Harvest a little at a time, without the big extraction day.
The HiveKeepers Half Depth Frame holds four removable honey cassettes, giving small-scale beekeepers a straightforward way to harvest smaller batches as they become ready.
Designed for a matching half depth Langstroth super, it works with the HiveKeepers Micro Honey Harvester. The bees build comb and store honey in the cassettes. When ready, remove the cassettes you want to harvest, extract the honey and return them to the hive for the bees to clean, repair and refill.
There’s no manual uncapping and no bulky extractor to set up or wash afterwards.
Why choose this frame?
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Four removable cassettes included. Harvest one cassette or all four, depending on what is ready.
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Made for half depth honey supers. An option for beekeepers who prefer handling lighter boxes.
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Reusable frame and cassettes. Return the emptied cassettes to the hive after harvesting.
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Practical handling. The refined frame design makes cassettes easier to insert and remove, while the tapered end helps reduce breakage during handling.
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Stable on the bench. The bottom bar provides a base when the frame is out of the hive.
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Part of the HiveKeepers system. Use alongside the Micro Honey Harvester and Cassette Tool for harvesting without manual uncapping or additional filtering.
How to use it
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Prepare the cassettes. Before first use, heat up some beeswax till molten. Get a small new paint roller and light coat the cartridge surface with molten beeswax.
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Install the frame. Place it in a half depth Langstroth honey super. Introduce it during a nectar flow for best results. NB. The frame is approx same height as the half depth box so a rimmed queen excluder should be used directly below the Super holding the HiveKeeper frames to create the ideal bee space.
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Let the bees fill it. Allow the bees to draw the comb, store honey and cap it before harvesting.
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Harvest the capped cassettes. Remove them from the frame, open them with the HiveKeepers Cassette Tool and extract using the Micro Honey Harvester.
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Return and reuse. Reassemble the emptied cassettes and return them to the hive. Spare cassettes can be used to replace those removed for harvesting.
Wooden 1/2 Depth Boxes can be purchased here
Wooden 1/2 Depth Frames can be purchased here
Specifications
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Frame format | Shallow-depth Langstroth |
| Included | 1 frame with 4 empty cassettes |
| Overall dimensions | 483 × 132 × 36 mm |
| Weight with 4 empty cassettes | 645 g |
| Frame-only weight | 277 g |
| Cassette dimensions | 100 × 100 mm |
| Approximate honey capacity | 165 g per cassette, depending on conditions |
| Material | Food-safe, BPA-free material |
| Harvesting equipment required | HiveKeepers Micro Honey Harvester and Cassette Tool |
Frequently asked questions
Will it fit my honey supers?
This is the four-cassette half depth frame. Beequip supply half depth boxes and standard half depth frames. Some clients prefer to run the half depth box with 4 standard frames and 5 of the HiveKeepers frames in the middle.
Can I extract these cassettes with an ordinary extractor?
The cassettes are designed to work with the HiveKeepers Micro Honey Harvester and are likely to fall out of the basket of a standard honey extractor.
Do I need to harvest all four cassettes together?
No. You can remove individual cassettes as the honey becomes ready, leaving the others for the bees to continue filling.
What happens to the wax cappings?
There is no need to remove them manually. After extraction, return the reassembled cassettes to the hive for the bees to clean, repair and refill. The bees know immediately that there is no honey under the cappings and open them to refill.
See the system in action
Watch the HiveKeepers honey-harvesting explainer
Watch how to clean up your HiveKeepers Cassettes
Tutin safety in New Zealand
HiveKeepers equipment does not detect or remove Tutin. If the honey is harvested between 1st Jan and 30th June in an area that could have the Tutu bush, make sure Tutin risk has been managed using an appropriate option in MPI’s guidance before eating or sharing.