Is anybody else a beekeeper? Any interest in beekeeping? I did my fall harvest last weekend and got a little over 2.5 gallons of honey. No too bad for two hives that were started in the Spring.
Any other beekeepers here?
- Thread starter NirvanaFan
- Start date
Greywolf224
6.5 Creedmoor
Not bad at all. Dad had beehives 60 years ago. I never got into it as I dislike the taste of honey.
What type of honey do you have meaning what type of flowers are near by the hives. The flowers control the taste of the honey.
What type of honey do you have meaning what type of flowers are near by the hives. The flowers control the taste of the honey.
Toecutter
.308 Win
I've thought of it. One of those things I want to get into one day.
A little bit of everything. I'd probably say that goldenrod is the dominant flavor now. In the spring, it's a true mix. Lots of clover and other wildflowers.
Toecutter
.308 Win
Honey bees seem to love the mint in my yard .
Greywolf224
6.5 Creedmoor
Folks tend to like Clover flavored honey. Beekeepers will intentionally plant wild clover around the vicinity of the hives say within an acre's distance. This will keep the bee's close and you control the taste of the honey you like.
After tasting a few different honeys, I decided that I liked the fall flavors better. They seem to be stronger and more flavorful. They're all good though.
You get sugar from little things that sting you. No thanks. Ilk rob my sugar from the trees. Hint look at my avatar.
Robin
.475 A&M Magnum
I am allergic to bee stings. I kept bees about forty years ago, hey, a man has to get his adrenaline somehow.
Robin
Robin
I rob the trees too! I've just got a small 30" square flat pan over an old oil barrel though. Makes about 5 gallons a year which is enough for the immediate family.
Crazy enough, the only time I've ever been stung was when I was capturing a swarm. I don't even wear any protection when taking honey.I am allergic to bee stings. I kept bees about forty years ago, hey, a man has to get his adrenaline somehow.
Robin
I started out that way. It has taken on a life of its own. We broke 350 gallons last year.
Damn, how do you sell all that?
Greywolf224
6.5 Creedmoor
Is that actual consumable product or what you collected from the trees?
Lol still have a pile of it, you need some? Lol
We retail in 3 vendors.
1) local hardware store my dad works at. You won't believe how much we sell out of there. Never would have guessed it in a million years.
2) BBQ joint. They take 5 gallons a month.
3) farm/flower stand. We don't move much syrup here. I thought for sure this would be the big seller.
Lastly we sell bulk syrup to the big packers for discounted rate. It sucks but is a necessary evil.
And yes that was +350 usable syrup not sap.
With an arch like that, you better have more than 350 gallons of sap. What's your evap rate on that?
It's hard to tell because we always seem to be filling the head tank as we're boiling. I'm thinking 65-80 gallons an hour. We have a 600 gallon per hour reverse osmosis too. If it's a long boil the cast iron front gets cherry red and you can see the outline of the different pieces of wood.
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Sorry to derail your thread if you want to clean it up please do. My initial post was just meant to bust your balls.
It's all good! I can talk about beekeeping or syrup making all day.
camper4lyfe
.308 Win
I'm not a bee keeper, but that looks really cool
FrankenCub
.338 Win Mag
I've wanted to have a couple hives just for personal use, we love honey, but not into all the work and stings lol. That flowhive is sweet but not for $700
I've been taking a spoonful of local raw unfiltered honey ever morning since last year, really helps with allergies!!
Snappo
6.5 Creedmoor
I have never personally owned bees, but I let a local honey company put some of their bees out in my back forty and for that they give me 50 big jars of honey per year. I think I am up to about 250 jars now, but the bees don't bother anyone so I will let him do it forever. And candidly, some of my fruits and veggies are benefiting from their pollinating. I just stay away from that area by about 100 yards and that seems to be just fine.
Snappo
6.5 Creedmoor
