Thank you! Is a jar of honey worth coming back to Florida?

Oh I’ll visit Florida again, honey or no honey.

Thank you Linda! That sounds like the safe way to do things. I appreciate you commenting!

Thank you for the reply! I have tried the kitchen strainers and steamers on top of pans to strain honey. They take a while but are a good way to do small batches. Honey does run at higher temps much better. Wax gets softer too. A big concern for us in Florida during the summer. With that said the hives are usually pretty warm. I don't think the honey is kept in the mid 90s like the brood are, but 75 is not a problem. It's actually a good idea. It makes me think it is colder where you are already. I have heard of some people putting the buckets in the sun to help along the process too. That depends on the time of year and outside temperature of course. Also making sure the buckets are closed so the bees don't take back their honey. I'm sure the pasteurization temp is well above what the sun can do in a bucket.

Hi Connor! That sounds like a good process to clean them out. Did you save money by buying the jars in bulk? I'm not sure I need that many jars. It might be something to look into.

@@ralphwhite759 If I had picked them up it would have been cheaper. But I paid for freight shipping, so it came out about the same as just buying Ball jars at the hardware store. I’d recommend coordinating an order with others so you can share the shipping cost if you try to go that route.

@@connortaylor3653 that might be a good idea if I can get more honey production next year. It is great to hear from you! Hope your bees are doing well. You and the team should stop by our new place next time you guys are in Florida.

That is too funny! I wouldn't mind getting rid of my constant video interrupter rooster in the feild. The one in my backyard is much nicer. I love the idea of using a feather. Recycling at its best!

Thank you Rickey! Do you get sour wood honey where you are at? That is my favorite kind of honey I have had.

@@ralphwhite759 yes we get a sourwood honey up here about June. To get that great flavor the supers have to be pulled right before this flow starts and empty frames need to added. I tried to get some honey from the sourwood last year but I just gave them foundation and the used the sourwood honey to draw the frames out and I got no honey. Lol.. I learn my lesson and hope to retry this year. If I get a jar I will send you some. One foot note: In NC we have to be licensed to sell it as sourwood. We have to show that we are selling the good stuff. Lol have a great day buddy.

Thank you!

That is pretty funny! I have never played that game, so I didn't notice. I do enjoy the Fallout games though. Thank you!

Hi Caroline! I made this video last year for rendering the wax: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/lZapiMWYzdCac6s.html I hope it helps. Check the comments out also. Some other people had some ideas or ways they rendered their wax.

You may be able to get some cheese cloth and line the bottom in some way without the honey forcing the cheese cloth out of the holes. Maybe many small holes instead of three large ones would help the problem.

Thank you! That seems to be the best way to go. Most people seem to agree with you. Thank you for subscribing!

Thank you! I am sorry you got sick. That is a good testimonial for the importance of washing and sanitizing jars. I have not harvested many hives at a time. Usually, only as much as I can handle. A few days after this, I harvested honey from a couple top bar hives. I didn't take all the honey away just a few bars. Once the bucket is most of the way filled up, I quit and harvest more later. This is my sixth year beekeeping, but I have managed them more this year than in the past. Next year with my increased hives, I might have to use foundation on my langstroth honey supers.

@@ralphwhite759 i used to raid "wild" hives, i would only take from 2 hive trees at a time, there was 6 of them, some one cut them down for fire wood, i am thinking about buying a couple three horizontal hives to start with and work my up in numbers

Thank you Patman! That is a good to know about the music. I have been trying different genres to see what people prefer. I really appreciate that!

I try to avoid it. I remember a funny story from another top bar keeper. Her bees were not wanting to get off the honey and she and her husband were smoking the hive heavily. They finally won the war of the honey to have the honey tasting like smoke. I know that is a rare example, but I try to be sparing if I need to smoke them off it. If I use a brush, be very careful. The bees absolutely hate it. If you are a backyard beekeeper my suggestion is take the extra time to be gentle. It helps not rile the ladies up making the problem worse.

Thank you Jim! I think cleaning them might be the way to go. Good to hear from you!