Love your honey, Tanya. I've kept bees for 45 years. Every year with the bees is different. It's a summertime activity for us, and we spend the winter looking forward to next season. I stand the empty jar on an electronic kitchen scale while filling it. Our beekeepers' association in Conwy hires out extracting equipment to members.
Here's a useful tip for removing debris from the surface of the honey in the settling tank. Press a piece of cling film onto the debris and remove carefully. (I don't use cling film for anytrhing else).
The honey looks wonderful. It takes me back in time as I used to help my dad with the bees and used to sit on an apple box while I was winding away with the extractor. Dad used a huge carving knife in hot water to cut the capping of and put wax on a beautiful dish with a dip in it so surplus honey drained. I still have the dish after 48 years and many moves. We nearly always had honey to last the family for a year. A labour of love is so right. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for sharing! I'm starting my research over winter to begin an apprenticeship in spring, very excited! And I appreciate people like you sharing short, fact filled and digestible videos, thank you!
Thank you for making this video, I started beekeeping in August this year, I got my bees after the previous owner took some honey. I’m slowly buying a few extraction bits over the winter in anticipation of a decent harvest next year.
@@Lovelygreens I will also mention your channel to them! You are so much an inspiration! I so love you and your channel! No offense intended, however, this is how my grandparents lived. I am only now appreciating their sacrifices. Thank you so much for bringing the past to the future!
Not sure if you caught it but each of the buckets had a different color. The first one was much darker and the second more fluid and golden. Honey's color, flavor, and viscosity come down to which flowers the bees were harvesting nectar from. You can have lots of different types of honey in even a single frame!
It's interesting, isn't it? There's of course so much more involved before and after extraction and with storing honey but I think it gives a good idea :)
Biggest question is HOW DID YOU GET THE BEES OUT OF THE BOXES in order to bring inside? How do you store the jars? Doesn't it keep fresh for years without any other preparation? Do you get ants near the hives? Fascinating to watch all this.
Hi Mary, honey keeps perfectly fine in jars at room temperature forever. It never goes off and is truly a wonder :) No ants either -- the bees would kill them. I share a little more on how I clear the supers of bees on my website -- you can read about it here: lovelygreens.com/how-to-extract-honey/
I'm curious what your opinion is about the "Flow Hive" and if you've even heard of it? Supposedly it makes the whole process way easier and safer for the bees.
I'm not a fan, and no serious beekeeper uses a FlowHive. I know a couple that got them to see how they work, but it's more of a gimmick than a practical home for bees. First off, honeybees don't like building or living on plastic, which makes me wonder if there's a greater chance of bees swarming (leaving the hive). Second, honeybees need regular inspections to make sure that disease and pests are not present. FlowHives enable a hands-off approach to beekeeping, which can result in bees dying or being sick. So, in my opinion, wooden hives that are similar to honeybees' normal habitat - hollow trees - are better for bees and beekeepers.
Okay, thanks for the reply! I have thought about getting bees in the future, and Flow Hive seemed to me a perfect way into the hobby, I'm going to rethink and research more before I choose which way I'll go with.@@Lovelygreens
I'm not sold on that idea -- the fork helps lift the pieces off and if it's melted it won't be as easy to lift. Some beekeepers use a heated knife to cut the capping off but that's another method altogether.
oh tanya, you and josh must be so proud of your honey endeavors...a great video...thank you for sharing...what does a pound of honey go for in the Isle of Man?
Fab video thanks, Tanya! Do you need to 'can' the jars, like pressure can them like you do jam/preserves or will the honey just stay fresh without that? :D
No canning is required, thankfully! You simply pour the honey into clean jars, put lids on them, and store the jars someplace room temperature or slightly above. Honey lasts pretty much forever! It doesn't ever go off.
I ALWAYS leave at least one super of honey, if not two for the bees to eat. I'm not an advocate of robbing bees of all their honey and feeding them with sugar water in autumn. I've never done that.
@@Lovelygreens Then you're a REAL Bee Keeper. Some people have bees and others KEEP bees. People forget they are in essence Livestock and you must look after them! Kudos to you! Your honey looks wonderful! I buy all my honey from a woman friend. I know how hard she works keeping her hives healthy!
@@marykimberlyhayes Honeybees (and other pollinators!) desperately need our help. I'm happy to help the bees I have and they don't seem to be impacted by sustainable honey harvesting. It's a win-win for everyone. I'm sure your beekeeper friend would agree :)
In the end, I skipped three of the supers in the video since the honey was too thick to get out. So for this year that makes five supers of honey left for the two colonies plus the honey stored in the large brood chambers. Way more than they'll need really.
No, it's not for me. A beekeeper's role is to look after bees and keep them healthy. Flo hives encourage hands-off beekeeping and that can lead to sick and neglected bees. Honeybees also are not a fan of plastic and flo hives are plastic based! Instead, I'm an advocate for traditional beekeeping or apicentric beekeeping such as using sun hives.
We skipped a few supers because the honey was too thick (ivy and heather honey, perhaps) but from just under seven supers there are about 100 jars plus a couple gallons extra for our own stores. Haven't weighted the wax yet but I've started rendering it and have a good brick already.
Love your honey, Tanya. I've kept bees for 45 years. Every year with the bees is different. It's a summertime activity for us, and we spend the winter looking forward to next season.
I stand the empty jar on an electronic kitchen scale while filling it. Our beekeepers' association in Conwy hires out extracting equipment to members.
Thanks, Peter. Wow, hiring out extracting equipment is such a great perk! I'd definitely take advantage of that if it were available here :)
Here's a useful tip for removing debris from the surface of the honey in the settling tank. Press a piece of cling film onto the debris and remove carefully. (I don't use cling film for anytrhing else).
I'll give it a try, thanks Peter :)
The honey looks wonderful. It takes me back in time as I used to help my dad with the bees and used to sit on an apple box while I was winding away with the extractor. Dad used a huge carving knife in hot water to cut the capping of and put wax on a beautiful dish with a dip in it so surplus honey drained. I still have the dish after 48 years and many moves. We nearly always had honey to last the family for a year. A labour of love is so right. Thanks for sharing.
The dish sounds like a true family heirloom!
Thank you for sharing! I'm starting my research over winter to begin an apprenticeship in spring, very excited! And I appreciate people like you sharing short, fact filled and digestible videos, thank you!
You're very welcome, Beth, and good luck with your apprenticeship!
Tanya , that honey looks delicious. Thanks for sharing
Coucou 👋 👋 👋
Magnifique vidéo bravo à toi
Merci pour ce partage, à bientôt 😊 😊 😊
Thank you :)
@@Lovelygreens 😉😊
Thank you for making this video, I started beekeeping in August this year, I got my bees after the previous owner took some honey. I’m slowly buying a few extraction bits over the winter in anticipation of a decent harvest next year.
That's fantastic, June, and by next summer you're sure to have lots of honey :)
Beautiful honey!
So much more to learn, but this was a great start.
I've watched many beekeepers videos on TH-cam but your's is something different Tanya it's excellent.
Thanks very much, Adel!
Tanya's honey is delicious! 10/10 😋 - I have a better appreciation of the hard work that goes into each jar now
Awww, thanks so much Neil :)
That’s great I would love to keep bees some day! It’s be great to see how you care for them through winter. Thanks for sharing!
You're very welcome :)
That was lots from only 1 garden. Plus in turn helps nature around it. 😌
Absolutely! Including pollinating my crops :)
Pure Joy in a Jar! Love it! Thank you for the video!🖤🐝💛
You're very welcome and yes, absolute golden joy :)
Thank you so much! This was so educational. I will look for local honey at my farmers market. ❤🐝
You'll be able to chat to the beekeeper about their extraction process now too! I'm sure they'll be appreciative that you know about it and care :)
@@Lovelygreens I will also mention your channel to them! You are so much an inspiration! I so love you and your channel! No offense intended, however, this is how my grandparents lived. I am only now appreciating their sacrifices. Thank you so much for bringing the past to the future!
The honey is a beautiful colourxx
Not sure if you caught it but each of the buckets had a different color. The first one was much darker and the second more fluid and golden. Honey's color, flavor, and viscosity come down to which flowers the bees were harvesting nectar from. You can have lots of different types of honey in even a single frame!
Such an amazing process!
It's interesting, isn't it? There's of course so much more involved before and after extraction and with storing honey but I think it gives a good idea :)
Beautiful sharing thanks a lot my friend 🌷🌷
Glad that you enjoyed the video!
excellent video and information, thanks
Thanks so much, Jerry!
interesting
Biggest question is HOW DID YOU GET THE BEES OUT OF THE BOXES in order to bring inside? How do you store the jars? Doesn't it keep fresh for years without any other preparation? Do you get ants near the hives? Fascinating to watch all this.
Hi Mary, honey keeps perfectly fine in jars at room temperature forever. It never goes off and is truly a wonder :) No ants either -- the bees would kill them. I share a little more on how I clear the supers of bees on my website -- you can read about it here: lovelygreens.com/how-to-extract-honey/
AMAZING…SO SWEET… 😊
Absolutely wonderful! Did you have to register for a food hygiene inspection to be able to sell to the public?
I have one but I don't think that it's necessary here. Rules will vary by country and region though.
I like your red lipstick!
Thank you for sharing!
I was waiting for such a video 😀
I bet the scent of the wax and honey is lovely in the room 🌸
Are you collecting propolis too?
what is propolis?
I've been asked that before but no, I've never tried. I might do it next year though!
Great video :-D
I'm curious what your opinion is about the "Flow Hive" and if you've even heard of it? Supposedly it makes the whole process way easier and safer for the bees.
I'm not a fan, and no serious beekeeper uses a FlowHive. I know a couple that got them to see how they work, but it's more of a gimmick than a practical home for bees. First off, honeybees don't like building or living on plastic, which makes me wonder if there's a greater chance of bees swarming (leaving the hive). Second, honeybees need regular inspections to make sure that disease and pests are not present. FlowHives enable a hands-off approach to beekeeping, which can result in bees dying or being sick. So, in my opinion, wooden hives that are similar to honeybees' normal habitat - hollow trees - are better for bees and beekeepers.
Okay, thanks for the reply! I have thought about getting bees in the future, and Flow Hive seemed to me a perfect way into the hobby, I'm going to rethink and research more before I choose which way I'll go with.@@Lovelygreens
I would like to see what you do with the bee wax. You have mentioned that you make lip balm and salves. Will you show the process?
I have recipes on my website, lovelygreens.com, if you'd like to see. I hope to do some videos, though too :)
The comb for removing caps should be put into hot water to warm it, it makes removal much easier.
I'm not sold on that idea -- the fork helps lift the pieces off and if it's melted it won't be as easy to lift. Some beekeepers use a heated knife to cut the capping off but that's another method altogether.
oh tanya, you and josh must be so proud of your honey endeavors...a great video...thank you for sharing...what does a pound of honey go for in the Isle of Man?
Thank you so much, Barb 💚It's hard work but so worthwhile in the end! A 1-lb jar of honey goes for £7.50 here
Fab video thanks, Tanya! Do you need to 'can' the jars, like pressure can them like you do jam/preserves or will the honey just stay fresh without that? :D
No canning is required, thankfully! You simply pour the honey into clean jars, put lids on them, and store the jars someplace room temperature or slightly above. Honey lasts pretty much forever! It doesn't ever go off.
@@Lovelygreens Oh amazing, thanks for clarifying for me! xx
Do you plan to increase the number of your hives in the future ?
Yes, the new apiary has space for one more hive. I'll put one there next year :)
How much do you leave for your bees to over winter?
My thoughts exactly. Please tell me you leave enough for the bees and don't feed them cheap sugar water through the winter.
I ALWAYS leave at least one super of honey, if not two for the bees to eat. I'm not an advocate of robbing bees of all their honey and feeding them with sugar water in autumn. I've never done that.
@@Lovelygreens Then you're a REAL Bee Keeper. Some people have bees and others KEEP bees. People forget they are in essence Livestock and you must look after them! Kudos to you! Your honey looks wonderful! I buy all my honey from a woman friend. I know how hard she works keeping her hives healthy!
@@marykimberlyhayes Honeybees (and other pollinators!) desperately need our help. I'm happy to help the bees I have and they don't seem to be impacted by sustainable honey harvesting. It's a win-win for everyone. I'm sure your beekeeper friend would agree :)
Hi Lovely green how will I get that video
Wonderful video, Tanya! Thank you! How do you process the bees wax to remove the bits of honey attached?
I pile the beeswax into sieves and let the honey drip out overnight. After that, I process the beeswax and store it away in blocks.
I’d love to see your processing of the beeswax. Hubby and I would love to keep bees someday.
@@Lovelygreens Thank you!
how much honey have you harvested out of 2 colonies? how much do you keep for bees? i.e 4 boxes for bees and you harvested other four boxes?
In the end, I skipped three of the supers in the video since the honey was too thick to get out. So for this year that makes five supers of honey left for the two colonies plus the honey stored in the large brood chambers. Way more than they'll need really.
@@Lovelygreens 🙏
Wow!!! You can make some mead. Or honey wine with various berries to taste.
Three demi-johns of mead are on the go!
Have you ever thought about getting a flo hive?
No, it's not for me. A beekeeper's role is to look after bees and keep them healthy. Flo hives encourage hands-off beekeeping and that can lead to sick and neglected bees. Honeybees also are not a fan of plastic and flo hives are plastic based! Instead, I'm an advocate for traditional beekeeping or apicentric beekeeping such as using sun hives.
Great video and very informative. Thanks for the education. Would love to see a video on dealing with the bees wax and how that process is done.
Great question. I wondered about that too. Very informative answer.
Wow I didn't know this. Thank you for your honest thoughts on the flo hive.
How many jars did you get from those and do you get much wax 👍
We skipped a few supers because the honey was too thick (ivy and heather honey, perhaps) but from just under seven supers there are about 100 jars plus a couple gallons extra for our own stores. Haven't weighted the wax yet but I've started rendering it and have a good brick already.
Wondered how you were feels along time since last one
I've been working on a soapmaking video course but will be back to once a week once that's finished :)
@@Lovelygreens wonderful 👍👍👍👍🌟😃
Did 12 flats/combs make all that honey? I could make do with half of that.
I skipped three because the honey was a bit too thick and difficult to spin. So all that honey came from seven supers (flats)
I want to start rearing bee