flow was active. I did, however, start the year with just the RR and as the year progressed added regular supers on top. The bees, for the most part, bypassed the RR and went to the "regular" supers above it. I am not saying they are junk by any means as others seem to have good luck with them. I just tend to have better luck with cut comb. Thanks again for sharing. The information you give is extremely valuable to all of us.
I've used them a couple times but it was years ago. I had a couple Ross Round kits given to me without the original boxes and learned how to make them work with a regular super.
Jason, here is a video of a new jig I made for hive body handles. Don't know what you use but it's here if you want: th-cam.com/video/_pNpLNoTut0/w-d-xo.html
![[Full] 4 ต่อ 4 Celebrity EP.922 | 10 พ.ย. 67 | one31](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/zmV5HRIxIBI/mqdefault.jpg)
Wanted to let TH-cam know I enjoy all your videos! 👊
We just wax the top bars on medium and swallow frames and stagger them with drawn comb. Cut 4 inch squares to place in 4 inch plastic containers. Buddies ask me if that's a chaw of chew in my jaw.
Negative, chaw of APPALACHIAN SOURWOOD!
I tried Ross Rounds a few years back. They tend to work ONLY when the hive is full. The bees tend to only put honey in them if they didn't have any other choice of locations. (at least that is my experience). I switched to a standard cut comb approach where I put the comb wax foundation in the shallow frame and let the bees fill it up. I then just cut the comb to fit into the container (I found you can get 7, 8oz pieces from one shallow frame). I am still tossing it over, but will probably be giving away my Ross Round equipment this year. All that being said, thanks for sharing. Information is always good :)
if you give it away, let me have it; as I mentioned above in my comment, I have 9 boxes of 9 frames each, if you put them in strong hives with only one deep brood box, they should fill the ross rounds without too much issues; Its absolute imperative that you don't allow for empty space in the brood chamber and they will put the nectar in the space available, as is the ross; one more thing, I use queen excluders on all my hives, as such, I have top access for the bees to bypass the brood chamber on their way back from nectar harvest, I put a hole in all my mediums supers (that is what I use for honey supers) for ease of the bees to bypass the brood chamber and the queen excluder; it works for me and I am in MI.
Ah, sounds like you have great luck with them. I haven't tried adding a dedicated top entrance, so maybe I will try that before disposing of them.
Thank JC I think I’m going to go this route this year. I look forward to some more detailed information regarding setting up the hive as well as i hear you need a strong hive that you’d like to cramp enough to encourage drawing comb but not enough to swarm. So, we’ll see how it goes
Nice video, thanks for sharing.
Hey Jason, I was planning my order for Ross Rounds when I found your video....perfect timing , you just saved me some money on altering my own boxes instead of buying them with the first kits. THANKS
Glad I could help! Happy New Year!
The selling point to these is the presentation of the comb honey. There are not many ways to get a prettier section of comb honey than with RRs. They look like frosted god nectar, lol. Yes they are tricky to convince the bees to fill them out. It takes a good strong flow and a good production colony. It is NOT a system for noobs or for the weak of heart, it takes some skill and effort. Like I said though, when it works it's quite a cool product to offer and it's cleaner than trying to actually cut full comb. They were a hell of a lot cooler back years ago before hive beetles and mites. Back before I started keeping bees in the 90's, my uncle ran bees from the late 60's and he ran a lot of the RR's when I was old enough to pay attention (in the 80's). He got me into bee keeping in the 90's and gave me a bunch of his old stuff and an education to go with it. I sure miss uncle WD.
Thanks Jason for the trip down memory lane ;)
Gods nectar,huh? lol They are quite pretty when they are capped off.You are right though, in order to use RR you must use strong colonies and be prepared to keep pushing the bees. I am glad I was able to kick up some good old memories for ya buddy. I think you may have mentioned your uncle to me once before but I didn't realize you got his old equipment, that rocks! Not long after I caught my first swarm of bees, I got a bunch of my grandfathers old beekeeping equipment so I understand how that feels.
Thanks for sharing.
We are getting lots of moisture also. Near Springfield MO. Real greasy here. No seen Ross rounds before thanks!!
Great video. Mama wants cut comb and I am still not sure on RR or Hogg
Rained all damn day yesterday here (SE Louisiana). And it was already wet. We're trying out some Ross Rounds this year.
All this rain has made my farm chores a nightmare. Can't do anything without leaving rut 12" deep.
Jason
One thing that is a major factor that you should've mentioned is that for the bees to fill all 9 frames of Ross, you better have a really strong hive to do that, otherwise you end up with incomplete cartridges.
I have 9 setups like you showed, custom made them myself with full 9 frames in them, I did install a clit on each end the entire side of the box, but also created channels by drilling holes in the 3/4" clit from top to bottom for bees to be able to use them as routes to move around; those things work like a charm, when nectar is in full swing, they go up first, filled up in notime; the benefits of Ross cartridge is that your hands never touch the honey comb, that is the best marketing incentive for costumers when it comes to Ross Cartridge, and I guess the hogg-whatever the other ones are called. I used to do the traditional cutout, but a lot of my costumers didn't like the smeared honey in the package, with this option, that is eliminated. Also, the only thing you ever have to clean is the frames, the rings and the lids, may it be clear or white, those are always new, as you won't reuse the old ones, unless you have hit-or-miss full cartridges.
Great video my friend.
Thanks for sharing your insight! Maybe I should have mentioned needing to install these on strong colonies but that's kinda a given if you ask me. I wouldn't stick a super on a weak colony and expect to harvest honey from it in the near future. I am just giving overview of how the setup works.
It sounds like you've gotten pretty good at getting good results with Ross Rounds, that awesome! Can I ask what you sell them for?
Glad you enjoyed the video!
@@JCsBees I meant you stick them on top of the strongest hives for best result; I sell the rounds for 15$ without any effort during summer/fall time, and 17$ during winter/spring time when it is hard to come by.
Your overview was correct, I was just adding about the need of a stronger that typical hive to get best results.
The fact that you figured out to put them in a shallow super and stick 9 in it vs 8, that puts you ahead of the game.
Some people says that they have better results in 5frame nucleus style hives, at this time I don't have harvest hives in nucleus configuration, if I do, I might try that approach to see how that works.
Sounds like your doing well selling the rounds. I like how you raise the price in the winter. I have thought about trying these on a nuc but haven't yet. I think I seen Fat Bee Man do that in one of his videos.
Thank you. I was just about to say you missed the part where bees will build on the gaps on the sides. BUT you didn't, :). For that, I have another solution other than the (block all the way down) you suggested. You can fill the gap by fixing a piece of wood to the frame itself (on each side) so you can use it also in any other standard box.
Interesting video JC. I almost picked up a Ross round setup at a bee auction a few years ago. Comb honey goes for a nice price in my area.
Perhaps something I will try some day now that I know a little more about it.
Thanks!
I occasionally have someone ask for comb honey, but didn't know if it would be worth the bother. What is the going rate for comb honey?
@Larry Mangan I just seen a 1 pound container of comb honey listed for $18 but I have seen it listed as low as $12 also.
very interesting way to sell honey comb.
Thanks for the lesson. I was gifted a Ross Round super kit for Christmas this year. I guess you have some “dirty” rings after a season of cut comb because not ever round is complete? Maybe the colony or flow prevents all rounds to be
I bought three Ross Round set ups at the EAS conference last summer in South Carolina. Looking forward to giving them a try.
Nice! I hope they work well for you.
Thanks !!
Nice video.
Thanks for the video.... Hope you wash those before using them.
You never said 'a single word' about cleaning them in the video.... lol....
Keep the video's coming!
Did you skip around in this video? I ask because I mentioned power washing the parts. (Just saying) lol
I wish there was "sarcasm" font! LOL
Is the box you use for a ross round the same depth as a medium box or is it closer to a shallow box??
I'm going to assume that the colony should be able to fill a ross round box faster than a standard super that's not been previously drawn comb??
Ron, It seems to me it is closer to a shallow box. I would think they could fill the rounds faster than standard frames, they are surely less area to work.
@@JCsBees thanks! I've been interested in trying the Ross rounds. Great info!
This looks like an interesting way to get cut comb without actually cutting it. I currently use the Hogg Halfcomb System myself. Thanks for sharing.
Massachusetts Prepper what do think of the Hogg system? Cost vs income.
@@lynnburroughs7507 Personally I think the Hogg system is well worth the money. If you buy the complete kit you can pick it up for around $119 and then just to purchase the refills the following year is $91. If using a 10 frame system there is 40 cassettes per box. I sell mine retail for $14 and wholesale for $10 so there is a pretty good profit margin either way and I have no problem selling all of my honeycomb. I had more demand for the product than I had product this year. I hope this answers your question.
Massachusetts Prepper thanks it does. I like what I have read about the high system and square makes more sense to me than the round since it makes more use of the available space
@@lynnburroughs7507 You're very welcome Lynn, and the bees do fill these out very well.
Massachusetts Prepper have you done any vids on the Hogg setup?
Hi Jason. Do you have a video on square comb ? Love your videos !!! Thank You
The only video I would have is the one I released last week where I am turning it into a draw out box. Did you see that video?
Thanks Jason I have been looking at these Ross rounds and also have been looking at the hogg half’s also . I do not know the ones I going to get . I am trying to find out the one that gives me the best return on my money because you have to get the refill kit each time you reinstall for the next cycle . I think the Ross rounds are 8 - oz and the Hogg half’s are 12 -oz so that would be different price to sale them . Have you tried the Hogg half’s and there are different amounts of disk for a 8 frame and a 10 frame boxes I run more 8 frames boxes . What is your thought on the two different kinds . Thanks Jason
Hello Kathy, Hope all is well for you. My experience with comb honey is limited even though I have the Ross Rounds set. I have not tried the Hogg's half's either. Looking at the size difference you would make more return on the Hogg's due to their size. I want to throw a 3rd option at you, have you seen the mason jars with comb honey in them? They sell like hotcakes and you only need mason jars, and inner cover with holes cut for the jars. Here's a link to see what I am talking about th-cam.com/video/QpA8YN15lWQ/w-d-xo.html
I'd consider the mason jar as I think it would cost less out of pocket. Plus the looks of the comb with the honey kinda sells itself. Sorry I am not much help on the rounds.
will the ross rounds fit in a shallow or medium box??
Seems like they do fit shallows but some adjustments are needed.
Clean it with a power washer! Such a stupid idea, and exactly what I was thinking! Love the videos!
Great minds think alike! lol
I've done Ross rounds and it's easier to just do cut comb and buy the expensive plastic boxes. Shallow frames and boxes. I get 4 cuts to a frame. Forty in a box if perfect and eight bucks a piece all day. Whoosh they're gone. Yup
They sell. The Ross rounds are half the size and people caught on instantly. Ended up giving them as gifts.
Another great video Jason!
Great video as always buddy
May I suggest not using smoke when harvesting comb honey as it can slightly affect the flavour of the comb
Thanks for the tip
Very Good Jason , Good Job Man!!
Thanks!
Thanks for the how to. What is your overall review of this system? Cost analysis vs other comb honey methods? Also, do you have any gas vap reviews?
I see the system as profitable and it would only take one round of a harvest to pay for the setup. As far as comparing to other systems it's comparable in price but may require a little more labor on the beekeeper.
Sorry no reviews on gas vaporizers.
Great video! My mother thinks honeycomb in these containers are not real honey, that its man made 😑 I cant get through to her. Is it only the foundation that you use for the bees to start making honey?
How soon can i start raising queens? In North Carolina
Good question. You need to ask someone who lives there though to be sure.
Hey Jason what if you don't put in comb Foundation, won't the bees just fill up the rounds and make their own?
That may work but I've never tried it that way. I would be afraid the bees would not center the comb in the sleeve and attach it to the frames would be my concern.
I had a Ross round box on my bees last year and the bees never put an ounce of wax on it
I tried them for one year and had a similar result. Although they did fill out some of the rounds I found that they tended to put the honey anywhere else first. I went back to just using a comb foundation in a shallow frame. Once the bees filled and capped them I cut the comb into 8 oz pieces and put them in a container to sell. I found this approach was far cheaper and less time consuming than Ross Rounds.
Did you have other supers on also? Did you have a nice nectar flow when they were on the hive?
@@JCsBees Extremely valid questions that may/may not lead to others having a different result than I did. To be honest, I did not track when I had the RR on in comparison to when a flow was active. I did, however, start the year with just the RR and as the year progressed added regular supers on top. The bees, for the most part, bypassed the RR and went to the "regular" supers above it. I am not saying they are junk by any means as others seem to have good luck with them. I just tend to have better luck with cut comb. Thanks again for sharing. The information you give is extremely valuable to all of us.
@@JCsBees the Ross rounds was the only super on the hive. Had a very good flow they filled the brood boxes instead
Jason, have you done the ross rounds before or is this your first time?
I've used them a couple times but it was years ago. I had a couple Ross Round kits given to me without the original boxes and learned how to make them work with a regular super.
How "user friendly" are they compared to other comb making ways?
There not bad at all once you get used to the setup of each frame. Now that you've seen this video that shouldn't be an issue!
Are they dishwasher safe.
No sure but would think so.
Jason, here is a video of a new jig I made for hive body handles. Don't know what you use but it's here if you want:
th-cam.com/video/_pNpLNoTut0/w-d-xo.html
Awesome jig my friend! Thanks for sharing it.
Hey jason
Do by any chance know are those parts dish washer safe ? Just a thought
Randy,
I don't know but well worth a try. Thanks for the suggestion!