Honey extraction shopping list 😁

[pargyle]

No and No
But as has been said before it doesn’t work on wet cappings

And you lose the cappings wax which is usually beautiful beeswax .....

 

[rossbyjove]

Any ideas on the best place to get jars and lids from?
I got stung on delivery charges last season (my first!).
No pun intended….

We are all getting stung on delivery costs for everything from anywhere!

 

[Gilberdyke John]

We are all getting stung on delivery costs for everything from anywhere!

How many associations bulk buy and sell to members? Barkston Ash and Selby do. Last year a box of 72 1lb jars with lids on cost 23 pounds (ish) I laid in stocks for this year too.

 

[Antipodes]

And you lose the cappings wax which is usually beautiful beeswax .....

Do you know if the bees re-use/re-mould the wax when the frame is used the next season?

 

[JamezF]

We are all getting stung

I see what you did there

James

 

[pargyle]

Do you know if the bees re-use/re-mould the wax when the frame is used the next season?

Bees are always remodelling frames and comb .... so, yes, presumably, they do re-use the heated cappings for something.

 

[Erichalfbee]

And you lose the cappings wax which is usually beautiful beeswax .....

I put the cappings in a couple of those supermarket veggie bags and put them
In the spinner. Gets as much out as dripping through a sieve in the warmer overnight

 

[ericbeaumont]

72 half pound jars and 48 quarter pound jars (something like 220grams and 100 grams in modern parlance

Not quite.

8oz equates to 227g and 4oz to 113g, but check the visual level of honey at those weights, because (depending on your jar) it could look under-filled.

For that reason I fill hex 227s to 235 and 113s to 135, which bring the levels into the neck.

 

[ericbeaumont]

.just some internet company..

Not at all.

Freeman & Harding are well-established and reliable. As said earlier, free delivery above a £50 spend.

The beekeeper section is old-school - pound jars and the like - but they offer a broad variety elsewhere.

 

[Antipodes]

I have used two types of heat guns, a paint stripper which was a bit too hot so you had to be careful but the one I use now is one designed for heating coverings on model air planes. It has two settings and I use it on the hot one. There are probably ones designed for honey but as long as it melts the cappings it doesn't really matter. A hair dryer won't do it! It helps to have a directive tube on the end to narrow the hot air blast.
The secret is to keep it moving starting at the top of the frame so that the melted wax runs down the frame. You will see the cappings pop open as you move the gun. They do tend to pop the wax in quite a wide area so have plenty of coverings over important surfaces! The bees have no problem at all with it. If you bruise the wax cappings so they touch the honey underneath then the capping will not melt.(wet cappings) There is no reason why you should have cappings like that unless they are old frames or you have been heavy handed with them. I have used every type of uncapping method in 40 years and this suits me more than any other!

With repeated heat gun uncapping, do you find that the comb stays even in height/depth over the seasons...you no, not with increasing wonkiness? With a knife of course, higher bits of comb are sliced back and the comb is evened up somewhat.

 

[enrico]

With repeated heat gun uncapping, do you find that the comb stays even in height/depth over the seasons...you no, not with increasing wonkiness? With a knife of course, higher bits of comb are sliced back and the comb is evened up somewhat.

I don't really go on looks! The bees use it whatever it look like they shape the comb to get the bee space between them and fill them with honey. To be honest I use a knife to cut off the extra wax on the top and bottom rails and have a hot knife ready for any wet or really badly shaped comb. But it does mean you can uncap wide super comb much easier with a heat gun than a hot knife. That lets me use less frames per super.

 

[Wildflower 123]

Not quite.

8oz equates to 227g and 4oz to 113g, but check the visual level of honey at those weights, because (depending on your jar) it could look under-filled.

For that reason I fill hex 227s to 235 and 113s to 135, which bring the levels into the neck.

I was planning on filling them up into the neck. It was just for a rough guide as to the jar sizes for the op.

 

[BBC]

How many associations bulk buy and sell to members? Barkston Ash and Selby do. Last year a box of 72 1lb jars with lids on cost 23 pounds (ish) I laid in stocks for this year too.

My local BKA have stopped bulk buying jars for some reason.
I agree, it makes perfect sense to bulk buy and collect from your local association.

 

[BBC]

Bees are always remodelling frames and comb .... so, yes, presumably, they do re-use the heated cappings for something.

It doesn’t see to matter how I present the frames, the bees just remodel them for fun!

 

[Erichalfbee]

It doesn’t see to matter how I present the frames, the bees just remodel them for fun!

Yes and hide queen cells in the holes

 

[BBC]

Yes and hide queen cells in the holes

Not to mention infilling the gap between the upper and lower frames in the supers. You take off the upper super and half a dozen of the frames below comes with it….
Why can’t they just behave

 

[pargyle]

My local BKA have stopped bulk buying jars for some reason.
I agree, it makes perfect sense to bulk buy and collect from your local association.

Probably because people don't collect them until they need them and the poor person doing the order ends up storing a garage full of jars for the convenience of others .... and if payment is not collected in advance of the order .... good luck getting the money out of some people.... and woe betide if there is a dented lid in the box or a broken jar.

Been there and done that ....unless, like a few associations, they have a storage facility and a proper shop ... anything left to the generosity of a member is a risk ...

 

[BBC]

Probably because people don't collect them until they need them and the poor person doing the order ends up storing a garage full of jars for the convenience of others .... and if payment is not collected in advance of the order .... good luck getting the money out of some people.... and woe betide if there is a dented lid in the box or a broken jar.

Been there and done that ....unless, like a few associations, they have a storage facility and a proper shop ... anything left to the generosity of a member is a risk ...

Good point well made….

 

[ericbeaumont]

Not to mention infilling the gap between the upper and lower frames in the supers.

They do that because space is running short on a strong flow and the beekeeper has not given enough boxes, and/or the beespace between boxes is wider than it should be.

Either way, it's the behaviour of the beekeeper that must change.

 

[BBC]

They do that because space is running short on a strong flow and the beekeeper has not given enough boxes, and/or the beespace between boxes is wider than it should be.

Either way, it's the behaviour of the beekeeper that must change.

Aha!
So they had/have plenty of storage space at all times this season.
The gaps are potentially the issue. However, they’re manufactured gaps that I intend to check at the end of the season.
Which may bring us full circle to the issue of seconds!!
Thanks for the heads up Eric