# Extracting



## mainelybees (Jan 6, 2009)

Well, another summer gone. Extracting season officially started Friday afternoon with the arrival of my first 2009 customer. Even with the cold wet start of summer he was able to harvest over three hundred lbs of honey from his six hives. Maybe not great but certainly nothing to be ashamed of. Hopefully, the rest of my regular customers will have an equally decent harvest, for my sake and theirs.
David


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

I have 10 honey supers left to pull from the front yard today, that finishes that. Need to order a new honey pump today as the old woodman is still working a bit, but 2 hours to pump 60 pounds injected with bunches of air isn't cutting it. I had an idea last fall it was on the way out but the honey was much colder then so thought I would wait and see.

 Al


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## marinemomtatt (Oct 8, 2006)

Our meager harvest is in the jars, the equipment is clean (with the Bees help) and put away, we just pulled the cleaned supers off the hives and will put them in the freezer tomorrow after the excess wax is taken off the frame bottoms.
Don't know what happened to our honey production this year, we got the same amount of honey from four colonies that we got from two last year...plants bloomed too early maybe. A local commercial Beekeeper says he is down 50% honey-wise...hmmm


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## rdhdstpchild (Jul 13, 2009)

First year keeper here, I'll chime in anyway. I've been told from several sources almost all honey harvests are down this year because of the super wet summer??

We didn't get any honey yet. I know, I know, most first year hives do not produce enough to share but doesn't stop me from dreaming... :happy:


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## marinemomtatt (Oct 8, 2006)

Last year (our first year) we got approx. 4 1/2 gals. of honey from 2 colonies (they had a rough first year, we had to move them to another property while property owner sprayed Lorsban (sp?) on trees which set them back a bit).


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

The gear pump that emptys the extractor gave up so we had to replace it. The old one is a Woodman, a company gone out of bussness so long I could not find anything about it.

The new pump came yesterday afternoon and is not a derict bolt in for the old one. The inlet and out lets are 1" rather than the 1 1/2", set up requires a pillow block set up with a lovejoy couppler or simmiualer type.

Still have about 40 supers to uncap and extract yet. Getting cool enough here that may have to fire up the honey house heater too.

 Al


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## mainelybees (Jan 6, 2009)

WOW, I guess the long, cold, wet spring didn't affect our local bees like I thought it would. One of my customers dropped off 21 super from his eight hives on Saturday.

Today I have the 350 lb clarifying tank full, the extractor is full to the bottom of the spool, there are twenty frames inside ready to be spun, there are twenty frames in the uncapping tank ready to be loaded and 10 more supers in the hot room. 

Looks like a late night again tonight. I love this stuff!!!!!

David


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## fishhead (Jul 19, 2006)

Is it common to find people to do custom extracting?

I'm considering hives next year but have no way to extract unless I can just let gravity do the extracting.


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

Ask around at the local bee keeping club. There are members who will do it for you at some type of cost. some clubs have extractors you can rent or borrow depends on the club.

 Al


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## fishhead (Jul 19, 2006)

Thanks.


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

Many a bee keeper used crush and strain for harvest honey for years. I never cared for the method because of what I considered the work of building comb only to crush it so the girls had to do that the next season before they could start filling the comb with honey. I let a fellow club member extract my honey for a share plus the wax. It fit my needs then but in a couple of years it didn't 
I started asking around and asking people and found a 2 frame hand crank extractor that had been stached in a shed for many years after the many grandfather had died.

Here is a plastic 2 frame ar a very good price.
http://www.glorybeefoods.com/gbf/Shop_ProductDetail.cfm?PC=&PSC=0&P=21856&Product_Name=extractor, plastic 2 frame&Token=12.75.40.3:{ts_2009-10-02_06:02:39}-623528

If you think you may want to get a little more that a couple of hives I suggest you get metal.

I like this one as a handy fellow could add a motor to it farly easy.

http://www.glorybeefoods.com/gbf/Shop_ProductDetail.cfm?PC=&PSC=0&P=22193&Product_Name=three frame stainless extracto&Token=12.75.40.3:{ts_2009-10-02_06:02:39}-623528


 Al


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## Durandal (Aug 19, 2007)

30 colonies this year. Averaged about 80# per colony with lots for the girls to get them through winter.

We had a wet summer this year, which was a blessing. Best crop and forage material I have ever seen.

Keep in mind that this year I was also switching from all mediums to deeps so I had the bees drawing LOTS of comb this year. So thats 2400# of honey AND over 380 deep frames.

I am trying to brag or anything, I am giddy though, last year was rough and REALLY dry.

Almost all my mediums are now converted to 9 frames mediums.

This winter I start work on the honey house. I cannot complain enough about doing all that with a two frame extractor. :Bawling:

So much wasted time.


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