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I had to disassemble a wobbly hive and man those bees were mad. The supers were full of honey and each box weighed at least 50+ lbs. I am beyond hot, tired and dehydrated.

My smoker kept going out. Not a good think when they are coming at you.
 
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Only 2 weeks later & I'm just now seeing this. Yup, a full 10frame honey super weighs about 50 lbs. Good news, friends don't let friends lift deep honey boxes! They weigh about 90 lbs. You can look at a 8 frame medium, but they're still 40 lbs. That's why all beekeepers have bad backs.

Try this with the smoker. Get some cow pies (well dried big ole piece of cow manure). Right out of the field is best because they're still in big chunks. Break it into chunks about the size of your fist. Put some torn cardboard in the bottom of your smoker & light it. Once going, put a piece or two of cow pie in there. Don't pack down, you want air flow. Get the manure lit (pump for a minute). Once started, the manure burns very cool and burns for a long time. Check it every 20 minutes, add more if needed.

To light the cow pie quicker, use a blow torch. 30 seconds and it's lit and going well.
 
I'll stick to the pine shavings. Lol. I have the new supers on and hopefully I will have capped honey this year. Hopefully the new hive will produce enough for the Winter.

I found some weird flying things hanging out at the hive last night. Not wasps or yellow jackets. I killed them all, but will check today when the light is better. I'm hoping they aren't robbers of some type,
 
OK, but your loss. Cow pies really do work well, incredibly well. But if you stick with shavings, be sure to keep adding more fuel. No smoke = big problems. Any idea what the night fliers were?
 
OK, but your loss. Cow pies really do work well, incredibly well. But if you stick with shavings, be sure to keep adding more fuel. No smoke = big problems. Any idea what the night fliers were?

I found one in the pool so I got a good pic. Sent it to my mentor and he didn't know what it was, so it must not be on the bee list of predators.
 
Robin,
That is a 100% local and hive-specific. We've already been harvesting for a month down here. This is a question for your local mentor. You also need to consider the condition of each individual hive. Some are more productive and ready to take the honey, others struggle and need everything they have. Different regions also need to leave different amounts of honey for their colonies to survive the local winter.
 
Robin,
That is a 100% local and hive-specific. We've already been harvesting for a month down here. This is a question for your local mentor. You also need to consider the condition of each individual hive. Some are more productive and ready to take the honey, others struggle and need everything they have. Different regions also need to leave different amounts of honey for their colonies to survive the local winter.

I was afraid you would say that it's time. It's too hot to suit up for a long period of time. I don't look forward to that. I have a meeting tomorrow night and I find out when my mentor is going to harvest. He said I could help him and learn.
 
At the meeting last night, the speaker was showing how he is marketing his honey.

Honey straws $1
A 5 oz vial of "reindeer fuel" at Christmas. $5
Lip balm $5

He doesn't sell much be the quart because he can make more money this way. Of course, there is much more work and marketing involved.

I'll just be happy to get a few quarts.

My mentor says I can come over next week to watch him harvest. Geez, I hope it cooler. I don't know how he was doin g it this week. 100° heat index without being fully suited. I don't want to be embarrassed in front of a 75 year old man who can handle heat better than I.
 
I pulled my first frames today and one hive has much darker capping than the other. Comments and/or snide remarks appreciated. I read that this is normal, but dont want to contaminate my batch.

How can one picture be too large to process? Therefore. I cannot show you
 
I pulled 18 frames and had my first try at the harvest. It is still dripping, but it's a little over 2.5 gallons. They were shallows, so I'm happy with my take. My mentor says that around here honey goes for $1 per ounce. I will not be getting rich this year.
 
Robin,
That is really cheap, both you and the market. But it varies across the country.
First, you need to stop using the term 'pint' / 'quart'. You need to measure it in weight.

Your 'pint' is more than one pound. 1 lb sells for $12 by me. 2 lbs (less than the quart) sells for $20. The smaller the jar size, the better your $/lb. Many people sell 8 oz or 6 oz bears.

Again, ask your mentor. Local prices vary. But everyone goes by weight.
 
Robin,
That is really cheap, both you and the market. But it varies across the country.
First, you need to stop using the term 'pint' / 'quart'. You need to measure it in weight.

Your 'pint' is more than one pound. 1 lb sells for $12 by me. 2 lbs (less than the quart) sells for $20. The smaller the jar size, the better your $/lb. Many people sell 8 oz or 6 oz bears.

Again, ask your mentor. Local prices vary. But everyone goes by weight.


My mentor is the one that gave me the price. I don't have enough to make a profit. It basically for my son to think he is selling his product. Like I sell my eggs for only $2 per dozen. It's mostly a hobby.
 
OK, those are cheap prices. And $2 eggs? Yikes, $4-5/dozen around me for yard eggs. I'm not sure the $2/dozen covers the feed costs?

Keep in mind, you don't make money on day one... things take time to ramp up. Remember that you want to sell the 'local, chemical-free' 100% honey part of your product. 3/4th of honey sold in 'stores' are fake honey and legally can't be called honey. There is a saying, "if you don't know the beekeeper, how do you know it's real honey?" Sell that aspect.
 

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