Happy Saturday! Another week has flown by! This week I have been working in my office on rewrites, research, a couple of days dedicated to the baskets for the auction next Friday prep,Book club and an author event, and I spent some time extracting honey. Yup honey.
For this weeks Saturday Snapshot and Weekend Cooking I thought I would share some pictures of the amazing process of honey extracting.
My friend Amanda started raising bees a little over three years ago. The fun thing about her story is that she is pretty much self taught between books (yay books!) she purchased at our local book store and You Tube Videos. What started out as a hobby has grown into a full grown commercial bee business from rearing her own queens, splitting hives, providing bee nucs for other companies (pretty much a bee starter kit), pollinating almond trees in California – and of course producing and selling honey.
Her business, Buck’s Busy Bee’s has grown exponentially and as of this fall she will have over 2,000 hives.
A few months ago I was contracted to write her story for our local magazine Her Voice. That article came out this week but unfortunately while in magazine format, has not yet been put on line so I am unable to link to it.
I have helped Amanda off and on through the years from going into the hives, to building the frames that go into the boxes they live in, to harvesting honey, and now most recently; extracting the honey. When giving my notice recently to invest more time into the writing opportunities that are coming in, Amanda asked me if I would want to assist her with the bees when I am able to.
Uhhh…. YES.
I really do enjoy learning about the bees and this is the final push before the bees are trucked off to the warmer states – Florida and California where they will spend their days in the sun, probably in the next 5 weeks or so. Amanda’s husband owns a trucking company so he takes the bees to their warmer destination as they do not do well in the cold Minnesota winters. Lucky bees!
So here is the process:
Each host home, (a home that has given space for there to be hives on the property) will receive a case of honey as a thank you. The rest of the honey will first go on sale at the Little Falls Craft Fair which is the 6th and 7th of September and after that what is left will be on sale on her website.
It really is a fascinating process and who knows… maybe someday I will write a book about bee keeping, or have a bee keeper character in it. 😉
Stop by Buck’s Busy Bee’s on Facebook and like the page. Giveaways are going to start on Monday on the Facebook page and winners will be drawn from the page likes 🙂
This post is a part of Saturday Snapshot where people all over the world post pictures of what they are doing, or what they have done in the past. It’s great fun so pop on over to West Metro Mommy Reads and see what others are taking pictures of 🙂 I am also linking this to Weekend Cooking found over at Beth Fish Reads because this is kind of a foodie post too 🙂
Book Journey 
Oh how interesting! I vaguely knew how honey was harvested so it was interesting to see it in a more step by step form. I’m a peanut butter and honey sandwich lover so I’ll have a little more appreciation for where the honey came from. I bet it tasted amazing!
Its a lot of work from the bee to the jar 😉
This looks so fun! But you forgot to show the “after” picture of eating honey all over warm bread and butter! :–)
Right! I have not eaten any yet! You make it sound super yummy though!
I love honey, and the process of making it is definitely fascinating. Thanks for sharing…and for visiting my blog.
Its fun to see all that goes into it. I have always been fascinated by learning new things.
Thanks for an informative post. I always stay clear of bees. So it’s good to read about how honey is extracted in such details and online, without getting near one. 😉
LOL – I get that. I pretty much enjoy anything where you get to wear a costume… or I guess in this case a bee suit.
Sheila, this is totally fascinating. I’m not one to want to be NEAR bugs, especially ones that sting, but I do so appreciate bees! What I want to know is how you separate the bees from the screens?!
And a very big KUDOS to Amanda and Buck’s Busy Bees! How impressive!
Great questions! There is a stinky product called “Bee Gone” that you spray onto an item called a fume board. You put the fume board in place of the lid and the bees do not like the smell so they go to the bottom of the crates where there exit is and they go out of the box. It takes care of most and there is a brush that gently shoos the stubborn ones away.
We then take the frames of honey and place them into another crate that is just honey frames and close it tight so the bees can not follow it in.
Thank you for explaining that to me! I do hope/assume the spray is non-toxic to the little bees 🙂
Absolutely! It is important that all the areas the bees are in are chemical free.
I knew a little about bees and honey, but now I knew a lot more. Interesting. Local honey is supposed to be so good for us, too!
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It is fun to see the process.
A few weeks ago I read The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd. You have given detail to the pictures in head. Thanks. I know we need bees and I know that they are not inherently vicious, but I am a bit afraid. You are brave!
Bugs do not really bother me…. of course – I have not been stung. Yet. 😉
This is such an interesting post! The farmer who owned the land behind our old house used to keep bees up there, but I’ve always been a little afraid of them so never ventured up to learn more. Thanks for the photos and info 🙂
Sure! Honey bees are not the bees that really bother people unless you are bothering them. They are the cute bees portrayed on flowers and clover 😉
I have a couple friends from Jacksonville, FL whose parents keep bees in their backyards and extract the honey. Seems to be the new thing to do!
Cool! I never really noticed them before but now that I know what the crates look like i see them all over 😉
With all the stories we’ve heard about the demise of honey bees, I’m glad to hear your friend’s hives are thriving. It looks like she practices safe apiculture (I had to look that up to be sure of the term!) Thank you for a fascinating and educational post.
I’m a little behind today, but my Saturday Snapshots post is finally up: Pianos on Parade.
Ah, Sandra, that’s because they’re in a contained, protected environment without the pesticides so they’ll thrive. It’s what’s happening in the world, at large, with pesticides that’s creating the serious problem 😦
I am a rookie but it looks like she is doing great to me 🙂
Its really interesting to hear how much work goes into a bottle of honey. I remember when Michael’s kindergarden class went to a bee farm and the kids were in total awe as was the parents. I have to say I actually prefer the little bee farms that are local for some reason the honey is so much better. Thanks for sharing Sheila
That’s what I hear about local honey. I suppose it is not over processed like so much of it must be to be in the stores.
2000 hives is amazing. My sister in law, who I have just been visiting, has just two.
I wish I could have some in my yard but I dont think with our business on the same property that I have the right dynamics.
Honey is amazing. Good post. Cheers from Carole’s Chatter
Thanks, Amanda is fun to work with 😀
This is SO cool! I’d love to have my own bees one day.
I think it is a pretty cool thing to do – they are so good for our environment and they give you a little treat on the side 😀
How fascinating and I love that Amanda has made a business of this!
I do too. She has told me that a woman in the bee business is rare – its mainly a man’s thing so that makes it cooler yet 😀
That’s interesting. I never knew the process of honey making before. Thanks for sharing.
Sharon @ Sharon’s Book Nook!
I did not either – it is fairly new to me as well but a fun process to watch 😀
We started two hives just last week. My husband very keen on this and now scouring for flower plants.
That is so cool! Be sure and take pictures!
Great post, Sheila! Such interesting info. Thanks!
Sure 😉
How cool is that! I’ve been fascinated with the honey business since I was in college — one of my really good friends was the daughter of honey producer. How neat that you got to see the process up close and personal
It is pretty cool Candace 🙂
It would be fun to be involved in extracting honey- although I imagine that it’s hard work too. But I also wonder if it smells fabulous, or can too much honey get a bit much? I’ve recently been eating honey, when I haven’t really had any for a few years- I’m liking creamed honey just now.
I have not tried creamed honey yet but I hear it is amazing!
How cool! Thanks for sharing.
Yup 😀