Warning . . .  Long and rambling!
 
On Sat, 22 Jul 1995, Ann Dougherty wrote:
 
>         A Swarm in July isn't worth a fly.
>
>         I caught seven pound swarm a couple days ago and expect to winter
> it.  I am feeding it as I do to all swarms.  Is the meaning of this poem
> that a swarm caught late in the season doesn't have time to build up to a
> normal size before winter?
 
It is impossible to advise personally those who do not accurately state
their location with their requests for help, however here is an attempt:
 
Since you don't say where in this large world you are physically located,
I'll assume from your email address that you are in Washington State in
the United States of America (and not in the mountains) and also not
telnetted in from Alaska or Zimbabwe or somewhere.
 
If this is true, for you the poem means that you aren't likely to get any
significant honey this year from a swarm caught in July.  Moreover, if the
swarm issued from your own hive, your net overall production is likely
going to be the same or less than it would have been if the swarm had been
prevented, whereas an early swarm - like an early split - might have
increased your total crop significantly.
 
Nevertheless, a swarm caught in early July might well make five supers of
comb honey plus enough stores to winter on here in Alberta.  Even a swarm
caught in late July can still perform a bit if the season is not cut short
by an early frost or excessive rain etc.
 
Seven pounds is a fairly respectable colony.  When I depopulated some 200
colonies in October many years back in order to send package bees to
Arizona, the average total weight of the bees in the colonies was found to
be 8 pounds.
 
You should check the queen carefully and make sure she is young and a
good enough egg layer to last the winter and spring.  Often swarms
contain old worn out queens, altho' they may just as often contain
(sometimes numerous) young queens.
 
>         On another note...I will have more honey this year than I can eat
> or sell and am planning on selling to a packer.  Trouble is I know of no
> wholesaler in the area.
 
Try Richard Turansky in Eugene, Oregon at (503) 689-0913.  He has a truck
that runs up into Washington weekly - as far as Portland for sure.
 
> Also what is the current wholesale price and
 
50 to 55 cents (US) in drums in bulk lots is probably the top of the
market right now for the very best water white clover honey. Depending on
colour, moisture, terms, quantity, delivery etc., you may receive less.
You may often not be paid until the product is packed and sold (and tested
for purity in some cases).  Others may comment and want to add to this.
 
> what do they look for with regards to  quality and standards?
 
Well, that is a big question:  personally - knowing what I know - I would
be a bit nervous to buy from a hobbyist I didn't know because of all the
freaky things that people tinkering with their bees and not trained in the
intricacies of the business and food handling might get into the product.
There is the risk of contaminating large lots of honey with one drum
bought from a small operator.
 
Having said this, however, many packers do purchase small lots and take
that risk.  That is not to say that larger commercial operators don't ever
contaminate honey by using unauthorised medications and pesticides,
unclean facilities, or by allowing dangerous materials to contact the
honey, but the risk is much lower and the buyer can buy by reputation.
There is also usually someone to sue if there is a problem.
 
I should also hasten to add that many - if not most hobbyists - handle
their honey with as much care as many commercials. What we are considering
here is the danger of introducing a hazard due to lack of knowledge or
experience.
 
The FAQs that Andy Nachbaur manages have an article on honey house
sanitation that all should read.  Most of it is just common sense, and if
you don't regularly poison yourself cooking in your kitchen, and if you
carry commonsense kitchen practise to your honey activities, you are
probably using the proper hygiene and utensils.
 
If you only use safe and approved materials in and around your hives, and
don't feed your bees strange things your honey is pretty well bound to be
up to standard.
 
As far as handling the hive itself is concerned, usually bees are able to
handle a fair amount of musty, moldy and generally dirty looking comb
during the season without contaminating the product, but there is a
definite limit to what bees can do, and therefore commonsense must prevail
here too.
 
Bad storage of honeycombs (unsanitary or near hazardous goods) can lead to
contamination of the honey that is eventually put in them by the bees.
They can and do handle some normal dirt and mold, and old wax, but they
cannot be expected to remove absorbed petroleum products or human and
animal filth.
 
Having said that, I must qualify by saying that some amount of mouse
damage and droppings are usually dealt with nicely by strong hives if
given time before the flow to clean up and sanitize, but the bees
priorities and sensibilities are different from those of the average
person.  They are are just as likely to deal with the problem by
propolising (cover with a disinfecting and sealing glue) the dead mouse
and it's droppings as to remove them, so you should scrape off anything
you find offensive and don't want to have fall or scrape off the frames
into the honey when extracting.
 
As far as debris in the honey from extracting, most packers are pretty
tolerant of a few bees and a skiff of wax particles, if it is not more
than 1/4 inch or so thick.  Many will try to dock you for it though.  It
is easy to take a spatula and a bucket and skim the drum after filling
and sitting overnight.  It makes your product look better, so do it.
 
Your containers (drums most likely) should be sound, free of interior
rust (beyond a few scratches) and serious dents.  They must never have
even possibly been used for anything but food!!!  And the food should not
have been a strong flavoured one.  Open top or closed top are acceptable
to most packer, but the open top are standard and easier to clean and
inspect. Liners (large polyethylene bags that go inside) are acceptable
to some, but not all packers, and result in some loss of honey that clings
to them.  Barrels are cheap, why use anthing that is questionable?
 
Moisture can be a problem in honey.  It can come from extracting too early
or be introduced after the supers are removed by storing them in a damp
place awaiting extracting, or after barrelling by leaving the (sealed)
barrel out in the rain.  Water can and does regularly get under the lid
through bung holes or under the rim when the air in the drum expands and
contacts due to sun and rain.
 
If you jar a sample of your liquid honey and compare it to a store
bought one of similar size and shape and fill and temperature (number
one pasteurised grade), you can easily tell if your moisture is okay.
 
Just invert both jars and watch the bubbles rise.  The store product
should win the race because it will be at the maximum moisture permitted
for sale as number one pasteurised grade and should be thinner than your
unpasteurised honey must be for stable storage.
 
Your honey will be thinnest on the day you extract it.  Many honies tend
to be thixotropic and become (a little or a lot) thicker on sitting.
 
Of course there is *much* more to this, but these are the essentials that
I can think of at the moment.
 
Hope it helps and that others find it interesting and comment too.
 
Allen
 
W. Allen Dick, Beekeeper                        VE6CFK
Rural Route One   Swalwell   Alberta   Canada  T0M 1Y0
Email:   [log in to unmask]    or   [log in to unmask]
Futures, Art & Honey:http://www.cuug.ab.ca:8001/~dicka