Bees? you want Bees? I got zillions of em.

[mick]

How many of em do you want? They are everywhere, bearding now. Might be coz a honey flow,might be needing more room, probably both reasons. I seem to think I read that bees dont sit on capped honey?

Well we have had a sudden colod snap of 15 degrees instead of the high 20s C that is of the last month or so.

I presume I still have the queen from the initial swarm I caught. Whoever she is she must be a good layer coz I got more bees than you can poke a smoker at. I will have to add another full super making 4 in total. I have taken 12 frames in the last two months all capped and Loverly. I havent taken anything from the bottom two supers. I take each end frame and replace them with two from the middle that are full so theres insualtion at the ends, then take every second frame.

Until I get an extracor, which is now necessary as I am sick of hand honey making, I have been replacing the full frames with unworked foundation. I guess this makes them work harder and slows them down a bit, which isnt a bad thing until I let he bee man extract about $500 outta my wallet for one and even more extraction for filters and tanks and stuff.

I got honey from one end of the kitchen to the other, in jars, bowls and cups. A thin coating of wax on everyting. I got 15 frames full in what was the pantry.

The two bottom supers are full on breeding factories. They would have used the top one as well If I didnt put the excluder on.

A funny thing happened the other day. I used very white cotton gloves to see what would happen. For some reason I forget why, I didnt use any smoke. Well I got about 15 stings on each hand in about 5 seconds. Funny they dont hurt like the rest of me does when it gets stung. More like a bit of  stinging nettle stinging feeling, moe of an itch than a sting, well after the initial jab lol.. No swelling either and all effects gone in an hour.

I dont think Ill ever be able to handle bees barehanded like Ive seem done, no matter how much smoke I use. I think the temptation might be too strong for some bees. :-D

The rubber gloves I usually use seem to work just fine. Leather ones I might try one day.

They seem pretty happy and everything looks healthy.

[Michael Bush]

>Until I get an extracor, which is now necessary as I am sick of hand honey making

If you can get one and it's worth it do you, go ahead, but don't expect an extractor to be any less trouble or mess than crush and strain.

You need a double bucket strainer, even if you use an extractor.  It will make your life easier. You can buy one or make one:

http://www.bushfarms.com/beesharvest.htm

[Cindi]

Your post was hilarious.  I know what you are saying about honey everywhere.  I bottled lots of 500 gram bottles of honey, but as I am not selling a whole bunch of it, I strained about 6 gallons into gallon jars, just in case of who knows what.  It can just sit inthere until I need to put it into jars.  It is fun doing the honey harvest and I love the aroma in my kitchen.  Yes, I do it in my kitchen and I ampretty lucky that I don't make too bad of a mess.  I have a 4 frame extractor (I have turn around each frame) but that is OK. It works good for my small operation.   I got about 200 pounds of honey totalled from my 9 colonies, which now are down to about 5 because of stupidity.  I did not realize what the effect of the varroa mites looked like until it was too late. I probably should have had alot more honey, but I think the bees may not have been feeling all that great because of varroa mite.   I had a bad infliction of this creepy invader.  But I have treated the hives with formic acid and will use oxalic trickle around the beginning of december and am ready for a clean season next year I am hoping.  The health of my bees is very important to me, and I try to do the best for them.  Have a great day.  Cindi

[mick]

Glad you got a laugh Cindi, you were meant to! The hardest thing on the net is to be humourous in a serious forum I find. Unless you are very blatant which is boring ;)

Its funny how the dogs dont like honey. I suspect they associate it with the bees that are annoyingly taking up much needed fence barking space down the back.

Michael, I dont understand how an extractor could be as bad as the hand job. In go the frames, turn like blazes, flip frames, turn like blazes, ooh look, honey in the bottom. Repeat several timies, run off through filter, pour in big honey pot drink a beer, look at honey pot, close shed door job done.

No pots, pans, bowl jars, sieves, cloths. No wax over everything, no honey clothes, floor, bench, walls, carpet, light switches, taps. No washing all of the above leading to a thin film of wax over everything.

Cmon mick, you were pulling my leg werntcha :-D

[Michael Bush]

You still have to strain it after you extract it.  There will be chunks of wax in it.  You will still get honey all over everything.  When you uncap a frame honey is pouring out all over everything.  The frames are sticky, soon the floor and everything else is sticky.  When I crush and strain It all gets crushed directly into the same double bucket strainer I use to strain it when I extract it.  But I didn't have to move a dripping frame to the extractor out of the extractor and pour it from the extractor into one bucket and pour that bucket into the double bucket strainer.  All in all extracting is messier, and more work, but they are BOTH pretty messy.

This is assuming, of course, that one has a double bucket strainer and a system for your crushing and straining.

http://www.bushfarms.com/beesharvest.htm

[Scadsobees]

Get to a local bakery and ask for some empty frosting buckets.  Sure are a whole lot more useful than gallon jars.  And the double straining bucket is cheaper to make with those :)

I usually cause a sticky door handle, and somewhat sticky floor when extracting.  I've gotten hollered at a few times for the sticky mess.  And if I get propolis in the sink....watch out!

I'm envious of your booming hives!  If you need to use gloves, that's fine! Use whatever tools are available to make your hobby the most enjoyable.  I'd like to go gloveless, but just ain't there yet.

-rick

[Kirk-o]

I just about run out of gas cranking that extractor I'm switching to crush and strain
kirko

[Brian D. Bray]

When I opt for an extractor it is going to have an electric motor and do at least 9 medium frames at a time.  Hand cranking is not an option for me.  Until then I will continue to do it as cut comb and crush, strain, and honey everywhere method.

[Scott Derrick]

Hey Mick,

I bought a double strainer from a friend for $10 bucks. I'm going to work with it this year with my topbar hive. Ohhh...I need to get photos of that up. I forgot to do that. I'll try to get that done this week. I appreciate MB's direction on that.

Scott

[mick]

So far I am impressed by the 800 micron nylon bag. It holds about two frames of comb at a time, if cut into blocks.

After the majority has dripped out, it is relatively easy to squash the comb in the bag in an upward motion, this gives another 20 percent. This is also easy to remove in a rough block once that has finished dripping.

Placing this wax in the double boiler set up gives up the remaining honey. I reckon I am getting about 95% of a frame using this method.

If I can get a finer mesh bag, then that would complete my process and I would end up with not the slightest speck of wax in the finished product.

I am forming the opinion that to filter out the suspended pollens would reduce the taste greatly. I think the floral taste and aromas are in the pollens, not the liquid, but Im only guessing.

In 12 months I think I might be able to afford an extractor. I am enjoying getting to know the feel of honey that using an extractor might not produce.

I am keen on the twin big bucket idea, but cant have everything at once!

[the kid]

didnt know it was that messy with a extractor.........
sounds like I have a choice,,,,, will my wife kill me...... or my daughter in law..
neather are going to like it,,,,,, dose not look good..... will have make out my will
   the kid

[Yarra_Valley]

Hi mick,

keep your eye on the trading post for extractors, you see them in there when people are selling every now and then but they usually try to sell it together with other bits and pieces, which you may or may not need.

Extracted 10 supers with a friend yesterday and got honey everywhere. extractor was flinging it against the window and all.

l'm pleased this thread was brought back to attention because it has some information i needed. i have seen buckets with different mesh filters for sale at bindaree.com.au, but quite expensive. I'm going to give michael's double bucket go.

Hey michael was size is the mesh you are straining through on the beesharvest page? is that some window netting or something your are using? I have some flywire in mind for mine, but I would like to use something a bit finer. any ideas on something readily available?

one last question, what's the temperature over there in the us atm?

[Brian D. Bray]

If you're using 2 (double) strainers I use #8 screen in the top strainer and regular door screen in the lower one.  If you like, layer some cheese cloth (box muslin) in between the strainers.

[mick]

Hi Yarra, sounds like quite a harvest. Some of the bucket setups at Bindaree.com.au are not too expensive, its sourcing the filters/screens that is the exxy part. Also hard to find in a fine enough mesh. I believe there are also some aquaculture fine mesh bags around.

[sean]

>Until I get an extracor, which is now necessary as I am sick of hand honey making

If you can get one and it's worth it do you, go ahead, but don't expect an extractor to be any less trouble or mess than crush and strain.

You need a double bucket strainer, even if you use an extractor.  It will make your life easier. You can buy one or make one:

http://www.bushfarms.com/beesharvest.htm

mb, i am trying to establish a commercial operation. and your idea may come in very handy.

 what kind of cloth are you using as the strainer
did you cut out the bottom of the bucket on top

i am not quite sure i understand the set up as you have it there but i am going to take another look and set the little gray cells to work on it.

Ahh! hastings, i've got it.

figured it out mb.

[pembroke]

Walter T. Kelly Co has a five gal bucket with two filters and spout on bottom for bottling. Filters are: 600 Micron and 200 Micron with the 200 being the finest.  I have these and they are good to work with. Price in 2006 are 27.50 for the above. for your info. pembroke

[Cindi]

When I extracted honey last fall, I used a 4 frame extractor.  I did not have much honey mess at all.  I don't think that I was overly careful, but I took heed. 
The idea of the crush and strain sounds like a very good system too, but it seems to be that you must take off all the comb from the foundation.  Need elaboration.
I use wood frames with foundation.  Plastic Pierco foundation.  So I cannot simply cut the foundation and wax out.  Next year I am going to try some frames and let bees draw out the comb, just for fun.

When I had the wax cappings to drain, I simply put a plastic mesh over a large, deep storage container and used plastic clothespins equally spaced to hold the mesh on the container.  You will see in the picture. 

Over the mesh I had a piece of wood fastened crossways, with a screw in the centre of the wood.  I would brace the comb on the screw and cut off the cappings, allowing them to fall onto the mesh.  This mesh could hang deeply in the storage container, and held an amazing amount of cappings.  Then I put the frames into the extractor.  There honestly was virtually no honey mess around anywhere.

I am posting pictures of the honey harvest to see if this makes any sense to you guys trying to figure out a good way.  It worked wonderful for me.  Great day.  Cindi



After the capppings had dripped for some time, this is the amount of wax that I got.  I used a cheesecloth mesh bag that I got from Canadian Tire in the hunting section.  It is cheesecloth tubing, comes in about 20 feet long and you cut it to the length that you want.  I think that hunters use it for carrying the carcass(es) out of the woods.  It has incredible stretching power and does not rip, very strong.



So that was what I did.  Hope it gives some interest to you folk out there.  Great day!!!!  Cindi