# Honey extracting time.



## alleyyooper (Oct 23, 2004)

There are some pictures missing of how we do it. Some are when we remove them from the hives. I pull each frame shake it and brush the rest of bees off. I then hand the frame to Kare who takes it to the truck and places it in a box then covers it. Takes us longer doing it that way but the girls don't seem to get as rilled up and we don't have to deal with stinky fume boards. Kare always worrys when I even think about useing the bee blower.

So here are the supers stacked in the honey house. I use both the medium and shallow boxes and as the mediums need replaceing I go with the shallows to save on the back. Only about 10 pounds difference.



















The uncapping tub and extractor.










Ready to uncap with the hot knife.










Rolling the caps off.


















The wax tub.

















Inside the 72 frame extractor.










 Al


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## Live Oak (Dec 22, 2003)

Cool! :thumbsup: That must be one heck of a load for the extractor to get started spinning with 72 frames!


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## Morgan (Oct 26, 2006)

Cool, I love the pictures


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## alleyyooper (Oct 23, 2004)

That Kelley extractor is geared low to start the load. It uses a worm grear to increase the speed, takes about 20 miniutes to reach top speed then a few minutes run at the top speed before it hits a limit switch and shuts it's self off. About 30 miniutes run time totally. By then I have nearly a full load uncapped and ready for the next run.


I set the supers out well away from any colonies so the girls can dry them for storage.










After allowing a week for the caps to drain After mashing them with a potato masher, If it is warm enough I put them in my solar melter. 










Normally in the fall it isn't warm enough so I put them in the Kelley wax melter.










Make sure you use some type of release agent in the pail when draining the melter or you may have to cut the pail off like I did with this block.










Normally in January it is cold enough I get our wood furnace burning hotter with out driving us out of the house. I use a double boiler and melt the wax and pour into silicone bread pans in 3 pound blocks.










Last year these 3 pound blocks went like hot cakes at $4.00 a pound plus shipping (flat rate UPSP $9.80) off E bay & creigs list.



 Al


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## alleyyooper (Oct 23, 2004)

Some of the honey is bottled, these quilt ones make nice Christmas gifts and we sell a couple of 24 packs of them every year to two ladies. We sell about half a dozen 24 pacs broken down into 2 thru 12 jars at a time.



















A lot of our 12oz bears sell at the green house, along with the 24 oz size.










The upside down jars are a hit every where. People buy one of them and a 3 pound (quart) round jar to refill them.










Any lid over 1 1/2 inches around gets dressed up with our lid label.










We also sell in pint & quart canning jars, 1 & 2 pound queenline glass and plastic jars, 3 pound jugs, and glass rounds, 12 pound plastic jars, 24 pound pails and 60 pound pails. 

Last year 2800 pounds went to the wholesaler.

 Al


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## alleyyooper (Oct 23, 2004)

Seems like a lot more wax this year.


















I have also drained off 5 1/2 (60 pounds each)pails of honey from the cappings this year.

I counted the honey supers and we have did 23 more this year than last year too.










 Al


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## chrpmaster (May 5, 2004)

OK OK I'll make the obvious reply to these pictures.

Sweet!2funny 

Andy


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## HYDROGUARDIAN16 (Feb 14, 2007)

mmm, can i have some honey too?tiphat


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## alleyyooper (Oct 23, 2004)

Taste all you want for $4.00 a pound plus $9.80 shipping flat rate USPS 2 to 3 day delivery.

Or buy 10 pounds for $30.00 plus the $9.80 shipping. Includes 3 3 pound jugs and a one pound upside down jar we sell alone for $5.00 since the jar cost more being the lid has that special drip proff valve.

 Al


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