Time to check the hive! The smell of honey is strong in the garden in the afternoon especially as 'the girls' come in on their two flight paths back to the hive! It's amazing to watch as they all fly in at speed and dive into the 'door'! We have just had a couple of extreme days here over 42C and as I write there are
bushfires in the hills not too far away.
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| Smoker and water ready, container for the frame, brush for bees, me in suit ready! |
Unsure of the honey 'levels' I thought I'd be ready to remove one or two frames and go into basic home style honey production - no fancy centrifuge yet....on the 'wish list' still!
Several You tube clips later, I purchased some colanders and sieves in a range of mesh sizes, some food safe plastic storage containers in a range of sizes and some new jars. Spending a bit to get organised but each is an investment - and if not in the honey making , to be used in the kitchen!
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| Very lo-tech for a one frame extraction/destruction |
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| Centre frame activity for sure! |
The top box is filling FAST! Summer gardens in flower and the gum trees are in full swing too! I love the sound of all the wings going! Lots and lots of bees flying around and leaving me alone with the pine needle smoker puffing along nicely. I've got that going well now. I removed just one frame and gently brushed and coaxed off the bees to pop it into a large storage box to bring inside.
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| Ok, a bit too soon to extract but I wanted to give the low tech method a go! |
Plastic sheeting over the bench and floor - I know what a mess I can get into - and wooden spoon across the container to support the frame - my goodness they are heavy , and it want even full! Unfortunately I had to destroy the comb to get to the honey....but 'the girls' shouldn't mind, they have plenty to do still and can clean this one off before starting again. there's still some honey on it.
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| Now for the knife...it took a couple before I settled on the bread knife |
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| drip, ooze, yum! |
Sieve on colander, on container....drain and BE PATIENT! Charlie, 3 and Zoe, 5 popped by to see the progress. Charlie, the consummate honey consumer, was very excited and had to check with a number of spoons...no double dipping Charlie! The ultimate test for him is honey drizzled onto a cruskit/cracker.
"Ooo, Yeahhhh..." I think that is approval!
1 not full frame produced 2 x 300ml jars and some leftovers. 420g in each jar x 2 = 840g!! WOW!
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| Oi! Getyour hands off the jar Charlie! He took one home with much delight! |
After 20 years of trying to grow fruit and vegetables and despite netting and building a fully wired and enclosed fruit house for the quince, fig and apple trees, to no avail.....(possums, mice, tree rats and birds) I think this honey harvest from ONE FRAME has produced more consumable produce than ever before! Yay! I have got produce!
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| waxy comb residue doing a final drain to get every last bit of sweet goodness! |
I'm leaving the wax drain overnight for a final bit in a jar and then into the 'solar oven-wax refining" methods. More on that as it comes to hand.....
Oh, and how does it taste? Gentle on the palate, smooth and creamy...
In the words of a honey eating expert...."Ooooo, yeahhhh"
