Api melter for heather

[pargyle]

Who was talking of Heather honey in Africa?

You were ... ?

"All my honey is being kept in buckets in a cellar and being kept cool if we get Heather I will do the same.
I was speaking to a beefarmer from Africa some weeks ago... Hence me using a cellar and he has done something similar. "

 

[Somerford]

To answer the question

No - you can’t melt heather honey out in an apimelter

I put a good amount of off cut wax from cut comb heather last year in with a huge quantity of cappings wax

A day later the heather honey was still on the grid above the lower chamber and all the wax and summer honey had melted through to the lower chamber

It was clearly the heather honey as when it cooled I tasted it.

It didn’t taste the same as unheated heather honey either

Your choice is to either cut comb, crush in a press or agitate with a heather honey loosened and spin using a tangential extractor / tangential frame in a radial extractor

KR

S

 

[Curly green finger's]

You were ... ?

"All my honey is being kept in buckets in a cellar and being kept cool if we get Heather I will do the same.
I was speaking to a beefarmer from Africa some weeks ago... Hence me using a cellar and he has done something similar. "

I was about me and Heather honey, and all honey in general being stored in a cellar.

 

[pargyle]

I was about me and Heather honey, and all honey in general being stored in a cellar.

Ah right ,,,, I got lost in the middle with the bloke beefarming in Africa ... thought it was a bit odd ...

 

[deemann1]

To answer the question

No - you can’t melt heather honey out in an apimelter

I put a good amount of off cut wax from cut comb heather last year in with a huge quantity of cappings wax

A day later the heather honey was still on the grid above the lower chamber and all the wax and summer honey had melted through to the lower chamber

It was clearly the heather honey as when it cooled I tasted it.

It didn’t taste the same as unheated heather honey either

Your choice is to either cut comb, crush in a press or agitate with a heather honey loosened and spin using a tangential extractor / tangential frame in a radial extractor

KR

S

Thanks .
I may stick to the press. I could buy one of those fruit presses that works off an air compressor..A loosener isn't in my budget

 

[Wilco]

I could have done with those. I had a Norwegian top notch sleeping bag and used to wake up with ice on my face. If I had a pee in my bottle through the night I had to keep it in my bag or I couldn’t empty it in the morning.

Proper camping!

 

[Curly green finger's]

Ah right ,,,, I got lost in the middle with the bloke beefarming in Africa ... thought it was a bit odd ...

Yeah well I do waffle on, the owners at works parents live out there and have a beekeeper who started a venture and they have put us in contact with each other.
I would like to go out there one day to meet him and see how they run there top bar hives.

 

[pargyle]

Yeah well I do waffle on, the owners at works parents live out there and have a beekeeper who started a venture and they have put us in contact with each other.
I would like to go out there one day to meet him and see how they run there top bar hives.

Whereabouts in Africa ?... it's a terrific continent - I used to work in a lot of countries over there and loved it ... it's a place you will either love or hate but if you get the chance to go you should go ...

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I would like to go out there one day to meet him and see how they run there top bar hives.

All the commercials I know out there use Langstroths. It's only the indigenous population that tend to use Top bars - and even some of them run Langs.

 

[Curly green finger's]

All the commercials I know out there use Langstroths. It's only the indigenous population that tend to use Top bars - and even some of them run Langs.

Well I've only had minimal conversion so far they very well may have different types of hives it's in South Africa emyr I will DM you as I wanted to ask you about it any way. Infact I'll use messenger? Or whatsapp?

 

[Erichalfbee]

Whereabouts in Africa ?... it's a terrific continent - I used to work in a lot of countries over there and loved it ... it's a place you will either love or hate but if you get the chance to go you should go ...

I still haven’t got Africa out of my soul despite frequent visits but the last time I went was ten years ago I’m running out of time really
I will take the memory of a pack of hunting dogs playing in a dried up river bed to my grave.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Well I've only had minimal conversion so far they very well may have different types of hives it's in South Africa

So it will be Langs, it's all they seem to use.

 

[mbc]

Having extracted a fair few hundred weights of heather both with a press and the hand held heather loosener I can confirm that the best strategy is to get someone else to do it.
Both are sticky and slow, but at least with the loosener you get to keep your valuable drawn comb.
A run of poor seasons brings home how valuable comb is as some years there are only brief periods in the season when the bees will naturally draw wax.
If I took heather honey seriously I'd invest in a proper loosener but for a few dozen supers a season the wife thinks the several grand they cost is a bit much☹

 

[deemann1]

Having extracted a fair few hundred weights of heather both with a press and the hand held heather loosener I can confirm that the best strategy is to get someone else to do it.
Both are sticky and slow, but at least with the loosener you get to keep your valuable drawn comb.
A run of poor seasons brings home how valuable comb is as some years there are only brief periods in the season when the bees will naturally draw wax.
If I took heather honey seriously I'd invest in a proper loosener but for a few dozen supers a season the wife thinks the several grand they cost is a bit much☹

Whats your opinion on hand loosener
How long to prep a super for extractor

 

[mbc]

Whats your opinion on hand loosener
How long to prep a super for extractor

20 minutes a super ish, it's a sticky and messy job because once you've done a side the frame needs flipping to do the other and it needs holding firm with one hand while jiggling with the other, best I've managed is a couple of hundred pounds in a mind numbing six hour extracting effort.

 

[Swarm]

That's dedication.

 

[deemann1]

20 minutes a super ish, it's a sticky and messy job because once you've done a side the frame needs flipping to do the other and it needs holding firm with one hand while jiggling with the other, best I've managed is a couple of hundred pounds in a mind numbing six hour extracting effort.

Thanks for the information
Would your cell walls be destroyed on comb with hand loosener, sorry for the questions I haven't seen one in action

 

[mbc]

Thanks for the information
Would your cell walls be destroyed on comb with hand loosener, sorry for the questions I haven't seen one in action

The combs are fine, cell walls a little bent out of shape but nothing the bees can't put right in minutes.

 

[elainemary]

I still haven’t got Africa out of my soul despite frequent visits but the last time I went was ten years ago I’m running out of time really
I will take the memory of a pack of hunting dogs playing in a dried up river bed to my grave.

My trip hiking in the Drakensberg mountains with a friend and seeing the lemurs in Madagascar was cancelled (Covid). Hope it’s not too long before we can get there. As you say Dani, wonderful wildlife and lovely people.

 

[elainemary]

Having extracted a fair few hundred weights of heather both with a press and the hand held heather loosener I can confirm that the best strategy is to get someone else to do it.
Both are sticky and slow, but at least with the loosener you get to keep your valuable drawn comb.
A run of poor seasons brings home how valuable comb is as some years there are only brief periods in the season when the bees will naturally draw wax.
If I took heather honey seriously I'd invest in a proper loosener but for a few dozen supers a season the wife thinks the several grand they cost is a bit much☹

I bought a hand held Mountain grey one from an auction, didn’t cost much, still with the original instructions (looks from the 60s!). Might be a collectors piece…but it’s a real pain using it, so slow. Much prefer the cider press.

Do you ever warm yours to reduce the risk of fermentation? I was reading Michael Badgers book on Heather last night and he recommends warming for this reason but other experienced heather men (eg the late Colon Weightman) says not to.
Be interested in what you do?