How a family owning 7,500 hives process honey in Minnesota

[Ben Framed]

You might find this interesting. I did....

https://youtu.be/7VKe-Uqg8ZM

[BeeMaster2]

Pretty interesting Phillip.
Thanks for sharing.
Jim Altmiller

[Seeb]

Wow, quite the operation- I don?t think I?d ever quit feeling sticky though.

[van from Arkansas]

Just incredible.  60 barrels a day, at 55 gallons each!!!  Totes 3,500 pounds each!!

I am in the: one gallon frame of mind.  These commercial beeks amaze me.

[Hops Brewster]

this was better than an episode of How It's Made, even if it was like watching how hotdogs are made.

I dread extraction day because the stuff goes everywhere and takes forever to clean up.

[van from Arkansas]

this was better than an episode of How It's Made, even if it was like watching how hotdogs are made.

I dread extraction day because the stuff goes everywhere and takes forever to clean up.

Mr. Hops, agreed.  If there us any way to make a mess with honey, I will find it and do it.  I put forth conscious efforts to avoid a mess with honey.  I will preplan, have every step carefully laid out and still despite my best efforts end up with a mess of sticky.  Fortunately honey cleans up with water.

[BeeMaster2]

Judy and I spent the last week extracting honey.
Here are 2 pictures that I took with my phone.
We put bath tub plastic shower curtain, from dollar stores, on the floor under the extractor. We cover the floor, between extractor, decapper and supers, with old towels. This works much better than just using plastic sheets.

This picture was taken right after we brought in the supers.
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This was taken after all the honey was extracted. You can see I empty the 3 gallon buckets into a filter bucket which drains into the settling/bottling tank.
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Jim Altmiller

[BeeMaster2]

I just pulled a few more pictures from my wife?s phone.

Here is the extractor with plastic and towels.
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You can see the towels in front of the supers.
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Ready to spin.
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Jim Altmiller

[BeeMaster2]

This is the first time that I used this setting tank. The gate valve is not very good. I want to put a good one on it for the next time.
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Final product.
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Jim Altmiller

[Ben Framed]

Ya'll did a good job keeping a mess form happening. Thanks for the pictures. Looks like you all wound up with a good bit of honey! I like the extractor which was a nice and thoughtful gift for sure!

Phillip

[Ben Framed]

Jim the settling tank was a good idea. What kind of gate valve do you have in mind? I bet this can make a job much easier with the right gate valve.

[BeeMaster2]

Jim what kind of gate valve do you have in mind? I bet this can make a job much easier with the right gate valve.

I have seen a honey valve that is used by commercial companies. Supposedly it stops immediately when you close it. I?m see if I can find it.
Jim Altmiller

[BeeMaster2]

Here is the one I just ordered. It is not the one I was thinking of. This one works better with a plastic container. The other one had to have a threaded fitting one the tank.

fayle Honey Gate Valve, Plastic Bee Honey Tap Gate Valve, 17.7cm Beekeeping Tool for Honey Extractor Equipment Bottling Tool https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0863JCDGM/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_Kyx8EbNPF21CV

Jim Altmiller

[Ben Framed]

That one looks good Jim. Let us know how this works out please. I am in the market also, thus the interest.

Phillip

[Honeyeater]

I dread extraction day because the stuff goes everywhere and takes forever to clean up.

They have their flaws, but this is where my Flow hive shines. Extraction day is not as messy.

Am I right in assuming that the uncapping bit is the worse and messy bit?

[FloridaGardener]

Jim, what about using a 1" brass plumbing lever-ball valve (a water shut off)? The "honey gates" looked problematic  to me, because they close the flow OUTSIDE the pipe, not INSIDE it.  A ball valve can have a threaded coupling inside the tank, a rigid washer to keep the plastic from stressing, and a nylon washer to keep it snug.

Great idea about towels to keep clean instead of plastic.  In fact, very impressive how beautifully clean you keep it all. Clean food.

I was grossed out about the number of bees and hive beetles in the video of that commercial op. Can you say...SHB and Bee guts?

People just don't know, do they?   For sure, the honey is covered in fumes from propane forklifts, who knows whether there was a gas exhaust from a blower used to get some of the bees away...ewww.

And the look on the faces of the workers.  Nobody seemed to enjoy their job. 

Jim, on the other hand, looks gleeful and satisfied.  As he well should be. 

[Honeyeater]

what about using a 1" brass

I wouldn't use any brass hardware with honey, it will get corroded I think, honey being fairly acidic.

[FloridaGardener]

Hmmm hadn?t thought of corrosion.

      So there?s a type of plumbing people use on boats and there are diversion and shutoff valves.  It?s a HDPE (PEX type) suitable for potable water. I wonder if PEX for homes might have a lever-ball shutoff valve too. 

[BeeMaster2]

FG,
I?m hoping the one I ordered will work better than the ones that I have. I also like the price. The other one I was looking for when I found this one cost more than $60.

[Beeboy01]

I've found that the full sized aluminum cake trays that are used commercially work great as pans to set supers on during extractions. They are about two inches bigger in both dimensions and have a lip which keeps the honey from running all over the place. I fond two at flea markets and picked two more at a kitchen supply store. They really help keep the mess under control, can't recommend them enough for small operations. I place them on a small tarp that catches any drips which makes cleanup  a lot easier. They also can be used as hive lids when putting equipment in storage.
A big extraction for me would probably be about what they spill in an hour, wow what a setup.