Straining Honey

[banjojohnboy]

First thanks for the replys to the earlier dumb questions. I just robbed and jarred my first honey. I used the microwave and plastic bowls. I used "Handi Wipes" for straining it, they were cheap disposable and had about the right holes, anyone else used these? My hive filled and capped 3 supers, I took 2, (got tired of lifting them to look in there,). Thought I would wait to see if they made enough for them, will one super be enough to winter them? An old neighbor gave me all his bee stuff. 30 supers with the frames, boxes of wax, tops. I only wanted one hive, but now I am in deeper already. Who knows, with all this free stuff, I might break even. I have to break down and get better gloves. I just have the canvas and they can get thru. I have a couple of puffy fingers , and I am a part time musican and need fingers that will bend. The mrs didn't like her stickey kitchen but it has been fun and interesting. I had 23 qts. is that about right for 2 supers. I looked today and they had made about a half super in a week, the flow must still be going huh? I don't think they have swarmed yet, they still seem pretty strong, I'll admit I haven't looked down in the brood in a month, is that bad? I just watched the supers and when they were about full, I stuck another under. I caught another swarm 5 wks ago and they have filled a deep and are working on a med. super of honey. I like looking in them but that big one is a lot of trouble. How much do I need to meddle with these 2 for the summer? Thanks John

[Michael Bush]

>I just robbed and jarred my first honey. I used the microwave and plastic bowls.

I NEVER heat honey. I would just crush and strain. You'll lose all the nuances of flavor if you heat it.

>I used "Handi Wipes" for straining it, they were cheap disposable and had about the right holes, anyone else used these?

I just use a double sieve like the bees suppliers sell or screen wire.

>My hive filled and capped 3 supers, I took 2, (got tired of lifting them to look in there,). Thought I would wait to see if they made enough for them, will one super be enough to winter them?

How many brood boxes do they have? How full are they? I like to leave enough on that if the fall flow fails they still have enough honey, so I'd probably leave it on.

>I had 23 qts. is that about right for 2 supers.

Well lets see. A quart is about 3 pounds so 23 * 3 is 76 pounds. A full shallow super weighs about 50 pounds or so but at least 10 of that is the frames and the box etc. So somewhere around 80 pounds for two supers sounds right.

>I looked today and they had made about a half super in a week, the flow must still be going huh?

Apparnetly.

>I don't think they have swarmed yet, they still seem pretty strong,

Sometimes a good hive swarms and it doesn't look that much smaller.

>I'll admit I haven't looked down in the brood in a month, is that bad?

Not necessarily. It's probably why they are doing so well. http://www.beesource.com/ubb/smile.gif

> I just watched the supers and when they were about full, I stuck another under. I caught another swarm 5 wks ago and they have filled a deep and are working on a med. super of honey. I like looking in them but that big one is a lot of trouble. How much do I need to meddle with these 2 for the summer?

In a really booming hive I tend to try to open up the brood nest once or twice in the course of the summer to keep them from swarming. I swap out some frames in the brood nest for empty frames and get them to draw some comb and give the queen somewhere to lay.

But a lot of hives I don't bother them at all if they are doing well, but not exploding in population.

[honeybeesonly]

handi wipes? am i missing something. in the past i've used washed paint strainers and a clean 5 gal. bucket and just poured it in and put a lid on it and set it in warm area...but i don't heat it either.

ken

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Good friends are sweet as honey. Winnie the Pooh
http://honeybeesonly.com

[piccioni]

>I just robbed and jarred my first honey. I used the microwave and plastic bowls.

I NEVER heat honey. I would just crush and strain. You'll lose all the nuances of flavor if you heat it.

Michael: what do you do if your honey crystalizes? I though heating is was the only way to fix it?

[Whitey]

Just don't heat it above 95 to 100 degrees. It liquifies again around 80.

[MRJPRICH]

If a fully drawn shallow weighs about 50# then what does a medium super full weigh?

[Michael Bush]

Jumbo, Dadant Deep 11 5/8” 110 pounds
Deep, Langstroth Deep 9 5/8” 90 pounds
Western? 7 5/8” 75 pounds
Medium, Illinois, 3/4 6 5/8” 60 pounds
Shallow 5 ¾” or 5 11/16” 50 pounds
Extra Shallow, ½ 4 ¾” or 4 11/16” 40 pounds

[The Honey House]

banjojohnboy writes.
"I had 23 qts. is that about right for 2 supers."

23 quarts is just one quart shy of six gallons.
A gallon weights about 12 pounds. 72 pounds
divided by two supers is 36 pounds each.
That's just about what I get.

When I'm eye balling the stack of supers I just use 30 pounds each. (average) Keeps the math simpler.
BTW: This is what I get from 6 5/8" supers

[This message has been edited by The Honey House (edited July 01, 2004).]

[Oxankle]

I go with Honey House. I always figure 3 gallons, 36 pounds, for a nicely filled medium with 9 frames. That is plenty close for government work.
Ox

[Michael Bush]

The weights I gave aren't the weight of the honey but a full box. That includes the frames and the box and the honey and the cappings and the wax.

[2hives]

Yesterday I uncapped and extracted 3 med. supers and got an average of 48 lbs. per super. (about 4 gals. each) I had 9 frames per super, well drawn.