Beekeeper looking for making life easier

[peterleisner]

Hi,

My main motivation for joining a forum like this is to look for ways to make the tasks around beekeeping easier. I actually wanted to start out with asking people if they have had experiences with systems for filling glasses like this: https://github.com/nic6911/BeeSMART

It is written there that it can be acquired for what I think is a very decent price (compared to all the other equipment I use).
I am not interested in the large and quite expensive filling stations, and this seems quite simple yet capable...

Have any of you used similar systems? Or maybe even this specific one?

Greetings from Peter

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I can see that setup quickly ending in tears (and a pool of honey on the floor.

 

[Murox]

Welcome Peter.
That's a novel approach to simply lifting and closing the gate valve. I'm probably old fashioned as I don't really see how that device makes filling any simpler for the small scale keeper. Being a small scale hobbyist I use a similar set-up doing it all by hand and simply using a good set of digital scales to stand the pot on.

 

[ericbeaumont]

systems for filling

I had a look at the YT video of that automatic tap and although it means less work to operate the tap, the tap itself is the problem: that design leaks at the back and is fiddly to operate and always drips. Hands-on control can deal with all of this, but auto won't have a clue.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

and what about honey of different viscosity?

 

[peterleisner]

My issue is that I will have to sit at the scale and make sure to close at the right amount. I would like to have the hands free to cap and label or to get empty jars etc.
Usually I fill too much in the jars just to be sure not to have complaints - but I don't get anything for those extra grams

I will try to write the email given there and see if there is any references and also put forward some of the concerns mentioned here - hadn't thought on the viscosity challenge

I'll update the post here if/when I get a reply.

 

[peterleisner]

Welcome Peter.
That's a novel approach to simply lifting and closing the gate valve. I'm probably old fashioned as I don't really see how that device makes filling any simpler for the small scale keeper. Being a small scale hobbyist I use a similar set-up doing it all by hand and simply using a good set of digital scales to stand the pot on.

Thanks,

I think I might lack the "Essential ingredient" of Patience that you have stated there in your signature
Or just curious on these automated solutions that promises me both hands free for capping and labeling

 

[Newbeeneil]

Hi,

My main motivation for joining a forum like this is to look for ways to make the tasks around beekeeping easier. I actually wanted to start out with asking people if they have had experiences with systems for filling glasses like this: https://github.com/nic6911/BeeSMART

It is written there that it can be acquired for what I think is a very decent price (compared to all the other equipment I use).
I am not interested in the large and quite expensive filling stations, and this seems quite simple yet capable...

Have any of you used similar systems? Or maybe even this specific one?

Greetings from Peter

I have one of these and think it is probablly the best investment I ever made after my extractor but I do jar between 120-240 jars per session so that might be more than you need.

https://www.thorne.co.uk/processing...aGst9fi9g0PtC4aWsVlVu4m7wWnJ10HYaAo_4EALw_wcB

Ericbeaumont swears by this one which to be honest I would have probably have bought if it had been available at the time.

https://www.thorne.co.uk/processing...aGst9fi9g0PtC4aWsVlVu4m7wWnJ10HYaAo_4EALw_wcB

You can get both these at half of the Thornes price on ebay or Aliexpress

 

[JamezF]

I have one of these and think it is probablly the best investment I ever made after my extractor but I do jar between 120-240 jars per session so that might be more than you need.

https://www.thorne.co.uk/processing...aGst9fi9g0PtC4aWsVlVu4m7wWnJ10HYaAo_4EALw_wcB

Ericbeaumont swears by this one which to be honest I would have probably have bought if it had been available at the time.

https://www.thorne.co.uk/processing...aGst9fi9g0PtC4aWsVlVu4m7wWnJ10HYaAo_4EALw_wcB

You can get both these at half of the Thornes price on ebay or Aliexpress

Did you mean to have the same link twice there? Or was one supposed to refer to another item?

James

 

[Sutty]

Ive looked at the "cheap" amazon/Chinese ones, but no availability of spare parts put me off.

 

[Dodge]

The more expensive ones such as Thornes, i am collecting the HQ from Telford seem to create a suction that draws any drips back into the system. I am also young enough to hopefully get decades of use.l so although low volume for each use its high volume over the years.

 

[pargyle]

For small quantities of jars there is not a lot to beat filling a jug with a decent pouring lip and using that to fill the jars on a digital scale. I use two jugs - one is filling from the bucket whilst I am filling the jars with the other jug ..then swap them over.

I can't match the speed of electric pumped jar fillers but I can easily do 30 to 40 jars an hour including labelling and security tags... sometimes the simpler method is the best.

Simples ....

 

[ericbeaumont]

one of these

Henry bought both types of bottling machine and reviewed them a year or two ago, after which he sold the Thorne pneumatic as the other was so much better. Post 16 here: https://beekeepingforum.co.uk/threads/thorne-jar-filling-set-up.56104/post-885997

 

[Swarm]

For small quantities of jars there is not a lot to beat filling a jug with a decent pouring lip and using that to fill the jars on a digital scale. I use two jugs - one is filling from the bucket whilst I am filling the jars with the other jug ..then swap them over.

I can't match the speed of electric pumped jar fillers but I can easily do 30 to 40 jars an hour including labelling and security tags... sometimes the simpler method is the best.

Simples ....

Every new vessel used in the process creates waste.

 

[Sutty]

Filling 20l bucket with a honey gate works find for me. Accurate scale to check weights.

 

[peterleisner]

Ive looked at the "cheap" amazon/Chinese ones, but no availability of spare parts put me off.

I am not willing to risk buying something of Aliexpress that will get in contact with the honey, so those Chinese gear pumps are a no-go for me. They might be food safe or... they might not be. I've traded with Chinese enough to know that quality and consistency varies too much for me to trust "cheap" single-unit purchases for food.

By the way, I found out that the product i refereed to in the first post is actually being made by a guy here in Denmark - making it quite easy for me to get more info on it. He'll send me some feedback he had from beekeepers using it.

Apparently he's not a beekeeper himself but designed the system for his dad who is - he's an engineer which might also shine through when I look in the manual in the link i started this post with.

 

[Sutty]

I am not willing to risk buying something of Aliexpress that will get in contact with the honey, so those Chinese gear pumps are a no-go for me. They might be food safe or... they might not be. I've traded with Chinese enough to know that quality and consistency varies too much for me to trust "cheap" single-unit purchases for food.

By the way, I found out that the product i refereed to in the first post is actually being made by a guy here in Denmark - making it quite easy for me to get more info on it. He'll send me some feedback he had from beekeepers using it.

Apparently he's not a beekeeper himself but designed the system for his dad who is - he's an engineer which might also shine through when I look in the manual in the link i started this post with.

I found a peristaltic pump filler, which would avoid contact with anything but the tubing but when I worked out the fill speed it was very slow.

 

[Murox]

Filling 20l bucket with a honey gate works find for me. Accurate scale to check weights.

That's how I do it now.

 

[pargyle]

Every new vessel used in the process creates waste.

Yes ,,, but not much, I make sure the honey is warmed to be runny and I let the jugs drain into my own honey jar when I've finished and the last few scrapings usually end up inside me ! I've check weighed when I finish ... less than 2g of honey gets washed up.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Yes ,,, but not much

The same with me. I have got pretty adept at removing practically every last drop of honey. I bought a 3 litre jug from TD (where I get my tubs from) and it pours without dripping too.