That looks like a very efficient honey processing set up, I really enjoyed watching this. There's something very fascinating and relaxing about watching honey processing. Thanks for taking the time to share with us. ~subscribed~
Very awesome! I am almost big enough to start adding automation to my extracting process. It has definitely been a fun ride. Hopefully, I can keep it going.
I've been melting the cappings in a homemade melter and filter them with fine nylon (window sheer). then when I figure that I have enough I melt them altogether and pour them into a 5 gallon bucket to cool. I normally have about half a bucket. I now have enough on hand that I'm going to start using it to make candles and sell wax blocks. You are correct that Maxant makes the best equipment. I don't know if I'll make a video of melting the cappings. It's normally a mess. David
To clean the uncapper is no problem. After I take out all the cappings from the capping tank, I just hook my hose to the hot water and hose it down with the chains spinning. All the mess goes into the capping tank and I drain it into a bucket and dump it. Then I take a wet towel and wipe down the outside. In total it takes about 15 minutes. Basically the same on the extractor and Jr spinner, just hose each one down with hot water. If you don't have a hose and hot water, it might be a problem.
I guess im randomly asking but does any of you know a method to log back into an instagram account? I was dumb lost the account password. I would love any help you can offer me
@Kaden Kaiden i really appreciate your reply. I got to the site through google and im in the hacking process atm. Looks like it's gonna take quite some time so I will reply here later with my results.
better think about filtering. The chain uncapper produces a lot of small wax particles that create a lot of work if you are using the double strainer. If you have the time a grocers tank works well if you can let it sit a day so the wax floats to the top and you skim it off. If you heat the honey a little then their filter works well also. Any way my building is 12X24 and it is too small when you have supers sitting around, I plan on adding on later this year. David
Brandon Yes I have the model 1400P and it has been great. If you have ten good hives and depending on the season you could have 15 - 25 supers to extract. That would mean 135+ frames, on a smaller extractor it's going to take a while. Then what do you do if you are like most everyone else and get a few more hives? If you can swing it better go with the 20 frame.
Jim Thanks for the comments. I really like the Maxant equipment, the quality is very good. Maxant really doesn't do a good job of promoting their equipment, you would think they would have more videos out there showing how it all works. I ordered a heated clarifier from Dadant and it looked like it was made by a bunch of kids, so I sent it back. I couldn't find one like I liked, so I just made me one. If you have ordered the 20 frame extractor to go a long with the uncapper you .... next post
I just ordered the Maxant chain uncapper and the spinner jr. So nice to see it in action. What are the dimensions of your honey house. I'm fixing to build one, and I wouldn't mind copying your set-up. It's looks very efficient. Great video!
Fantastic video, David. Finally, an opportunity to see key equipment in use that I have been considering. I'm modeling my honey house on yours and have just purchased a Maxant chain uncapper, clarifier, jr. spinner, bottling tank and pump (MannLake just had a super sale with free freight shipping). Still need to get the filters and hoses. Quick question. I'm thinking about putting the spinner on locking casters to be able to move it for easier cleaning. Do you find that it has much wobble, i.e., do you think it would 'walk' if not bolted down? I'm guessing it depends on how much you fill it, but would appreciate your thoughts. Thanks, again, for a great and detailed video, super helpful.
Hi, nice video. I'm considering purchasing the Maxant Junior Spinner. I harvest honey from log hives in the forest, and it arrives at my processing facility as crushed comb. I plan to melt it with a melter capable of handling 500 kilograms in one batch at 49 degrees Celsius. After melting at this temperature, I would obtain 325 kilograms of separated honey and a 175-kilogram honey-wax mixture. I aim to use the Maxant Junior Spinner to separate the honey from the wax. If I proceed, how much time will it take to separate the melted honey-wax mixture of 175 kilograms?
Just started following you. Saw that you are running 70 hives or so. How many lbs. of honey are you averaging per hive? I really like how you have set up your honey house and extraction room. If you don't mind me asking, how much did you have to pay for the setup. Not trying to be nosey, just trying to put a budget together.
Blake Leopold Well, we averaged about 30 lbs per medium super this year. Not all of my hives were producing any honey, some are new or just didn't do to well. Also the weather hasn't been to agreable this year for the bees. Most of the equipment would probably fall under $7000, though I aquired it over a few years.
TimIt is a double filter. The temp gauge is for the clarifier. Since my brake is only 4ft I was limited to 48inches, which is long enough with the two baffles. Without warming the honey a little it would be almost impossible to process it through the filter. Earlier I posted on the quality of a clarifier by another company that looked like it was made by kids. I sent it back and made my own. A bottling tank with a water jacket would work also to separate the fine particles from the honey, then run it through the filter.
Thanks for your comments. No, I don’t have any plans. I just made it out of materials I had laying around. In the video I have a screen in the bottom. The honey wouldn’t drain as fast as I needed it to, so I took it out. The tank is square, I just shortened the two legs on the end with the honey gate an inch or so. I can send you some pictures if you would like.
Mr. Davis, I'm a new beekeeper in south carolina, getting ready to build me an extracting honey house next spring. I'm really impressed with your set up. If you could change or add to or make any upgrades to what you have in the video, what advice would you pass on to a new guy, thanks and God Bless.
Monty McGuFFin well. As you can see it’s a little small. The next year after I made this video I added a 16x24 addition onto the back. I use the front room, (the one in this video) for a work area/ kitchen. Wash bottles, graft queens, paperwork, labels, etc. I moved the equipment to the new addition for the extraction process. I now have enough room to work good. I wish I had put in a floor drain, cleanup would be easier. Since honey is totally natural, as long as only water is used for rinsing out equipment, it can just run out on the ground. Don’t have to have septic or sewer according to our health dept. You need plenty of a/c. I scavenged an old 3ton a/c unit off a house trailer to cool the building. hope this helps.
@@afretired2 Yes sir it did, My mentor has a much smaller building, it's tight and HOT, we usually extract first of july, outside temps high 80's, honey house high 90,s---TOUGH. What's a good operating temp for a honey house so honey will flow good, we don't heat any honey but at 95+ it FLOWS, along with the sweat..,This is my third year and I ended up with 245 gallons. I'm gonna need a bigger place and I like the AC IDEA, thanks for the info.
@@cossvp i have the temp set at 65, i like it cool. Sweat and honey dont mix. I have the heated clarifier set at 110 degrees, from there it is pumped to the filter. Right now i have a two basket filter and it is the bottleneck in the process. With 245 gallons you would need a larger filter also.
11:58 into the process. I think if I had to fill jars there I might want to place a small shelf on the drawers.I would make it like a frame holder(maybe 4 inches wide) so I could remove it. (that would allow her to set those jars down while she fills them)Her hand barely fits around that jar,lol.
how many hives do you have? this seems like a good starting place for my bee yard I'm putting together in Asheville next year. I have about 30 hives now but want to go up to 200 and grow from there. Where did you buy your equipment?
Camp Davidson Due to other interests I’m currently down to about 25 hives. To properly manage that many hives really takes a significant time commitment. Most of my equipment was purchased from Maxant. I really like their equipment and haven’t had any issues with it. I don’t receive any benefits from them, they just use one of my videos.
That's a ton of equipment for 25 hives. Are you going to stop the bee thing? I'm gearing up and will head for at least 1000 in the next 5 years so Im looking for the gear your using and will expand later. Let me know if you in the market to sell anything. Not sure where you are but I'm in Charlotte if your interested in selling some of your stuff. I love bees. and pulling honey is not fun at the moment but that's a part of the deal. Sticky fingers. :)
Great video. One question on cleaning the equipment afterwards. I noticed most of your equipment is bolted to the floor. How do you go about cleaning all of it after an extraction? Do you have to unbolt it to rinse or is there some other process?Thanks!
+Eric WellerCleaning isn't a problem. I have one of those expandable garden hoses connected to the sink and I just hose it out and drain it into a five gallon bucket, then dump it in the sink.
I see that you made this video in 2013. however I would like to know where you got your plans for your honey house layout and your power and water needs did Max ant draw it up for you or did you do it yourself. If it is possible could you share those plans with me, thank you very much Paul Smith
Paul Smith just noticed your question. As you can see it’s a little small. The next year after I made this video I added a 16x24 addition onto the back. I use the front room, (the one in this video) for a work area/ kitchen. Wash bottles, graft queens, paperwork, labels, etc. I moved the equipment to the new addition for the extraction process. I now have enough room to work good. I wish I had put in a floor drain, cleanup would be easier. Since honey is totally natural, as long as only water is used for rinsing out equipment, it can just run out on the ground. Don’t have to have septic or sewer according to our health dept. You need plenty of a/c. I scavenged an old 3ton a/c unit off a house trailer to cool the building. hope this helps. As far as the design, well I basically made it based on me doing the work without very much help. So I tried to keep it simple. The original building was 12x24, then the next year I added on another room 16x24. I just have a 50 amp circuit off my garage powering the building. I only have cold water, been thinking of putting in a small water heater, but really don’t need it much. I use a dishwasher I replaced from my house, it heats the jars for washing.
I did not know that they added corn syrup to honey. I know that they do it in pancake syrup. I was at trader joes about a couple months ago and I saw honey (with a piece of comb in the jar) it was very expensive but I'm sure that it was 100% all natural.
Hey! I have an amateur question to ask. When you remove the frames from the colony for honey extraction, do you immediately replace them with spare ones? Or do you leave the bees and the queen in an empty colony? I'm looking to start beekeeping in my country! :D
I'm planning on getting an extractor this year for my 2 hives but I have 6 hives which are now working on their 2nd deeps. Do you use the POWER-20F aka Model 1400P ??? Is that a good size for 10 hives or would something smaller be better?
After all these years using the Maxant setup, video shoot in 2013, how is the equipment holding up? Maintenance costs on the equipment? Your honey house looks a little small. How big is it? Any regrets on the equipment? If you had it to do over again, what would you change? I'm looking for to setup for myself so just curious. Thanks.
+craig kubiak I don't have any regrets on the equipment, it continues to work flawlessly. You are right on the size of the honey house being too small. I have since added on another 16 feet.
David, what foot switch do you use for the extractor? I have the same unit and was thinking I needed an on/off foot switch to make it less messy switching off. Thx Brian
I originally ordered a heated clarifier from another company other than Maxant and was not happy with the quality, so I sent it back and made my own. The float switch is from Lowes and is used for a sump pump.
Could you tell me how long it takes the Jr. Cappings Spinner to finish a full load in your honey house? I've got about 70 hives as well. Seems like it will pay itself back quickly, but would love to hear some first hand accounts. Thanks!
Todd, Check out the video link I sent to Maxant below. I really like the Jr spinner, though it works better for me now with the modification. It will take at least an hour to spin out a load of cappings. With the chain uncapper, you just about have to have the Jr Spinner, otherwise there is so much wasted honey in the cappings. th-cam.com/video/Gh6yzgCpiAs/w-d-xo.html
David Davis Just watched your video with the modification. Nice work. And yes, I thought I would need a spinner for the cappings. I have an older Maxant uncapping tank that fits around 30-40 frames with a cappings basket. It drains ok, but there's still a lot of honey in the cappings. I've been using a hot knife but will be upgrading to an uncapper. Lots of finer wax particles from the chain uncapper pretty much require a spinner. I think for my size apiary what you've got going on would be a perfect fit. Again, thanks for the info.
Todd Parsons It sounds like your apiary is about the same as mine. Using a hot knife just about kills me. Using a chain uncapper generates a whole lot more of honey in the cappings than the hot knife, but you can work 10 frames about as fast as one with the knife. You still need the pick on low cells that the chain uncapper doesn't get, much like the knife.
David Davis I hear you on that. My wrist is tired of the knife. I was looking at different options from the Kelley jiggle heated knife (too much labor) to a Silver Queen (too pricey for my needs) and think the Maxant is the perfect option. The only complaint I hear is that fine cappings cause clogs if you are filtering it straight into buckets vs using a settling tank (like you have). I guess I will look into one of their tanks as well. Thanks again!
Hello from Canada. I have a set up close to yours ready for this year (2016). I have a 9 frame motorized and don't have the uncapper. I have searched on line for an answer but thought I would ask you direct,. I wish I could have seen the wax the spinner had collected. How much do you end up with after it has been loaded full? Thanks in advance, Jack
+www.jackandpamsplace.com I really don't fully understand your question. With the Maxant uncapper you end up with a lot of honey and cappings that need to be separated. The uncapper pulverizes all of the comb that sticks out past the frames. With that, there is a lot of cappings to separate. The Jr spinner works great to remove the honey from the wax. After it spins for a while (1 or 2 hours) all that is left is slightly sticky wax, and honey, very little waste. Without the Jr spinner the capper would be to inefficient. You would waste to much honey.
+David Davis Hi there and thanks for the input. I have indeed watched your video from 2013 many times. I haven't seen the one you have on the spinner. I have a spinner siting just over the border to Canada that I am waiting for the weather to behave to go and get. I don't have the uncapper as I am not big enough yet. I am sorry I had confused my question. I was wondering what was left after you had spun the wax out. Some have said it is fluffy and able to put it in cubes etc. You have said it is still a bit sticky. I see the folks at Maxant have a wax melting tank/seperator. My wife and I make candles as well so is this what we would need to finish the wax?
+www.jackandpamsplace.com The Jr spinner wont finish the wax, you would still need to melt it and strain it since it will have bee parts and old comb in it. But if you use a melter that lets just the clean honey run out, that would work fine. I don't really know how to explain what the cappings are like after they are spun. They are not what I would call "fluffy". You can take them and pack them into a ball like a snowball. I have set them outside and let the bees completely clean up the honey from the cappings, and at that point they are "fluffy/dry". Normally after I get done processing the honey, I take the spun cappings and melt them in old propane turkey fryer, then strain them and pour them into a five gallon bucket to harden. Since you don't have the uncapper, how are you uncapping the frames? For me, I needed the uncapper to process the frames since I got tired of using a pick and hot knife. Since the uncapper leaves so much good honey in the cappings, I had to have the Jr Spinner, to extract the honey from the cappings. I haven't measured it but would guess that on a volume basis, over half of the residue from the uncapper is good usable honey, and about the only way to save it is with the Jr spinner. If you are not large enough to justify the uncapper, I don't see the justification for the spinner. Anyway if you need anything else please let me know.
I was wanting to get some of the equipment if not all of the equipment you are using. My parent had a few hives but I would like to make it big. I have 15 hives this year and am looking to make my honey collecting easier. Could you list each piece of equipment for me? Thank You in advance.
Daniel Price Maxant model 1700 Chain Uncapper. Homemade Uncapping Tank to catch cappings. Homemade Mobile Uncapping Tank. Maxant model. 1200 Jr Capping Spinner. Maxant model 1400PL Extractor Homemade Heated Clarifier. Maxant model 400-1 Honey Pump. Maxant model 200-2 Honey Filter. Maxant model 600-2 Heated Bottling Tank with No Drip Valve.
Yes, I made it. Maxant needs to make a tank to sit the uncapper on. They have worked it out to sit on the large cappings spinner, but really nothing else. The tank works good as it gives you a place to hang your frames when waiting on the extractor.
You and the lady should truly consider purchasing noise reduction headphones - the noise from your operation seems to be a future problem for you both - please consider it - if you opt to include noise reduction headphones in your operation, do NOT purchase cheap or unknown brands - it was loud for me - it must be louder for you and conistent
Jerry deGroot. Best I remember, EBay. It is a Sears model no. 3028, made by Penn Controls. Looking it up it converts to a F59A-2 by Johnson Controls. I know I didn’t pay what they list for. Most of your builders supply have replacement sump pump switches that are basically the same for a whole lot less. I also ordered a stainless steel float ball.
Hi,Im Petkov from Bulgaria. How much is it this hony line . I have idea make this hony line in my bee farm/ 70 bee haves. I want to bay Maxant hony line . Where is it office Maxsant ? Best Reg. Petkov
Angel Petkov Maxant makes great equipment, and I haven't had any problem with it. The prices are listed on their website (www.maxantindustries.com/) Part of the honey line is not Maxant equipment, primarily the heated clarifier, the uncapping tanks, and a couple of storage tanks, everything else is Maxant. They are located in Ayer, Massachusetts, USA. I'm not connected with Maxant in any way, I just like the quality of their equipment.
One last comment. Check out my video on removing bees from Lindsey Wilson College. I took out all the good comb and crushed it and put it in the JR spinner and it worked great for seperating the honey. With out it it would have been a mess to try and get the honey out.
Originally it was 12' X 26'. With all the equipment it was very difficult to work the supers in there, so this past winter I added on another 16' X 26' and moved the honey processing equiment into the new area and kept the original area for sales, labeling, storage, building boxes/frames, and cleanup stuff.
My .02 worth... After seeing all this investment in uncapping, spinning and filter, it makes the free flow hives look better. I know with the free flowing hives you still need to check the health of the bees.
D Hansel Apparently you don't have any hives. I'm set up to run about 100 hives, though I have about 50. Since a normal hive will have two brood boxes and an average of four supers, which have 9 or 10 frames each. With an overall cost of about $200. Compared to the "flow hive" for the basic hive, which is two boxes at $700. And additional boxes at $330. Puts the price of a hive with six boxes at $2020. Now multiply that times 50 hives, $101,000, verses $10,000. That's a $91,000 difference, even if you could get the flow hive at half price that's still $45,000. I haven't spent half of that on extracting equipment. Also the videos look nice and easy. They don't show the thousands of bees that will be trying to get the honey while you stand there waiting for the honey to flow into your jar. I don't know how they kept the bees away while making the video. Next time you see some bee hives, get a jar of honey and go stand next to them for a while. Have you ever sat an open can of soda such as Mountain Dew down for a little while in the middle of summer? There's a reason you see bee keepers wearing Bee suits while working around their hives. There isn't anyway I would have one of my grandchildren next to a hive without being protected. What happens to the brood or pollen that is built in the frames, and how do you check to ensure all cells are capped prior to turning the "crank"? If the cells are not capped, then most likely the moisture content will be to high and the honey will ferment. BTY how long would it take to run out 500 jars of honey?
Wait until the Chinese start producing the Flow Hives. You will be able to buy a Flow Hive for about $ 200 No Tax and FREE shipping. I don't have any hives, but I knew several people that had them back in the 60's. Thanks for the feedback.... it's been an experience.....
Great video and such an awesome honey house. I'm still in my first year of beekeeping here along Coastal NC but I'd love to get to your level one day. Keep up the great work! 👍🏻
The bee work very hard to store the honey, people should not just take it away. They should replace the honey with syrup, since syrup is very much similar to honey that it would keep the bee healthier 🤔! I think that bee only need syrupy feeding and it would be good for them and the future. Think about it, without the bee, you will not have honey!
Why speak English, if it is so flawed. Moreover, there is a wonderful Russian language! It's time to learn Russian, English is not enough that it's simply scanty, so it's also politically outdated!))
I just want to say how much I enjoyed watching this video and have an appreciation for what you do and for all beekeepers in general. Thank you!
Thank you, we enjoy working with the bees.
Lot of equipment. Looks like it is working well for you. Thanks for sharing. I like the uncapper and it looks pretty quick!
Has to be best small scaled honey operation video out there. Thank you.
Thank you for another great video. What a wonderful setup. When I win the lottery I will have a bee hut just like yours.
That looks like a very efficient honey processing set up, I really enjoyed watching this. There's something very fascinating and relaxing about watching honey processing. Thanks for taking the time to share with us. ~subscribed~
Very awesome! I am almost big enough to start adding automation to my extracting process. It has definitely been a fun ride. Hopefully, I can keep it going.
I have watched this video more time than I can count....never gets old!!!
I've been melting the cappings in a homemade melter and filter them with fine nylon (window sheer). then when I figure that I have enough I melt them altogether and pour them into a 5 gallon bucket to cool. I normally have about half a bucket. I now have enough on hand that I'm going to start using it to make candles and sell wax blocks. You are correct that Maxant makes the best equipment. I don't know if I'll make a video of melting the cappings. It's normally a mess.
David
David Davis pI want to see it, please
To clean the uncapper is no problem. After I take out all the cappings from the capping tank, I just hook my hose to the hot water and hose it down with the chains spinning. All the mess goes into the capping tank and I drain it into a bucket and dump it. Then I take a wet towel and wipe down the outside. In total it takes about 15 minutes. Basically the same on the extractor and Jr spinner, just hose each one down with hot water. If you don't have a hose and hot water, it might be a problem.
Thank you folks for sharing this process and you facility with us, it's pretty impressive and fun to watch.
I guess im randomly asking but does any of you know a method to log back into an instagram account?
I was dumb lost the account password. I would love any help you can offer me
@@salvadorshane1802 Don't use it so no I don't know. There's usually a way to reset them.
@Salvador Shane Instablaster :)
@Kaden Kaiden i really appreciate your reply. I got to the site through google and im in the hacking process atm.
Looks like it's gonna take quite some time so I will reply here later with my results.
@Kaden Kaiden it worked and I finally got access to my account again. Im so happy!
Thanks so much, you saved my account!
better think about filtering. The chain uncapper produces a lot of small wax particles that create a lot of work if you are using the double strainer. If you have the time a grocers tank works well if you can let it sit a day so the wax floats to the top and you skim it off. If you heat the honey a little then their filter works well also. Any way my building is 12X24 and it is too small when you have supers sitting around, I plan on adding on later this year. David
Brandon
Yes I have the model 1400P and it has been great. If you have ten good hives and depending on the season you could have 15 - 25 supers to extract. That would mean 135+ frames, on a smaller extractor it's going to take a while. Then what do you do if you are like most everyone else and get a few more hives? If you can swing it better go with the 20 frame.
Jim
Thanks for the comments. I really like the Maxant equipment, the quality is very good. Maxant really doesn't do a good job of promoting their equipment, you would think they would have more videos out there showing how it all works. I ordered a heated clarifier from Dadant and it looked like it was made by a bunch of kids, so I sent it back. I couldn't find one like I liked, so I just made me one. If you have ordered the 20 frame extractor to go a long with the uncapper you .... next post
Could you give a list and cost of the set up you have here?
Did you ever consider showing how to clean all the equipment? That chain uncapped sure beats the hot knife
I just ordered the Maxant chain uncapper and the spinner jr. So nice to see it in action. What are the dimensions of your honey house. I'm fixing to build one, and I wouldn't mind copying your set-up. It's looks very efficient. Great video!
Fantastic video, David. Finally, an opportunity to see key equipment in use that I have been considering. I'm modeling my honey house on yours and have just purchased a Maxant chain uncapper, clarifier, jr. spinner, bottling tank and pump (MannLake just had a super sale with free freight shipping). Still need to get the filters and hoses. Quick question. I'm thinking about putting the spinner on locking casters to be able to move it for easier cleaning. Do you find that it has much wobble, i.e., do you think it would 'walk' if not bolted down? I'm guessing it depends on how much you fill it, but would appreciate your thoughts. Thanks, again, for a great and detailed video, super helpful.
Jbillja Greenrose
it will walk. at first I didn't have it bolted down. it didn't take long to figure it out.
Thanks, David. Appreciate it.
Hi, nice video. I'm considering purchasing the Maxant Junior Spinner. I harvest honey from log hives in the forest, and it arrives at my processing facility as crushed comb. I plan to melt it with a melter capable of handling 500 kilograms in one batch at 49 degrees Celsius. After melting at this temperature, I would obtain 325 kilograms of separated honey and a 175-kilogram honey-wax mixture. I aim to use the Maxant Junior Spinner to separate the honey from the wax. If I proceed, how much time will it take to separate the melted honey-wax mixture of 175 kilograms?
this is an awesome setup
I truly like the process set up you have i have some questions on the unit
Just started following you. Saw that you are running 70 hives or so. How many lbs. of honey are you averaging per hive? I really like how you have set up your honey house and extraction room. If you don't mind me asking, how much did you have to pay for the setup. Not trying to be nosey, just trying to put a budget together.
Blake Leopold Well, we averaged about 30 lbs per medium super this year. Not all of my hives were producing any honey, some are new or just didn't do to well. Also the weather hasn't been to agreable this year for the bees. Most of the equipment would probably fall under $7000, though I aquired it over a few years.
I made it, along with the other tank that hold the uncapped frames and also the heated clarifier.
Would you happen to be willing to make another uncapping tank that fits under the chain uncapper?
@@travisadkins3074 Great suggestion. Just saw this video and was curious how they clean it up.
TimIt is a double filter. The temp gauge is for the clarifier. Since my brake is only 4ft I was limited to 48inches, which is long enough with the two baffles. Without warming the honey a little it would be almost impossible to process it through the filter. Earlier I posted on the quality of a clarifier by another company that looked like it was made by kids. I sent it back and made my own. A bottling tank with a water jacket would work also to separate the fine particles from the honey, then run it through the filter.
Very nice set up.
Do you have the plans for the uncapping tank that you have to the left of the Maxant Chain Uncapper? That is sweet.
Thanks for your comments. No, I don’t have any plans. I just made it out of materials I had laying around. In the video I have a screen in the bottom. The honey wouldn’t drain as fast as I needed it to, so I took it out. The tank is square, I just shortened the two legs on the end with the honey gate an inch or so. I can send you some pictures if you would like.
@@afretired2 That would be great. Thank you.
You should make a video cleaning this thing. I'm curious to see how you do it.
Mr. Davis, I'm a new beekeeper in south carolina, getting ready to build me an extracting honey house next spring. I'm really impressed with your set up. If you could change or add to or make any upgrades to what you have in the video, what advice would you pass on to a new guy, thanks and God Bless.
Monty McGuFFin well. As you can see it’s a little small. The next year after I made this video I added a 16x24 addition onto the back. I use the front room, (the one in this video) for a work area/ kitchen. Wash bottles, graft queens, paperwork, labels, etc. I moved the equipment to the new addition for the extraction process. I now have enough room to work good. I wish I had put in a floor drain, cleanup would be easier. Since honey is totally natural, as long as only water is used for rinsing out equipment, it can just run out on the ground. Don’t have to have septic or sewer according to our health dept. You need plenty of a/c. I scavenged an old 3ton a/c unit off a house trailer to cool the building. hope this helps.
@@afretired2 Yes sir it did, My mentor has a much smaller building, it's tight and HOT, we usually extract first of july, outside temps high 80's, honey house high 90,s---TOUGH. What's a good operating temp for a honey house so honey will flow good, we don't heat any honey but at 95+ it FLOWS, along with the sweat..,This is my third year and I ended up with 245 gallons. I'm gonna need a bigger place and I like the AC IDEA, thanks for the info.
@@cossvp i have the temp set at 65, i like it cool. Sweat and honey dont mix. I have the heated clarifier set at 110 degrees, from there it is pumped to the filter. Right now i have a two basket filter and it is the bottleneck in the process. With 245 gallons you would need a larger filter also.
Nice to see your good wife helping. How much to you get for a jar of honey?
I noticed your honey clarifier. Where did you get it? Thanks for sharing your video.
I made it, but it is modeled after one that Dadant was selling several years ago.
@@afretired2 You don't happen to have the plans, mesurements, etc?
11:58 into the process. I think if I had to fill jars there I might want to place a small shelf on the drawers.I would make it like a frame holder(maybe 4 inches wide) so I could remove it. (that would allow her to set those jars down while she fills them)Her hand barely fits around that jar,lol.
Just came across this video, very nice operation. first year beekeeping, perfect size I'm looking to grow into...very nice
Maxant seen you coming. How many years before you ever realize a profit after buying all those high dollar gadgets?
how many hives do you have? this seems like a good starting place for my bee yard I'm putting together in Asheville next year. I have about 30 hives now but want to go up to 200 and grow from there. Where did you buy your equipment?
Camp Davidson Due to other interests I’m currently down to about 25 hives. To properly manage that many hives really takes a significant time commitment. Most of my equipment was purchased from Maxant. I really like their equipment and haven’t had any issues with it. I don’t receive any benefits from them, they just use one of my videos.
That's a ton of equipment for 25 hives. Are you going to stop the bee thing? I'm gearing up and will head for at least 1000 in the next 5 years so Im looking for the gear your using and will expand later. Let me know if you in the market to sell anything. Not sure where you are but I'm in Charlotte if your interested in selling some of your stuff. I love bees. and pulling honey is not fun at the moment but that's a part of the deal. Sticky fingers. :)
Great video. One question on cleaning the equipment afterwards. I noticed most of your equipment is bolted to the floor. How do you go about cleaning all of it after an extraction? Do you have to unbolt it to rinse or is there some other process?Thanks!
+Eric WellerCleaning isn't a problem. I have one of those expandable garden hoses connected to the sink and I just hose it out and drain it into a five gallon bucket, then dump it in the sink.
would you say David that Maxant is the top of the line equipment, It seems that the folks with a good amount of honey use Maxant?
I think its good equipment
I see that you made this video in 2013. however I would like to know where you got your plans for your honey house layout and your power and water needs did Max ant draw it up for you or did you do it yourself. If it is possible could you share those plans with me, thank you very much Paul Smith
Paul Smith just noticed your question. As you can see it’s a little small. The next year after I made this video I added a 16x24 addition onto the back. I use the front room, (the one in this video) for a work area/ kitchen. Wash bottles, graft queens, paperwork, labels, etc. I moved the equipment to the new addition for the extraction process. I now have enough room to work good. I wish I had put in a floor drain, cleanup would be easier. Since honey is totally natural, as long as only water is used for rinsing out equipment, it can just run out on the ground. Don’t have to have septic or sewer according to our health dept. You need plenty of a/c. I scavenged an old 3ton a/c unit off a house trailer to cool the building. hope this helps. As far as the design, well I basically made it based on me doing the work without very much help. So I tried to keep it simple. The original building was 12x24, then the next year I added on another room 16x24. I just have a 50 amp circuit off my garage powering the building. I only have cold water, been thinking of putting in a small water heater, but really don’t need it much. I use a dishwasher I replaced from my house, it heats the jars for washing.
I did not know that they added corn syrup to honey. I know that they do it in pancake syrup. I was at trader joes about a couple months ago and I saw honey (with a piece of comb in the jar) it was very expensive but I'm sure that it was 100% all natural.
Hey! I have an amateur question to ask. When you remove the frames from the colony for honey extraction, do you immediately replace them with spare ones? Or do you leave the bees and the queen in an empty colony? I'm looking to start beekeeping in my country! :D
Awesome video. Where did you get the uncapping tub that fits under the uncapped, I need to get one for mine. Very nice video
Phil Janik . Thanks, I made it.
nice set up lv it.some day I will b ther
Well I gues it's a matter of opinion, and how much time and help you have. For me I have about 25 good producing hives, nut much time nor help.
I've had unpasteurized fresh honey and walmart honey and just the taste alone is different.
I only ever buy local unpasteurized honey now.
Nice Video, LIKED. Where you located ?
Smokeydabee Charles Coleman , Greensburg KY.
is maxant pretty much the top of the line in equipment? It seems to bee in all the big extracting operations.
I think it is real good quality. I looked at some of the other brands and I think they are best for the money.
What was beside the Jr. Cappings spinner?
I'm planning on getting an extractor this year for my 2 hives but I have 6 hives which are now working on their 2nd deeps. Do you use the POWER-20F aka Model 1400P ??? Is that a good size for 10 hives or would something smaller be better?
After all these years using the Maxant setup, video shoot in 2013, how is the equipment holding up? Maintenance costs on the equipment? Your honey house looks a little small. How big is it? Any regrets on the equipment? If you had it to do over again, what would you change? I'm looking for to setup for myself so just curious. Thanks.
+craig kubiak I don't have any regrets on the equipment, it continues to work flawlessly. You are right on the size of the honey house being too small. I have since added on another 16 feet.
+David Davis This video is after I added on, the extra room really helps.th-cam.com/video/kILl7HubGnM/w-d-xo.html
David Davis
Nice ! How much cost all these equipments?
David, what foot switch do you use for the extractor? I have the same unit and was thinking I needed an on/off foot switch to make it less messy switching off. Thx Brian
Brian Chrisman .Just an old one I salvaged years ago.
Hi there,Great video!
What is the brand name of your clarifier?It's not from MAXANT?
I made it.
Ok nice!Thank you for reply.For you what brand name or model you can recommend to me in term of clarifier?
is your Clarifier tank a maxant? if so what size? also did it come with the covers and who did you get the float switch from? thank you matt
I originally ordered a heated clarifier from another company other than Maxant and was not happy with the quality, so I sent it back and made my own. The float switch is from Lowes and is used for a sump pump.
Could you tell me how long it takes the Jr. Cappings Spinner to finish a full load in your honey house? I've got about 70 hives as well. Seems like it will pay itself back quickly, but would love to hear some first hand accounts. Thanks!
Todd, Check out the video link I sent to Maxant below. I really like the Jr spinner, though it works better for me now with the modification. It will take at least an hour to spin out a load of cappings. With the chain uncapper, you just about have to have the Jr Spinner, otherwise there is so much wasted honey in the cappings.
th-cam.com/video/Gh6yzgCpiAs/w-d-xo.html
David Davis Just watched your video with the modification. Nice work. And yes, I thought I would need a spinner for the cappings. I have an older Maxant uncapping tank that fits around 30-40 frames with a cappings basket. It drains ok, but there's still a lot of honey in the cappings. I've been using a hot knife but will be upgrading to an uncapper. Lots of finer wax particles from the chain uncapper pretty much require a spinner. I think for my size apiary what you've got going on would be a perfect fit. Again, thanks for the info.
Todd Parsons It sounds like your apiary is about the same as mine. Using a hot knife just about kills me. Using a chain uncapper generates a whole lot more of honey in the cappings than the hot knife, but you can work 10 frames about as fast as one with the knife. You still need the pick on low cells that the chain uncapper doesn't get, much like the knife.
David Davis I hear you on that. My wrist is tired of the knife. I was looking at different options from the Kelley jiggle heated knife (too much labor) to a Silver Queen (too pricey for my needs) and think the Maxant is the perfect option. The only complaint I hear is that fine cappings cause clogs if you are filtering it straight into buckets vs using a settling tank (like you have). I guess I will look into one of their tanks as well. Thanks again!
The tank next to your maxant bottling tank...
What and who makes it? I’ve see others with it but can’t locate it.
The bottling tank with the crinkled top is an older Kelly’s tank. The Maxant is a lot better.
I bet your place would smell wonderful
Hello from Canada. I have a set up close to yours ready for this year (2016). I have a 9 frame motorized and don't have the uncapper. I have searched on line for an answer but thought I would ask you direct,. I wish I could have seen the wax the spinner had collected. How much do you end up with after it has been loaded full? Thanks in advance, Jack
+www.jackandpamsplace.com I really don't fully understand your question. With the Maxant uncapper you end up with a lot of honey and cappings that need to be separated. The uncapper pulverizes all of the comb that sticks out past the frames. With that, there is a lot of cappings to separate. The Jr spinner works great to remove the honey from the wax. After it spins for a while (1 or 2 hours) all that is left is slightly sticky wax, and honey, very little waste. Without the Jr spinner the capper would be to inefficient. You would waste to much honey.
+www.jackandpamsplace.com Check this out it may help.th-cam.com/video/Gh6yzgCpiAs/w-d-xo.html
+David Davis Hi there and thanks for the input. I have indeed watched your video from 2013 many times. I haven't seen the one you have on the spinner. I have a spinner siting just over the border to Canada that I am waiting for the weather to behave to go and get. I don't have the uncapper as I am not big enough yet. I am sorry I had confused my question. I was wondering what was left after you had spun the wax out. Some have said it is fluffy and able to put it in cubes etc. You have said it is still a bit sticky. I see the folks at Maxant have a wax melting tank/seperator. My wife and I make candles as well so is this what we would need to finish the wax?
+www.jackandpamsplace.com The Jr spinner wont finish the wax, you would still need to melt it and strain it since it will have bee parts and old comb in it. But if you use a melter that lets just the clean honey run out, that would work fine. I don't really know how to explain what the cappings are like after they are spun. They are not what I would call "fluffy". You can take them and pack them into a ball like a snowball. I have set them outside and let the bees completely clean up the honey from the cappings, and at that point they are "fluffy/dry". Normally after I get done processing the honey, I take the spun cappings and melt them in old propane turkey fryer, then strain them and pour them into a five gallon bucket to harden. Since you don't have the uncapper, how are you uncapping the frames? For me, I needed the uncapper to process the frames since I got tired of using a pick and hot knife. Since the uncapper leaves so much good honey in the cappings, I had to have the Jr Spinner, to extract the honey from the cappings. I haven't measured it but would guess that on a volume basis, over half of the residue from the uncapper is good usable honey, and about the only way to save it is with the Jr spinner. If you are not large enough to justify the uncapper, I don't see the justification for the spinner. Anyway if you need anything else please let me know.
www.jackandpamsplace.com
I was wanting to get some of the equipment if not all of the equipment you are using. My parent had a few hives but I would like to make it big. I have 15 hives this year and am looking to make my honey collecting easier. Could you list each piece of equipment for me? Thank You in advance.
Daniel Price
Maxant model 1700 Chain Uncapper.
Homemade Uncapping Tank to catch cappings.
Homemade Mobile Uncapping Tank.
Maxant model. 1200 Jr Capping Spinner.
Maxant model 1400PL Extractor
Homemade Heated Clarifier.
Maxant model 400-1 Honey Pump.
Maxant model 200-2 Honey Filter.
Maxant model 600-2 Heated Bottling Tank with No Drip Valve.
Sorry for the late reply. Thank You so much!!
Just ordered a bunch of maxant equipment.. Under the uncapper is that a custom made collection bin?
Yes, I made it. Maxant needs to make a tank to sit the uncapper on. They have worked it out to sit on the large cappings spinner, but really nothing else. The tank works good as it gives you a place to hang your frames when waiting on the extractor.
how do you measure the honey extracted in this system?
How many hives do you have in your operation?
If you add the wax spinner on top you of your uncapped. It will pay for itself quickly. In salvage honey.
You and the lady should truly consider purchasing noise reduction headphones - the noise from your operation seems to be a future problem for you both - please consider it - if you opt to include noise reduction headphones in your operation, do NOT purchase cheap or unknown brands - it was loud for me - it must be louder for you and conistent
Where did you get your float switch to kick the pump into action?
Jerry deGroot. Best I remember, EBay. It is a Sears model no. 3028, made by Penn Controls. Looking it up it converts to a F59A-2 by Johnson Controls. I know I didn’t pay what they list for. Most of your builders supply have replacement sump pump switches that are basically the same for a whole lot less. I also ordered a stainless steel float ball.
Hi,Im Petkov from Bulgaria. How much is it this hony line .
I have idea make this hony line in my bee farm/ 70 bee haves.
I want to bay Maxant hony line .
Where is it office Maxsant ?
Best Reg.
Petkov
Angel Petkov
Maxant makes great equipment, and I haven't had any problem with it. The prices are listed on their website (www.maxantindustries.com/) Part of the honey line is not Maxant equipment, primarily the heated clarifier, the uncapping tanks, and a couple of storage tanks, everything else is Maxant. They are located in Ayer, Massachusetts, USA. I'm not connected with Maxant in any way, I just like the quality of their equipment.
Thank for you email an information.
Happy new year from Bulgaria.
Petkov
where did you get that tray under the uncapper?
One last comment. Check out my video on removing bees from Lindsey Wilson College. I took out all the good comb and crushed it and put it in the JR spinner and it worked great for seperating the honey. With out it it would have been a mess to try and get the honey out.
How many hives do you run?
Thank Mac Metcalfe
I currently have about 70 though some of them are Nucs.
no wax spinner?
Hello there. Can you tell me what size building that is? Thank you.
Originally it was 12' X 26'. With all the equipment it was very difficult to work the supers in there, so this past winter I added on another 16' X 26' and moved the honey processing equiment into the new area and kept the original area for sales, labeling, storage, building boxes/frames, and cleanup stuff.
Why don't Americans like full depth frames?
My .02 worth...
After seeing all this investment in uncapping, spinning and filter, it makes the free flow hives look better.
I know with the free flowing hives you still need to check the health of the bees.
D Hansel
Apparently you don't have any hives. I'm set up to run about 100 hives, though I have about 50. Since a normal hive will have two brood boxes and an average of four supers, which have 9 or 10 frames each. With an overall cost of about $200. Compared to the "flow hive" for the basic hive, which is two boxes at $700. And additional boxes at $330. Puts the price of a hive with six boxes at $2020. Now multiply that times 50 hives, $101,000, verses $10,000. That's a $91,000 difference, even if you could get the flow hive at half price that's still $45,000. I haven't spent half of that on extracting equipment. Also the videos look nice and easy. They don't show the thousands of bees that will be trying to get the honey while you stand there waiting for the honey to flow into your jar. I don't know how they kept the bees away while making the video. Next time you see some bee hives, get a jar of honey and go stand next to them for a while. Have you ever sat an open can of soda such as Mountain Dew down for a little while in the middle of summer? There's a reason you see bee keepers wearing Bee suits while working around their hives. There isn't anyway I would have one of my grandchildren next to a hive without being protected. What happens to the brood or pollen that is built in the frames, and how do you check to ensure all cells are capped prior to turning the "crank"? If the cells are not capped, then most likely the moisture content will be to high and the honey will ferment. BTY how long would it take to run out 500 jars of honey?
Wait until the Chinese start producing the Flow Hives. You will be able to buy a Flow Hive for about $ 200 No Tax and FREE shipping.
I don't have any hives, but I knew several people that had them back in the 60's.
Thanks for the feedback.... it's been an experience.....
Great video and such an awesome honey house. I'm still in my first year of beekeeping here along Coastal NC but I'd love to get to your level one day. Keep up the great work! 👍🏻
Cole's Farm NC
thanks the equipment really makes it a lot easier.
I love how people watch the flow hive videos and become instant beekeeping experts LOL SMDH
The bee work very hard to store the honey, people should not just take it away. They should replace the honey with syrup, since syrup is very much similar to honey that it would keep the bee healthier 🤔! I think that bee only need syrupy feeding and it would be good for them and the future. Think about it, without the bee, you will not have honey!
Зачем говорить на английском, если он такой ущербный. Тем более, что есть замечательный русский язык!
Castfilm Castfilm ?
Why speak English, if it is so flawed. Moreover, there is a wonderful Russian language! It's time to learn Russian, English is not enough that it's simply scanty, so it's also politically outdated!))
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