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Author Topic: Storing honey  (Read 17280 times)

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Offline Perry

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Storing honey
« on: September 08, 2014, 08:53:24 pm »
OK, the head honcho (Iddee) and I have been going back and forth on this, and I figure maybe open it up for the floor to have their say.
Right now my extracting set-up ends with 4 gallon pails filled with honey. I have a stainless steel 45 gallon honey tank (unheated) with a gate at the bottom.
I also have a 25 gallon water jacketed bottling tank that I jar out of. My bottling tank is full, my 45 gallon drum almost full, and most of my 4 gallon (15 -20) pails are full, and I am starting to wonder where I'll put the rest?
Do I just buy a series of 45 gallon drums? I have a line on a stainless steel 300 gallon tank, but once that's full you aren't going to move it any time soon.
All stored honey will granulate eventually, so the ability to heat it mildly at some point till it hits the bottling tank is essential.
Some of you are pretty smart (for beekeepers  :D) and maybe you have ideas on what would work for someone with around 65 hives and possible harvests of a couple ton.
Let the ideas flow.
Here is my set up:

Kelly's vibrating jiggle knife. (not hooked into system yet)

Cappings go into the wax spinner and frames go into tray on right (holds 20).

When 20 frames done they are loaded into the extractor (on right of tank) and the next 20 frames are uncapped as it spins.

Extractor dumps into sump. (not hooked into system yet).

From there through a strainer and into a stainless 45 gallon drum. Yes, those are 3 gallon ice cream pails full of fluffy dry cappings. :D

From there into my bottling tank.

From there into jars.

A possible addition. 300 gallon stainless steel tank ($300).


PS - Have I mentioned I really need a Honey House?  :laugh: The one I haven't finished yet is too small.
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Offline iddee

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Re: Storing honey
« Reply #1 on: September 08, 2014, 09:18:14 pm »
55 gallon food grade drums is the only feasible answer. 15.00 each. 6 will hold 300 gallons, at a cost of 75.00, not 300. Can be easily moved with a forklift or forks on a farm tractor. Heater belts available for liquifying. Easily moved into a heated room to liquify en mass. Easily pumped into from the sump, then stored. Easily laid on a rack and drained into whatever you need to use. Gives the ability to keep varietal honeys separate.
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Offline Riverrat

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Re: Storing honey
« Reply #2 on: September 08, 2014, 09:26:15 pm »
I say a guy with an operation like that can store honey any way he wants.  Dad always said never tell a big guy what to do :D
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Offline rodmaker

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Re: Storing honey
« Reply #3 on: September 08, 2014, 09:29:34 pm »
  Im with Iddee 55 gallon drums food grade and drum heater when needed.
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Offline Yankee11

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Re: Storing honey
« Reply #4 on: September 08, 2014, 09:51:41 pm »
If perry buys a fork lift, I quit.
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Offline iddee

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Re: Storing honey
« Reply #5 on: September 08, 2014, 09:55:09 pm »
As wasteful with money as he is, it'll probably be a 20.00 hand truck.  ;D   :D
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Offline Jen

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Re: Storing honey
« Reply #6 on: September 08, 2014, 09:56:08 pm »
Yankee- "If perry buys a fork lift, I quit.

       ... :D...
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Offline Jen

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Re: Storing honey
« Reply #7 on: September 08, 2014, 09:58:37 pm »
I say we call the Amish and have an old fashioned Bee Barn Raising  :D 
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Offline Retroguy

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Re: Storing honey
« Reply #8 on: September 08, 2014, 10:45:22 pm »
Wouldn't that be a bee barn raising bee?
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Offline pistolpete

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Re: Storing honey
« Reply #9 on: September 08, 2014, 10:57:39 pm »
I think you need to sell more bees.   Spend the winter making Nuc boxes and then split all hives to near destruction in the spring.  By the time they recover, you'll have hardly any honey at all :)
Nice problems to have at any rate.  How's that craft market thing going for you?  I would have thought a place like that would have you sold out of honey in no time.
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Offline Jen

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Re: Storing honey
« Reply #10 on: September 08, 2014, 11:02:18 pm »
Perry's bees best bee begging for a bee barn raising bee  :D
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Offline riverbee

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Re: Storing honey
« Reply #11 on: September 09, 2014, 12:22:19 am »
"55 gallon drums food grade and drum heater when needed."

perry, what rodmaker and iddee said. 

"All stored honey will granulate eventually, so the ability to heat it mildly at some point till it hits the bottling tank is essential."

i don't have the set up you do, the fancy equipment,  or number of hives but i use 5 gallon pails for honey storage.  and i have stored 15, 5 gallon pails. the honey crystallizes alright, but i keep these pails in the garage and allow them to freeze.  when i need the pail for honey, it's brought in and i use a pail heater on the bucket. then i bottle it as i need.
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Offline Jen

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Re: Storing honey
« Reply #12 on: September 09, 2014, 12:39:57 am »
And there ya go! I like the managability of 5 gallon buckets, you'll just need the storage.
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Offline riverbee

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Re: Storing honey
« Reply #13 on: September 09, 2014, 01:34:11 am »
5 gallon buckets stack pretty good in the garage or wherever.  manageability?  better than moving around a 55 gallon drum, but then i don't have perry's problem....  ;D

BUT, for some reason those 5 gallon pails are getting heavier.... :D
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Offline Jen

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Re: Storing honey
« Reply #14 on: September 09, 2014, 01:46:35 am »
Perry, what if you put the 55 gallon drum on wheels, like a flat bed wagon with a handle to navigate with?
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Offline iddee

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Re: Storing honey
« Reply #15 on: September 09, 2014, 07:55:18 am »
A 2X2 ft. piece of 3/4 in. plywood, or a bit larger, and 4 swivel castors will work fine on a 55 gallon drum, and have many other uses as well.
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Offline Perry

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Re: Storing honey
« Reply #16 on: September 09, 2014, 08:02:53 am »
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Offline Bakersdozen

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Re: Storing honey
« Reply #17 on: September 09, 2014, 08:08:40 am »
Quote from: Perry on September 08, 2014, 08:53:24 pm
A possible addition. 300 gallon stainless steel tank ($300).


PS - Have I mentioned I really need a Honey House?  :laugh: The one I haven't finished yet is too small.


The first thoughts that came to my mind were about storage of that monster.  I believe you answered that question.
If I do the math correctly, that 300 gallon stainless steel tank will hold about 3600 pounds of honey.  Am I correct?  That would take care of your storage needs and any possible expansion for several years.  $300 doesn't seem unreasonable for a stainless tank.  The problem is storage and what if you should need to move it?
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Offline Perry

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Re: Storing honey
« Reply #18 on: September 09, 2014, 08:42:07 am »
Yup, 3600 lbs. That might be too heavy for the floors unless something special was done, so maybe 45 (55) gallon drums should be what I'm looking for?
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Offline Riverrat

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Re: Storing honey
« Reply #19 on: September 09, 2014, 09:08:47 am »
Quote from: Perry on September 09, 2014, 08:42:07 am
Yup, 3600 lbs. That might be too heavy for the floors unless something special was done, so maybe 45 (55) gallon drums should be what I'm looking for?

That should set on 4 inches of concrete without a problem.  I got 8 to 10,000lb machines setting on 6" without any problems
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