Pink Hive…honey removed, crushed and strained 9-9-15

The girls were really quiet today…

I took 6 frames from the top super then Jim lifted it off and set it on the stand. I am getting ready to take a couple from this one.

We only pulled 8 frames…this hive still had frames that were partially drawn out and empty comb.

Today we just put the frames in the rack then moved to the shade and brushed the bees off and covered it.

I don’t have a “honey house” so I do it in my kitchen.

I cut the comb from the frames into this big stainless bowl then mash it up …..

then spoon it into a jar.

I put cloth strainers on the top with a rubber band and sit them in the funnels I made from milk jugs.

This corner of the screen porch gets late..hot afternoon sun…it helps the honey run better. Once the sun hits them the heat in the top of the jar overcomes the vacuum that is created when the honey flows into the bottom jar.I still have to pick them up and hold them sideways to break that vacuum then it starts running good again.

Once it is all strained I’ll combine the jars so they are full.

I spray the floor with Avian Insect Liquidator to stop the ants that might be interested.

The jar in the foreground is almost done but I’ll let it sit until the sun has a chance at it….then the wax from all these jars will be put in the stainless bowl for the bees to clean up….then I’ll melt the wax down and use it for candles.

The candles are for our own use…lots of power outages here. My Mother had 4 of these hurricane candles so I took the wax out ..will use it to make fire starters for the wood stove…then filled it with bees wax. I read that bees wax burns cleaner than paraffin wax.

One more to fill.

The Pepper Bushes will start blooming shortly and then I’ll check the hives and pull a few more frames…I will leave them at least 1 1/2 supers of honey…I had to feed back some of their honey last year.