Hello Carmenie and All,
Carmenie wrote:
I found out  that using your hands to scoop the honey up is the
> fastest way

By a dust pan at the *dollar store* and use instead of hands. Use a plastic
flat piece sold to apply automotive body putty by Walmart to push the honey
in the dust pan. They are also great for getting the last of the honey out
of a pail.

 Carmenie wrote:
 our most favorite moments  being when the pails overflowed.

I hate to see a drop of honey hit the floor.

  I wish I could train the bees to put it in the
> jars themselves.

They will if a strong flow is on . Take a inner cover and cut holes so a
pint mason jar fit the hole. Use about 6 jars per inner cover. Some
beekeepers put a piece of foundation across the jar but I do not. We have
produced a case or two of these for the state fair to show people when they
say "Would be nice if you could get the bees to put the honey in the jar for
you".

  Anyone else have extracting gone  wrong, lessons learned experiances?

Stop and clean a spill right away.

> By the way, how are honey flows going in areas
> represented by those on this list?

Main honey flow over and honey plants  burning up because of the heat.
Temperature at night around  90f.  and around 100f and up  in the day with
heat index around  110F. Removing honey crop is going slow. Beekeepers not
able to hire help and only pulling honey in the morning. Many report honey
house temperatures running in the 110 to 115f. while extracting ( heat from
uncappers and sumps).  Bees pulling honey out of supers into brood nest.
Typical Missouri year!
Bob
Missouri