First pull of honey

[Perry]

I have been making the rounds of my yards now that time is on my side. I had been supering like all get out, trying to stay ahead of the game, between inspections and stuff. So as I go from yard to yard, the first thing I am doing is checking the brood chambers to make sure all is well. Swarming seems to have stopped at this point. I have found 3 hives that had nothing but drone brood. Two drone laying queens got pinched and the other was probably laying workers.
I have a bunch of nucs sitting in the wings for this sort of thing, and they got combined with those 3 hives, and all seemingly worked out.
I then check my honey supers, anything ready goes on top of a bee escape with at least 2 supers left over the brood chamber so when I pull the honey they still have room. I actually have to extract and have wet supers ready to be able to do this (note to self, build more extra supers over winter). 
I've pulled and extracted a bit over 700 lbs. so far, and have another couple of days to go to complete my first round. Then I should be able to catch my breath and maybe crank out some inner and outer covers. All those boxes I built over winter are either sold and gone, or are in use by me. Hard to believe, they took up so much room in my honey shack, and now it seems almost empty. That'll change soon (ordered another 1400 feet of pine).
Goldenrod is starting to bloom here, and clover is not quite done yet, not sure what to make of that. The bees ignore the early goldenrod anyways, it seems it has to be blooming for a month or so before they notice it (maybe a different variety?)
Second round of pulling should happen near the end of August if the weather and flow cooperates.
Hive count is somewhere around 65, with a few nucs still hanging around.

[iddee]

Next year we will call him Mr. Adee. 

[Yankee11]

Your a superhero.

[Beeboy]

Very nice Perry. I'm looking to the day when i have that many hives

[Jen]

700 Pounds Of Honey ??!!??

   Wow! Just Wow!

[apisbees]

Nice to hear. Pictures of all your equipment in action Please. I likes having 50 + hives of bees I just hated extracting and selling honey.

[Perry]

I agree with you Apis, but when you get the proper set-up for your hive numbers, things seem to work smoothly. I still don't have the sump and pump hooked up, doing the bucket brigade till I have permanent space for my extracting line. I uncap directly into my cappings spinner, place the 20 frames into my uncapping tray, and then load them into my extractor as soon as the last load is done. Timing wise it is working out perfectly. The extractor was running almost non stop as just as it was done, I was finishing up uncapping the last of the next 20 frames. When I throw my jiggle knife in the mix it should speed the uncapping part somewhat. Watching the buckets was the pain in the tucas part, as 1 extractor load didn't quite fit into the buckets I was using. I was constantly having to keep an eye  on it so there wasn't an overflow.
I have to say one of the bigger improvements is the cappings spinner. At first I wasn't sure if it was prudent purchase given the cost (although I think I got a decent deal on a virtually new one). Uncapping dierectly into it has saved such a mess. I was also surprised at how much honey I have reclaimed, most of which I would normally have lost. I am still lifting off my cappings with a fork so as to damage the comb as little as posible, so there is not a lot going into the spinner, but I have still salvaged (so far) around 4 gallons of honey using it. Next year I plan to go to 9 frames in my honey supers and that way the comb will stand out enough to put the jiggle knife in the mix. The spinner should get a work-out when that happens.
Selling the honey is going to be the next issue. I normally always sell out, but with my limited retail exposure, and the quantity I may end up with, something will need to be thought out.

[lazy shooter]

It does my heart good to see a youngster like Perry prosper.  Good on you Perry, it seems you have arrived.

[Perry]

It does my heart good to see a youngster like Perry prosper.  Good on you Perry, it seems you have arrived.

Thanks my friend. I am not a spring chicken, wish I had started this 10 or 20 years earlier, but figure I can go for a while before age gets in the way.

[Slowmodem]

I am not a spring chicken, wish I had started this 10 or 20 years earlier, but figure I can go for a while before age gets in the way.

Me, too!

[LazyBkpr]

I am thinking the nine frames in the supers may be the way to go as well. The time savings when uncapping would be tremendous.
   I have a 55 gallon and a 20 gallon settling tank..  One gallon weighs about 11 pounds, so I have enough room for about 825 lbs of honey...  If all goes as expected next year, I will be about a thousand pounds shy... that will be a sticky mess on the extracting room floor...   :'(

[apisbees]

When you get to the point where you are producing honey that you will be selling over the next year and not selling out during the fall when the honey is freshly extracted, You add a hole other process of bulk honey storage. Back in the early days of beekeeping before fork lifts 60 lb square honey cans were used, followed by the plastic 5 gallon bucket holding 66 lbs. Now the commercial standard is the 45 gallon drum. The drums work well if you have the space and resources to handle them, if not the pails are the way to go. What ever method is used the melting of crystallized honey is needed and at the temperatures needed to liquify the honey there comes the risk that the honey can be damaged by the heat used if not done with care. Not melted enough to destroy all the crystals, and the honey will re-crystallize in the jars on the store shelves or in your bulk storage tank before it is all sold.
Just some things to keep in mind when taking your beekeeping to the next step, that need to be added into the process.

[Zweefer]

Happy to hear things have started to calm down for you and are able to tend to the bees.   I hope to someday be able to have posts along these lines, but it will be many many years in the future.

[blueblood]

I agree Z! I guess we ought to use this time to build our honey houses!

[Jen]

Perry- "Selling the honey is going to be the next issue. I normally always sell out, but with my limited retail exposure, and the quantity I may end up with, something will need to be thought out.

    I Would Be Honored to buy some of your honey! Seriously!

    I am already the proud recipient of honey from RCannon Florida, Beeboy Oklahoma, Yankee Arkansas (a gift)

    I have this notion to sample honey from as many states as I can

[riverbee]

"Next year I plan to go to 9 frames in my honey supers and that way the comb will stand out enough to put the jiggle knife in the mix. The spinner should get a work-out when that happens."

"I am thinking the nine frames in the supers may be the way to go as well."

nine frames is the way to go in honey supers, and you will ask yourselves why you didn't do it sooner.  i don't run nine though, i run 8 frames in the honey supers..............try it, you'll like it...........!

[apisbees]

Perry was still drawing to much foundation and I would think checker boarding his honey supers to space to 9 frames early this year. But after extracting he should have extra honey supers and only place 9 frames back in before returning the supers to the hive to refill.

[Perry]

Perry was still drawing to much foundation and I would think checker boarding his honey supers to space to 9 frames early this year. But after extracting he should have extra honey supers and only place 9 frames back in before returning the supers to the hive to refill.

 
I am returning the early wet supers as 10 frame as I haven't had time to switch the frame rests to 9 frame supports yet. I have them, just haven't installed them. I probably will over the winter.

[Bamabww]

Congrats Perry. I'm proud you have done so well. The storms and all I wondered if you'd have a good season but it seems to be excellent.

[apisbees]

I gave up on frame spacers, I still have a few in supers but I find once they are spaced the bee use propolis to extend the tabs and the soon become self spacing again. Why would you use frame spacers when placing 10 frames in a 10 frame super the frames are self spacing in themselves. I would only use them if I had frames that were not self spacing.