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Author Topic: Filtering honey  (Read 17286 times)

Offline Bee-Bop

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Re: Filtering honey
« Reply #20 on: August 22, 2009, 07:10:49 pm »
The old, easy way of heating hive boxes:

Turn a expandable top upside down place on floor, this will catch honey dripping.
Get a mechanic's trouble light with a metal guard on it, place light in center of expandable top,with the cover guard metal turned up, honey will not touch light bulb.
Place a empty hive box in expandable top surrounding trouble light.
Place several full hive boxs on top of empty box and trouble light.
Cover the whole shebang with a piece of plywood, old blanket, etc.

OH, don't forget to turn trouble light on!   :fishhit:

Not rocket science I know, but it's been done this way for years !

Bee-Bop

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Offline BruinnieBear

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Re: Filtering honey
« Reply #21 on: August 23, 2009, 04:07:51 am »
Much more complete description than I had in my previous post, Bee-Bop.  I failed to mention placing the supers on a large metal pan, shimmed, using a shielded, low wattage (15W) bulb, and covering the top super.  As well, not assuming prior experience, heating should be done PRIOR to uncapping.

Honey may leak into the pan from ruptured cells, but I've never seen wax melt in this setup.  However, monitoring the temperature with a simple thermometer, 90 - 110F is sufficent.

BB
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Bruce & Minnie Fairbanks

Offline deknow

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Re: Filtering honey
« Reply #22 on: August 23, 2009, 11:15:16 am »
...there are so many ways this can go wrong (ie, how many people keep a low wattage bulb in their trouble light?).  putting the heat under the tower of wax and honey is just asking for trouble.

deknow

Offline Bee-Bop

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Re: Filtering honey
« Reply #23 on: August 23, 2009, 11:54:11 am »
..there are so many ways this can go wrong (ie, how many people keep a low wattage bulb in their trouble light?).  putting the heat under the tower of wax and honey is just asking for trouble.

I would suppose that any one using this method would have a low wattage bulb in their trouble light !

I guess I should have posted that as a warning, along with the notice I mentioned to be sure light was turned on.

I assume now you do need to be a rocket scientest to do a simple chore these days !    ;)

Bee-Bop
" If Your not part of the genetic solution of breeding mite-free bees, then You're part of the problem "

Offline BruinnieBear

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Re: Filtering honey
« Reply #24 on: August 23, 2009, 12:49:56 pm »
I assume now you do need to be a rocket scientest to do a simple chore these days !     

... I've already called OSHA to see where the yellow lines need to painted ...   :roll:
Some days you just have to learn the hard way!

Bruce & Minnie Fairbanks

Offline fish_stix

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Re: Filtering honey
« Reply #25 on: August 23, 2009, 07:53:17 pm »
Deknow; are you a lawyer? Work for OSHA? Worrywart?

Offline deknow

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Re: Filtering honey
« Reply #26 on: August 24, 2009, 06:12:57 am »
yes, anyone that uses a trouble light for such a purpose probably has a low wattage bulb in it.

anyone who has never used a trouble light for such purposes has a high wattage lightbulb in their trouble light.
 
of course, the advice offered here is for those that don't use a trouble light for heating honey in the comb (otherwise, they wouldn't need such advice), and those people will, by default, have high wattage bulbs in their trouble light.

nothing like incomplete advice that will likely cause a big mess, and possibly a fire when the user follows such advice completely :(

deknow

Offline BruinnieBear

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Re: Filtering honey
« Reply #27 on: August 25, 2009, 01:35:31 am »
Righteousness through rightism ... or the death of common sense.

Daily life requires a modicum of forethought to perform the most basic of tasks.  If I were told by ____________ (insert your favorite master beekeeper here) that if I were to choose to mix a 2:1 sugar/water syrup for feeding, I would need to heat the mixture to get it to dissolve quickly and properly.

I believe that I would choose to some vessel to heat the mixture.  A plastic bowl would not be an appropriate choice, because it would likely melt and cause a mess or fire.  Finding a suitable metal pot, I would then have to decide on a proper heat source.  I could use my acetylene torch, but that would likely melt my metal pot and defeat its purpose.  Observing that spilled sugar grains quickly turn into bubbly, black masses, I would regulate my heat source to slowly heat the mixture to prevent burning the sugar.  Perhaps, even using a thermometer.  Also note, this would not be the proper time to walk the dog.

Once the mixture was dissolved, I would need to realize that this hot mixture would not be physiologically compatible for bee consumption.  It should be cooled to ambient temperature.  However, leaving it on the heat source would slow this process.  Remembering my Mother had admonished me when I was three for touching hot things from the stove, I would select a pair of potholders before moving the pot to a cooling location.  This should be an insulated location, and NOT my wife's Formica countertop!

To monitor cooling, it would not be advisable to place my hand in the mixture.  Again, the thermometer would be a very useful tool.

If things did not work out, I would not curse the advise, but give a little more thought to the possibilities I might have ignored.  Failing that, I might consider enrolling at MIT, Purdue, or CalTech to improve my critical life skills.

BB
Some days you just have to learn the hard way!

Bruce & Minnie Fairbanks

Offline Koala John

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Re: Filtering honey
« Reply #28 on: August 30, 2009, 07:28:56 am »
BruinnieBear, what a fantastic way to warm supers before extraction - I've been heating a whole room, your idea is going to save me a whole heap of moving supers and mucking around - thanks, that is nice and easy!

Offline Vibe

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Re: Filtering honey
« Reply #29 on: August 30, 2009, 08:19:01 am »
So long as said trouble light is not in direct contact with the wooden parts being heated, I don't see any real issue. They do not come equipped with 1500W bulbs, probably 150W to 200W. Also if you are thinking that you NEED to heat the hive, it's probably below 50°F to begin with and cooling to the outside air will dissipate all or most of the heat from the 200W source. Your wax will NOT be able to get above the 140°F required to melt the wax comb. If it is warm enough for that to happen you really didn't need the heater anyway.
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Offline Bee-Bop

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Re: Filtering honey
« Reply #30 on: August 30, 2009, 11:28:47 am »
Actually the trouble light bulbs used by mechanics, is usually 40 or 60 watt heavy duty bulbs purchased at your local auto-truck parts store.
These lites are not used as flood lights, they are used in enclosed spaces such as between the fender well and the engine, or what ever.

Oh well enough of this nonsence.      :deadhorse:

Bee-Bop
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Offline gaucho10

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Re: Filtering honey
« Reply #31 on: September 01, 2009, 11:35:50 pm »
Wow...what a conversation!!!!!What ever happened to the easy way???  Use either a heat tape or a 50W light bulb placed within an empty box and placed directly above the honey super.  It does not take long for the temperature to soften the honey.  I use a similar method to keep my outdoor pipes going to my pond filtering system from freezing.  They are set on a thermostat that kicks on when the temps drop down below 40 deg. F.
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Offline luvin honey

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Re: Filtering honey
« Reply #32 on: September 17, 2009, 01:34:06 am »
Hey--thanks for all the details, everyone. I hope to have this problem next year!

Deknow, et al, I actually appreciate the extra caution. What may be common sense to one person may not be common to me at all. Vice versa. It helps to remember that we probably all have different areas of knowledge and experience.

Okay--off my soapbox :)
The pedigree of honey
Does not concern the bee;
A clover, any time, to him
Is aristocracy.
---Emily Dickinson

Offline Robinia P. Acacia

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Clogs? Panty hose to the rescue!!
« Reply #33 on: September 30, 2009, 12:53:18 am »
When I harvest, I remove the door of the honey gate on my extractor and rubber band or zip tie on a panty hose  (the kind the size of a sock). The panty hose fills and stretches till it sits in the five gallon bucket.  Wax and bee bits stay in the hose as honey runs down inside it, coming out where ever. It is not uncommon of the panty hose to have a softball sized knot in it. They can handle a surprising quantity of debris and still maintain a high through rate. I have never had one break, though they may develop runs.  My wife lets me keep them after I use them for this.

This system has the added advantage of putting very few bubbles in the honey since the honey never falls.  When stretched, the top of the panty hose will restrict the flow of the honey coming out of the extractor.  I pinch and lift the top of it up while I am letting the frames spin after cranking and it flows in more easily.  When your done, pull the panty hose out of the honey it is floating in and squeeze it (if you LOVE the feel of honey) or let it drain.  Then invert the panty hose to get the wax out.

The main need for improvement with this system is a 90 degree elbow coming out of the extractor.  Attaching the panty hose to this would prevent the restriction problem mentioned above. 

I harvest in a screen house outside in Maine where summer temps are rarely above 90.  Those double sieve things are a scam, IMO.