What did you do in the Apiary today?

[pargyle]

Well done Pargyle

Don't forget to update your profile to 'six hive owner'

Ha ha ... Not counting my chickens before they are hatched ... 5 and a 1/2 at present !

 

[Tremyfro]

More than a drum-roll.....heres the band. I think you deserve it for the baptism of fire you've gone through.

Totally awesomeness....now who is the big honey girl of Wales? Whilst you were bemoaning your lack of Honeyness....your girls were planning a bonanza!
Oooo can't wait to taste the honey....bet it is gorgeous. Does it have a green tinge from the Lime....or from Meangreenqueen?

 

[EssexLad]

Bottled the last of the honey that we extracted 3 weeks ago. Good year so far, hope to have another 3 or 4 supers in a week or so (if the weather cheers up !).

 

[kazmcc]

Well done obee1! It will be the nicest honey you will ever taste

We just extracted 5 supers in 3 hours! Ahh we make a good team, see?! Of course I had a sample, 3 different tastes from 3 different coloured frames!

Oh, and i stabbed myself with the capping fork. Bloody hurts! lol

 

[B+.]

Oh, and i stabbed myself with the capping fork. Bloody hurts! lol

Now you can imagine how the drone feels

 

[Dusty Rhodes]

Well done obee1! It will be the nicest honey you will ever taste

We just extracted 5 supers in 3 hours! Ahh we make a good team, see?! Of course I had a sample, 3 different tastes from 3 different coloured frames!

Oh, and i stabbed myself with the capping fork. Bloody hurts! lol

Just think of it as added protein.

[Just kidding; we did the covering with plasters things.]

Thanks for the help, Kaz. It made a great deal of difference.
Not to mention your story of the hedgehog.

I couldn't get the weight (our kitchen scales rebel at 10k) but we filled two large containers which previously held 12.5 kg of ghee each, and two smaller ones which take 10.3 litres each.

I've been trying to work it out.
Honey weighs 1.36 kg per litre so 2 x 10.3 x 1.36 = 28kg = 61.73 lbs.


Ghee weighs 950 grammes per litre - so a tub holding 12.5 kg of ghee holds 13.16 litres; 13.16 litres of honey weighs 17.9 kg x 2 tubs = 35.79 kg = 78.9lbs

So, I reckon we extracted 61.73 + 78.9 = 140.63 lbs.

Is that right? Seems a heck of a lot.


Dusty

 

[kazmcc]

Just think of it as added protein.

[Just kidding; we did the covering with plasters things.]

Thanks for the help, Kaz. It made a great deal of difference.
Not to mention your story of the hedgehog.

I couldn't get the weight (our kitchen scales rebel at 10k) but we filled two large containers which previously held 12.5 kg of ghee each, and two smaller ones which take 10.3 litres each.

I've been trying to work it out.
Honey weighs 1.36 kg per litre so 2 x 10.3 x 1.36 = 28kg = 61.73 lbs.


Ghee weighs 950 grammes per litre - so a tub holding 12.5 kg of ghee holds 13.16 litres; 13.16 litres of honey weighs 17.9 kg x 2 tubs = 35.79 kg = 78.9lbs

So, I reckon we extracted 61.73 + 78.9 = 140.63 lbs.

Is that right? Seems a heck of a lot.


Dusty

I used to know how much a shallow frame of honey held, but that was a few moons ago and I've slept since then. I'm sure someone here will know the numbers. Not bad though, although we've had perfect weather for bees this year, three or four sunny days then a rain to replenish the nectar. I'd be interested to know how much we took.

Clever bees

 

[kazmcc]

Now you can imagine how the drone feels

Well that's no drone culling for me from now on. Dusty can do the murderous jobs. That way they will save their stings for him and will be nice to me lol

 

[Obee1]

Hi dusty. Don't know if your maths is right but my guesstimate from looking at the bucket was wrong. I didn't have 60 lbs..... I had 75 lbs. woo hoo.

I am seriously impressed at how fast you and kaz extracted yours. Mine took two of us about 5 hours to get it into the bucket. Then it's taken me about 2 hours to bottle it after leaving it overnight. And I haven't even started in cleaning the extractor or buckets or the kitchen which is sticky sticky sticky - plus I spilt half a jar on the floor when it slipped out of my sticky mitt. And now I have to research labels and stick em on.
Am I allowed to say I'm a bit sick of the taste of honey today?

 

[nantmoel]

Hi dusty. Don't know if your maths is right but my guesstimate from looking at the bucket was wrong. I didn't have 60 lbs..... I had 75 lbs. woo hoo.

I am seriously impressed at how fast you and kaz extracted yours. Mine took two of us about 5 hours to get it into the bucket. Then it's taken me about 2 hours to bottle it after leaving it overnight. And I haven't even started in cleaning the extractor or buckets or the kitchen which is sticky sticky sticky - plus I spilt half a jar on the floor when it slipped out of my sticky mitt. And now I have to research labels and stick em on.
Am I allowed to say I'm a bit sick of the taste of honey today?

Well done, I found some very nice labels in the internet, http://www.honeyjarlabels.co.uk perhaps not the cheapest but I think good marketing is a must. I have also had my Cardiff membership through today. All we need now is a nice few weeks and we'll have some honey like you.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Oh well done you three.....but I hate you all !!!!
Supers are being eaten as I speak.
Next thing there will be a thread......"so how much honey have you got this year?" or some such
sob sob sob

 

[MuswellMetro]

Catch 22, without them i cannot see eggs and with them i can never find the frame let alone my grafting tool

 

[Obee1]

Oh well done you three.....but I hate you all !!!!
Supers are being eaten as I speak.
Next thing there will be a thread......"so how much honey have you got this year?" or some such
sob sob sob

Ooh what a good idea. I should start that thread!
Actually a lot of my honey came from meangreens hive that was split in April. The half that raised a new queen have made next to nothing. its a real shame I had nowhere isolated to keep her as she sure was prolific and I didn't mind dealing with her personally- it was just the rest of cardiff getting stung I minded. Moot point though. She is no more....

 

[Dusty Rhodes]

Oh well done you three.....but I hate you all !!!!
Supers are being eaten as I speak.
Next thing there will be a thread......"so how much honey have you got this year?" or some such
sob sob sob

So sorry, ericA.


This was, of course, an interim extraction as one of my two hives was too tall to manage. We left another 4 full supers which weren't capped and a few others half full.

If you're missing the fun of extraction and bottling, you can pop up here to help Kaz and I.....

Dusty.

 

[Obee1]

Catch 22, without them i cannot see eggs and with them i can never find the frame let alone my grafting tool

Very snazzy!
Someone should invent sleeves to reach inside the veil for removing spectacles - bit like the arm things to reach inside an incubator.

Does anyone else get a surprise when they find out what forum members look like. Nothing like I imagine - ever!

 

[Obee1]

So sorry, ericA.


This was, of course, an interim extraction as one of my two hives was too tall to manage. We left another 4 full supers which weren't capped and a few others half full.

If you're missing the fun of extraction and bottling, you can pop up here to help Kaz and I.....

Dusty.

Haha me too! Hive is too tall to reach so had to prune some frames out and reduce height a little. You can come help me next extraction Erica - you don't want to forget how to do it!

 

[kazmcc]

Catch 22, without them i cannot see eggs and with them i can never find the frame let alone my grafting tool

I feel your pain MM. I have just had to buy a lens so I can see those eggs. Maybe I should invest in a monocle

We have yet to bottle it, but we were impressed with how quickly we got through it! I'm looking forward to seeing the finished product

Btw? What has me cuddling a dead hedgehog got to do with extracting?!

 

[MuswellMetro]

Oh well done you three.....but I hate you all !!!!
Supers are being eaten as I speak.
Next thing there will be a thread......"so how much honey have you got this year?" or some such
sob sob sob

The termites must be bad in Ceredigion

 

[TryingToLetThemBee]

I used to know how much a shallow frame of honey held, but that was a few moons ago and I've slept since then. I'm sure someone here will know the numbers. Not bad though, although we've had perfect weather for bees this year, three or four sunny days then a rain to replenish the nectar. I'd be interested to know how much we took.

Clever bees

Poking around, 25lbs net extracted leaving wet combs intact seems to be a good average for 10-ish frame spacing in a National super box.

It is at this time of year I realise I made a pretty radical decision going for single-size (National brood) box beekeeping. They clock close to or over fifty pounds full I reckon.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I used to know how much a shallow frame of honey held, but that was a few moons ago and I've slept since then. I'm sure someone here will know the numbers.

Clever bees

The heaviest yield from a national shallow frame I weighed last year (10 frame spacing) was about 3lb 2 oz most of the supers I extracted last year were giving around 30 lb - I doubt you could get more than that, they were packing it in so tight they were working down the frame leaving less than a beespace between the frames apart from a small semicircle at the bottom.
I think the usual yield is 25 to 27 pounds