Sunday 10 August 2014

7, 9, 16 and then 37

The honey harvest in this area really should have been done by now, but I just haven't got round to pulling the last of the supers off the hives.  Today was going to be the day!
And then Hurricane Bertha (or the remnants of her at any rate) seemed to put paid to those plans.

Then there was an unexpected break in the clouds, the sun popped out and we made a quick dash for it and pulled off the remaining 2 super boxes from the hives, which meant there were four that needed to be taken across the road for extraction...time to call upon the services of my favourite drone...


Thank heavens the neighbours are used to the slightly odd antics around our house.

Anyway no time to dilly dally there are super frames that need to be uncapped...


and loaded into the extractor....


It has to be said, this particular extractor is unique.  You may remember my first encounter with it a couple of years ago when it was drill powered...Well it has recently undergone an adaptation....thanks to a cannibalised treadmill...

 

 




Look it runs at a whole 3km per hour!  Thanks heavens it can't run away as its being held very firmly in place...


Its kind of hypnotic watching the honey spin out of the frames...



Surely the BEST kind of candy floss EVER!!!

In no time at all there is enough in the bottom of the extractor to open the hatch....
Ready, steady, flow....

 

 

Sorry, I've just got to get my nose down close next to those bubbles and breathe in .....Aaaahhhhhh

 

It doesn't matter how good it smells....the proof of the honey is in the eating.  I wonder what the experts think?


Mmmm not looking too impressed there boys!  Never mind ....another bucket full for me will be along shortly...

 

Look at all that glistening honey!!!!


Back at home all those wax cappings need to drip the last drops of honey through the sieve...

 

Every drop is precious...

 


Then the drips can be added to the settling tank...



"How much is in the tank Mama?" I hear you ask...

"60 lbs" is the answer.  An amazing sticky, yummity, golden 60 lbs of honey.

Thank you little bees!

1 comment:

  1. Flipping heck H, 60lbs - well done!! So worth all the hard work - Look forward to the sale of some jars!!

    ReplyDelete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...