Step-by-step process of gettin the honey from the hives :lol:
Get a really cute guy and his dad to sweat and bring in all the supers:

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk5/livingfree_photos/summerfun028.jpg
Step two: Katie uses the hot knife to decap the frames into the wax melter (new to us this year)

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk5/livingfree_photos/summerfun004.jpg

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk5/livingfree_photos/summerfun032.jpg
No waste and the wax is ready for me to use in salves and soaps.

Step Three: Into the centrifuge. This is a cool picture because it was actually spinning when I snapped it!!!!
http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk5/livingfree_photos/summerfun030.jpg

Step Four: Take bucket of extracted honey and filter...

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk5/livingfree_photos/summerfun031.jpg
http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk5/livingfree_photos/summerfun037.jpg

eat until you get a stomach ache!!

Step Five: Bottle it up!!! Enjoy natures goodness!! Thank you bees!
http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk5/livingfree_photos/summerfun034.jpg

cool! thanks for sharing

Awesome! :cuc: Thank you for posting that. Great photos!

Aww, thanks!! Honey harvest just makes the dog days of summer that much more enjoyable. Well, that and blueberry picking!!

wow, that was amazing!

wow, that was amazing!

yeah, it truly is and I am always in awe of the entire process!!!

That is so neat. Look at your little ones in on all the fun too. perfect.

Thanks for sharing.

That is so neat. Look at your little ones in on all the fun too. perfect.

Thanks for sharing.

Well, I only got a couple of the littles pics because my oldest is away and my 4yo got stung by one of the bees yesterday, on his LIP!! His face is really swollen today. Bless his little heart. It happened because he was swatting it away from him.. That is usually how it happens, or we step on the little things.
he says he is fine though!~

wanted to add what a blessing this honey season is to our family!!! What a GREAT spring this year!!!

very neat tracey!! can you add a bottle of that to my soap order? ;) :lol:

that is cool!
I love honey but it is one of the things I really don't want us to do. I'm not a big fan of bees, lol
Sawyer would like to have some bees one day but I've put my foot down on that one!

I would MUCH rather pay other people for their great honey! :)

that is cool!
I love honey but it is one of the things I really don't want us to do. I'm not a big fan of bees, lol
Sawyer would like to have some bees one day but I've put my foot down on that one!

I would MUCH rather pay other people for their great honey! :)

That is what makes this lifestyle wonderful!!!! Not everyone is going to want to do *everything* so we can barter and help each other out!!

Nic, I would send you some but your package is gone and it is "spensive" to send!! I mailed some to dh's sis in NY for her birthday a couple years ago... phew, I didn't even tell them it was honey.. not sure what it would've cost!

That is so neat! Thanks for sharing that with us! :)

You are welcome!!!

INCREDIBLE! :bow:

That is SO COOL, Tracey!

BTW - where are you guys in TN?

INCREDIBLE! :bow:

That is SO COOL, Tracey!

BTW - where are you guys in TN?

Tullahoma.. Southeast portion of the state, in between Nashvegas and Chattanooga..

That is so awesome!!!

Aw, man - that IS far from 65, isn't it :(

that was so neat!
I love that first pic of your dh...what a fab smile.

Thanks for sharing...
the honey looks so yummy!

Wow, I wish you were local so I could have some of that!

That is really cool :D

Oh Tracey... I would love to buy some from you! Are you selling any of the wax? I'd love to have some for salves and soap!

I'd like to have bees too; DH is a bit apprehensive about it though. One step at a time... chicken coop and greenhouse this year, maybe next year :)

Sandi, YES it is far. We have friends in Franklin and hardly ever visit because "you just can't get there from here". Tullahoma is tucked into the middle of nowhere.

Meg, thanks, we LOVE having the bees and of course, the honey!!

Linda, I think beekeeping would be my husbands main occupation if it paid the bills. he just loves it and it does make him happy.

Jenn, we do have some for sale and we have lots of wax this year. I just have to strain it and it'll be ready to sell. DH wants a nice mold that says "bees wax" on it. He is silly like that. :) I am telling ya, we gotta meet up soon. We have a membership to the Discovery Center in the boro and I saw on your blog that you visited recently. Is that pretty close to you?

The Discovery Center is about 20 minutes from my house! We love it there :)

The Discovery Center is about 20 minutes from my house! We love it there :)

Awesome!!! It takes us about 45 minutes to get to the Boro but would love to plan to meet-up and play!! My children totally love the DC too!!

Tracey, thank for posting this tutorial! DD has wanted to be a beekeeper for the past year, and DH was a beekeeper for a few years during high school (they sold honey door-to-door). He talks about it often, and I think he's planning on surprising us all with a hive or two soon after we move out on our place. Thanks to your tutorial, I have a MUCH better idea of what goes on in the processing phase! Thanks!

My kids would love that!

Tracey, thank for posting this tutorial! DD has wanted to be a beekeeper for the past year, and DH was a beekeeper for a few years during high school (they sold honey door-to-door). He talks about it often, and I think he's planning on surprising us all with a hive or two soon after we move out on our place. Thanks to your tutorial, I have a MUCH better idea of what goes on in the processing phase! Thanks!

Renee, that is really cool that your dh sold door-to-door!!
DH says you should have at least 2 starting out in case a hive dies or swarms or you need to take some of the brood (babies") to put into weaker hives to build up #s for the winter. Makes sense to me but I do know that others have made it and harvested with only 1 hive. It is addicting, like any other farming thing around here... can't just have 1! Dh said he didn't think he would want over 10. We have 12 and I know he is planning to up it next year. Good thing we have children ;). Good cheap labor. We just pay them in honey!! :heart:

wow! Thats so awesome! I'll be coming back to this thread in the future when ourbee boxes are full!