Beekeeping

[CloverKnollFarms]

Last year was the lightest honey we have ever seen! This year is the darkest.

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

Well, awesome... Strained the cappings and got another 1+ pounds... So we ended up with about 56.

Also decided to clean the cappings to make some beeswax. Rinsed them, strained them, melted them, filtered them. Tada! First time... But being retired I have nothing but time

 

[BackRoad]

Mr. Cloverknoll, can you actually taste a difference between your two lighter colored honeys?

Just this morning we went to a long-time local apiary and picked up 11.5# of clover, 2# of Goldenrod (hoping good for helping wife's allergies), 1# of buckwheat (for pancakes) and a pound of comb honey (for toast of course!)...all of it local honey. Plus a small 12oz? jar of blackstrap molasses.

We're sweeter now by $75. But the honey is way more healthy than suger, and will last the two of us well into the spring!

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

Mr. Cloverknoll, can you actually taste a difference between your two lighter colored honeys?

Just this morning we went to a long-time local apiary and picked up 11.5# of clover, 2# of Goldenrod (hoping good for helping wife's allergies), 1# of buckwheat (for pancakes) and a pound of comb honey (for toast of course!)...all of it local honey. Plus a small 12oz? jar of blackstrap molasses.

We're sweeter now by $75. But the honey is way more healthy than suger, and will last the two of us well into the spring!

The darker honey and light honey, yes there is a noticeable difference... Lift compared to light, a little, but not a lot.

We did have two solid crops of buckwheat on the property this year, so that helped to darken the honey. The clover didnt fare as well in the drought this year.

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

I have enough bees wax for 66 lip balms. Now that I'm retired I have time to explore a lot of different ways to make money with bees!

I can probably find a few frames of wax I can recycle and make over 200 lip balms.

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

Mr. Cloverknoll, can you actually taste a difference between your two lighter colored honeys?

Just this morning we went to a long-time local apiary and picked up 11.5# of clover, 2# of Goldenrod (hoping good for helping wife's allergies), 1# of buckwheat (for pancakes) and a pound of comb honey (for toast of course!)...all of it local honey. Plus a small 12oz? jar of blackstrap molasses.

We're sweeter now by $75. But the honey is way more healthy than suger, and will last the two of us well into the spring!

That is A LOT of honey for $75... We sell ours for $12/lb.

 

[BackRoad]

Suspect our rural bees may get paid less...

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

Suspect our rural bees may get paid less...

We are in a town of 2000... . I'm actually always amazed at what people will spend money on.

 

[wmfamily]

Local honey is incredibly easy to sell... And I am not the lowest cost option around either. I'd like to get to the point I can produce 1000lbs per year. I have to re-seed some clover and try to get my phacelia in early next spring.
The drought really hurt us this year, everyone has really low yields in this area. I'm making up for it with hive and swarm trap sales.

My brother and his son-in-law sell every bit they can collect and even sell the wax to the local Amish people. Lots of repeat customers but they also sell a little at the local farmer's market.

They grew a field of buckwheat one year and after they pulled the honey from that people were coming from all over asking if they had any more. I still have a bottle in the cabinet since I didn't like the flavor. It's aged a few years and tastes a little better, sort of like sorghum molasses (which I like) but not enough for me to use it.

 

[wmfamily]

We are in a town of 2000... . I'm actually always amazed at what people will spend money on.

Real honey is worth every cent, local and unfiltered.

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

Real honey is worth every cent, local and unfiltered.

Local, unfiltered and hives are all chemical free. No treatments

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

New labels arrived from Germany... Long story. Ordered matching labels for lip balm after cleaning another 135g of beeswax from burr comb.

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

A little roof building and painting today

 

[BackRoad]

Mr. Rob, what are the details on the insulation of your shop walls and ceiling?

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

Mr. Rob, what are the details on the insulation of your shop walls and ceiling?

Oh, it's just 1" foil backed foam insulation. It was put up before the metal exterior

 

[EddieWalker]

As a Contractor, I sort of consider myself kind of a paint snob. I've dealt with most brands of paints, and I'm at the point where I will only use a few of them. For raw wood, and especially for wood that will be outdoors, I use Zinsser 123 primer, or Sherwin Williams primer for Wood. For paint, if it's critical to be the very best, then Sherwin Williams Emerald paint is by far the very best paint that you can buy. For most things, including the Hardie Siding on my house, I like Valspar Duramax. For the money, I haven't found anything that compares to Duramax.

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

I've always used the same paint... Always had great results. I've yet to repaint anything the past 10 years.

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

I'll look into Valspar though, it's much less costly than Glidden

 

[ponytug]

As a Contractor, I sort of consider myself kind of a paint snob. I've dealt with most brands of paints, and I'm at the point where I will only use a few of them. For raw wood, and especially for wood that will be outdoors, I use Zinsser 123 primer, or Sherwin Williams primer for Wood. For paint, if it's critical to be the very best, then Sherwin Williams Emerald paint is by far the very best paint that you can buy. For most things, including the Hardie Siding on my house, I like Valspar Duramax. For the money, I haven't found anything that compares to Duramax.

That's pretty much what I use as well, though Sherwin-Williams has so many grades of paint, and pricing to match, finding the right paint can be a search. Have you ever tried the SW "Self cleaning" Emerald Rain Refresh paints?

All the best,

Peter

 

[CobyRupert]

Local, unfiltered and hives are all chemical free. No treatments

How do you fight the mites? Or don’t need to?