RECORD Honey HARVEST | How We Extracted Our MOST HONEY EVER!!!

[@jamestownsendjrtbees3226]

Wow Bruce! Roughly 5400 pounds, that's awesome! And I love all the family and friends getting together for some hard, sweet work. I got my daughters to help me for a few hours until they got bored and hot. I have nothing like you, 8 buckets with a 2 frame hand crank extractor but it's so rewarding in my third year of keeping bees.

[@brucesbees]

Yes I am blessed. We extracted hundreds of pounds with a 3 frame hand crank extractor before we purchased the Maxant. And then joining our equipment together with Rusty has been a game changer along with growth of the KZbin channel. It has all become quite an adventure with so much great fellowship and friendships discovered and strengthened, while at the same time so much work is accomplished. It really is something to behold, and I am grateful.

[@poseidonam]

Out here with in my parts honey is going for 25$ a pound

[@brucesbees]

poseidonam that is awesome. Could never sell it for that here.

[@honeyandthecoop803]

What a crew Bruce, I probably couldn't line up 2 people willing to work that hard....I did my little 110 frames alone

[@brucesbees]

Oh I bet you could. The all ended up with food and honey and a day of fellowship and hard work they will never forget!

[@GrowCookPreserveWithKellyDawn]

I can't imagine that big of a honey harvest! AMAZING! Thank you for taking us along.

[@brucesbees]

It has been a great year! Thanks for watching!

[@keithspillman]

Congratulations on a great harvest!! And what an awesome crew!! Now you need to have a super storage video!!!!

[@brucesbees]

Yes. It was a great crew. Maybe I will do that lol. I am already getting behind though lol. Happens time every year. The supers are still on the trailer. Gotta get them stored and need to get into the hives and assess how they are doing. And I have to got it work. Whew 😥

[@karollrivera8385]

@@brucesbees hey, i was wondering if you sell any honey? i would really love to buy some from you if possible? i been trying to find some REAL HONEY, real unfiltered and raw honey. but i just havent been blessed to find any.

[@brucesbees]

Yes. If you live local to the area I have some available personally or in several stores. If you live far away you can order it at brucesbees.com

[@gerardjohnson2106]

AWESOME. Thanks for sharing.

[@clarksbees]

I like that uncapped!!! Pretty cool. Great harvest, Bruce!

[@brucesbees]

Yes it has been a game changer for us for the last 3 or 4 years.

[@SilverGorilla1776]

Nice harvest Bruce! Lots of honey and lots of friends to help. Doesn’t get much better.

[@brucesbees]

Yes!!! Good times!!!

[@backyardbeekeeperguy9934]

I enjoy seeing how others harvest and equipment used. Thanks for sharing.

[@keithinthemountains6450]

Wow Bruce, been looking forward to this since last years harvest! You have great organization skills and a great team!

[@brucesbees]

Hey thanks for checking it out. I just happen to know a lot of incredible people that are willing to lend a hand.

[@Grinnin1]

Awesome insight to what you can get when you have dedication and perseverance… Great video Bruce!

[@brucesbees]

I still have a long ways to go but have definitely learned a lot along the way!

[@dcsblessedbees]

Grammy's in the house. I think that honey harvest might just be the hardest work of beekeeping but also the most rewarding. Love that golden goodness, question whats a bucket weight? Ty for sharing your time, Blessed Days...

[@brucesbees]

5 gallon buckets weigh 60 pounds +/-

[@laruestephens3743]

Awesome show of cooperation and a great harvest!

[@Donovan_Walker]

Wow…just WOW! I can ONLY dream of a harvest like that one day!

[@brucesbees]

Yes it was impressive to say the least. If this is truly your dream you can achieve it and more!!!

[@АндрейКовальчук-о3я]

hello from Ukraine! you have a great team!

[@brucesbees]

Thank you and thanks for checking in!!!

[@alhambraorchardapiary4882]

Looks awesome Bruce, we extracted most everything this weekend but I need them to cap a few more boxes

[@brucesbees]

Hopefully they will do that soon!

[@BuzzWorthyLife]

Congrats on the record harvest!

[@brucesbees]

Thank you!

[@superheroteach]

I love the harvest videos, all of that work

[@eliasrudnitsky3884]

That style uncapper plugs up filters pretty quick in my experience, and that Lyson extractor sure looks smooth👌. Glad to see it's been a good year for you❤

[@BugFarmerBees]

Hi Bruce. I watch you om the TV so I rarely comment but I had to run to the computer and say nice haul. I know it was a lot of work but that was a lot of liquid gold. Great job and great video. Take care.

[@brucesbees]

Yes it was a lot of work but I love it. Thanks for making the effort and taking the time to comment!

[@gregdunn6422]

That's a LOT of honey. Great video Bruce!!

[@stacygerlich5807]

Awesome operation. I love watching y’all extract this honey. Can I buy some?

[@brucesbees]

Absolutely. Do you live locally? If not you can order some at brucesbees.com

[@ShineKelly]

Well done team!! I love the community effort :)

[@brucesbees]

Yes. Wouldn’t have been possible without this awesome crew!!!

[@royboyd717]

Bruce, I'll say it again- You are the man!

[@brucesbees]

Don’t know about that Roy. These crew members that showed up deserve all the credit.

[@danac9609]

I'm Soo excited to move from the city to begin this new journey.

[@lagrangebees]

Having family and friends all help you like that is such a wonderful thing :D Also, love that simple uncapping machine with the circular blades. I something to keep my mind on for the future.

[@brucesbees]

Yes the crew was awesome. And we really like the Simple Harmony Farms Uncapper. It does not produce a lot of cappings though so if you need to process cappings it is not the best device. But for speed and efficiency it is very affordable. The next step I believe would be a commercial hot blade or chain uncapper of some sort.

[@josephrawls]

Enjoyed the video Bruce. Lot of good workers there.

[@brucesbees]

Yes. I am so grateful. What an amazing group!

[@joejackson9214]

Great crew. A lot of honey.

[@markb3129]

Great honey harvest Bruce and a lot of good help.. gonna have to bake a lot of biscuits to use up all that honey 😁!!! ✌🏻

[@1cannedpeaches]

This is community 🥰 love to see it

[@brucesbees]

Yes! That was a good day!!!

[@tobyoneal5594]

Man yall harvested a quiet bit of honey. Looked great ❤❤❤

[@brucesbees]

Yes that was amazing!

[@GEEZBEEZ]

Awesome video. Great harvest. Like the uncapping method. Thanks for the video.

[@brucesbees]

Yeah it was a lot of fun. Thanks for checking in!

[@zetectic7968]

Wow, that was a good harvest 😁 Good team work and a long day = satisfaction.

[@brucesbees]

Very satisfying couple of days. We had a great day pulling honey in the previous video as well. Another great crew made it possible.

[@Itdontmatter69]

Awesome

[@brucesbees]

Thanks for checking in!

[@MrChairGaming]

Congrats on the harvest. It's amazing seeing gallons upon gallons of liquid gold from your year of work... or more accurately, your bee's work. On a side note: It's absolutely horrible that within the first like 25 comments like 5-10 of them are spamming bots. Please report them, everyone. And Please, DON'T CLICK ANY LINKS. For your PC's safety, and to minimize any ad revenue whatever garbage site they lead to.

[@brucesbees]

Yes I hate the spam. Those comments have been reported. Thanks.

[@DavidWilliams-wr4wb]

That 30 frame rig is awesome!!!

[@brucesbees]

Yes it Is a nice machine!

[@bradgoliphant]

I wish I was there to help you Bruce. Looks like fun. So much honey! I still figuring out how to get honey off my hive! We don't seem to have a great forage range here in NYC.

[@brucesbees]

You’ll get it figured out. It takes a few years to learn your location. Every spot is a little different and even then they can vary from year to year.

[@benjamindejonge3624]

Congratulations

[@donbearden1953]

Congratulations Bruce! It couldn’t happen to a nicer guy! That big hive that I sent you a picture of ended up filling 10 supers all together. Looking forward to seeing you at Hive Life!

[@brucesbees]

Wow that’s impressive Don. We had a great time. Would have loved to have you there!

[@jn0093]

congrats

[@brucesbees]

Thanks!

[@calvinkalmon6746]

Beautiful crew!

[@PaulSmith-tf9bn]

What a great video. Could you video your uncapping tank and mod you made. Thank you

[@brucesbees]

Maybe we can do that down the road. We are pretty much done with the honey harvest for the year. Not sure when we will have it all set up again.

[@TheBguenth]

Hi Bruce! I’m in Tuscaloosa. Trying to figure out if we’re still in a honey flow. I missed your video about using peppermint for SHB. Please tell me where to find the video. I want to try. Thx

[@brucesbees]

I haven’t done a video specifically on that yet. Have a little footage from this past weekend that I am going to upload as soon as I can get it edited.

[@annetten4166]

What do the bee's do while you take the hive to extract the honey?

[@brucesbees]

We just remove the excess honey. They continue to work in the areas of the hive that are left behind.

[@markspc1]

Great show Bruce. It is nice to have friends to help. How many pounds of honey did you pull ?

[@brucesbees]

I think somewhere around 5,500 pounds more or less this time. 7,400 +/- for the year.

[@markspc1]

@@brucesbees Very encouraging when you have a good harvest.

[@sonofthunder.]

what a haul

[@kendall6024]

Hi! I live in Alabama and curious how to buy your honey if you sell it for the next season?

[@brucesbees]

I have plenty of home available. If you live in the Dothan area or nearby you can get it from me directly or it is available in several stores. Otherwise we can ship it to you. brucesbees.com

[@Itstime2029]

How do you clean all those frames? Do you put them out for the bees to clean or pressure wash them?

[@brucesbees]

Yes the bees clean them up and we reuse them year to year. Drawn comb is like gold. Towards the end of the video we had them set out on the trailer and Rusty’s bees had started cleaning them up.

[@joewalker1246]

Do you think you should move to barrels instead of buckets, wholesale it to your nearest packer, around here its 2.50 to 3 a pound but your done, no bottling.

[@brucesbees]

Honey is my main money maker. I would leave a lot on the table wholesaling it to a packer but it may come to that in the future, at least with the honey above what we can sell. I am thinking ahead and trying to figure out what to do in the future. Will be k treating to see where this takes us.

[@nathanpotter8569]

Where is the link to that uncapper, I just extracted my honey today, and that would be a huge time saver... even if I onky have 4 hives ..... for now

[@brucesbees]

simpleharmonyfarms.com/uncapper

[@jessiesummers324]

I Am Second

[@ECP]

Do you have a link to the 5 gallon buckets you used and ordered?

[@brucesbees]

I will tell you that I really like these buckets. They lid seals on nicely etc. the only thing I dislike about them is that some of the handles would pull loose. But they are working out fine overall. Just have to be careful when picking them up full of honey. Here is the link: 5 gallon Food Grade White Plastic Bucket with Handle & Lid - Set of 6 www.amazon.com/dp/B00CLF0X72/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apip_Gt5hGNjk5MQqL

[@GolfSuperTillman]

I think it might be time to graduate to drums lol at least 30gals

[@brucesbees]

We are getting there. Haha.

[@jays200gspsreeftank7]

Bangin honey pull

[@davidlewis4179]

Finally pulled the trigger on the Simple Harmony Farms Uncapper.

[@brucesbees]

Awesome. Hope you like it. There is a little bit of a learning curve but we really like them.

[@daryldaigle7214]

How many hives are you running Bruce?

[@brucesbees]

Somewhere around 150+/-

[@justinboyens6082]

Where do you get those uncappers

[@brucesbees]

Simpleharmonyfarms.com

[@salembeeman370]

How do the bees handle the comb after extraction?

[@brucesbees]

They clean it up and take it back to their hives and then I store the boxes. Or you can put the boxes back on the hive for clean up. That’s what I do after the first harvest of the year. But after the second harvest I leave them out for the bees to clean up and then store them until next spring.

[@salembeeman370]

@@brucesbees Thanks Bruce, I meant how do the bees repair the comb. Is it easier than when you use a hot knife?

[@brucesbees]

Oh I don’t know. They just make whatever repairs are needed. Not sure it makes much of a difference either way. Hot knife comb is actually a little smoother but the bees manage fine on both.

[@mentos3348]

how do you sterilized plastic bottles/ jars?

[@marcusjordan2518]

Getting bigger and bigger....

[@brucesbees]

About at my limit. Now I need to work on managing the bees. July and August are typically when I lose the most.

[@justindavyduke4182]

you said 158 boxes, how many colonies or hives would that be? 55?

[@brucesbees]

You know I am really not even sure. Probably more like 90 or 100. But I really can’t say exactly.

[@gusmitchellcranesnesthoney6529]

Nice Job Bruce! How do you get so much help? I have hard time getting just 1 person 😂

[@brucesbees]

I just invite folks. A lot of these folks are viewers of the YT channel. Others are friends from church.

[@mathgasm8484]

I'm a side liner and I run a 9 frame extractor alone.

[@brucesbees]

Yeah I did that for a while. We have to get it all done usually in a Friday/Saturday. No way I could do that by myself. We probably put in 10 hours Friday pulling and the 14 hours Saturday extracting.

[@mathgasm8484]

@@brucesbees I will probably have to hire help eventually. I thought about using high school labor with the FFA maybe.

[@brucesbees]

Yeah when you get bigger funding help can be a challenge.

[@adamsoutdoors]

Pretty amazing Bruce. I can hope to be able to do that some day up here in Ohio. With Greg’s mentorship I should be well on my way. Lol #STREAMTEAM #BETHELIGHTHOUSE

[@brucesbees]

Yes. Greg is awesome. Solid beekeeper.

[@AWESOME295]

How to prevent honey come out during delivery ?bumpy road make honey shaking and come out🙏

[@brucesbees]

The comb has wax cappings over the honey so it will not come out.

[@AWESOME295]

@@brucesbeeshoney on glass jar always come out during delivery ,glass jar is tight close

[@oneshoo]

Outstanding extraction video Bruce! Do you bottle most of the honey or sell it in bulk?? 👍👍

[@brucesbees]

Bottle most of it up.

[@DRIECUTHoney]

Wow! Your going to need 55gal drums soon!

[@brucesbees]

Yep we might be headed that direction. Adds a whole other layer of logistics to figure out. Will see how things go with sales this year and if we can keep the bees alive. No telling where this thing is going!

[@DRIECUTHoney]

@@brucesbees I predict a video on honey pumps in the not so distant future, lol. You have weathered a few storms and still managed to grow. So I think it’s a pretty safe bet.

[@brucesbees]

Yep we will see. The darn full time job is the only thing standing in the way lol. In reality I am grateful to have a good job and the steady paycheck is nice. So we will see how things progress moving forward.

[@aCanadianBeekeepersBlog]

Pretty slick , kicking but down in Alabama

[@brucesbees]

We’re trying man. I’m just about in over my head. Thank goodness for great friends. I love the beekeeping and the beekeeping KZbin community as well. Good times…

[@larryschoenberger7957]

I'm still trying to build hives, just made 3 more splits, all that work, and no help, I may run the other way, lol So far, I'm just helping the Environment it seems.

[@brucesbees]

Keep plugging. It simply takes a lot of work and perseverance. I still have a long ways to go. Thanks for checking in!

[@micheleirwin2959]

Hey!!!!

[@brucesbees]

Hey Michele! What do you think of the video? Do you think I captured the day pretty well?

[@micheleirwin2959]

@@brucesbees sorry I was at work and wasn’t able to get to it right when it started and I was trying to get in a “hey” before the live chat cut off but just missed it! I thought the video was great and an excellent representation of the day and the group as a whole. Really did enjoy the experience and would be more than happy to return for some more beekeeping fellowship next year! I do believe there are a lot of folks out there who wished they had been there with us. I really appreciate you allowing me the opportunity to be included. It was a great day with great people and good times!!!

[@brucesbees]

@@micheleirwin2959 yes it was great. Thanks again for coming down. Will be interesting to see what the future holds.

[@brucesbees]

@@micheleirwin2959 I love the interaction at the end. New friendships formed. What a day!!!

[@timurich4270]

I think your crew could have fed four extractors. Thank you for the video.

[@brucesbees]

Yes I think you are right. I have thought about getting another one for next year. Will see what unfolds between now and then.

[@jeffwhite6343]

Will work for honey.😁

[@brucesbees]

Thanks for all the help Jeff. You and Jessie are awesome!

[@onism8906]

did the bees die?

[@brucesbees]

No. We just harvested the honey.

[@onism8906]

did any bees die from collecting them?

[@brucesbees]

Maybe a few but not many. When dealing with hundreds of thousands of bees, if not millions (literally), there were a few that died in the process I am sure.

[@kentcostello5286]

OMG let me know next time I'll be there & I'll work for free if you take me out on your boat & go fishing 🎣 and I love beekeeping too.

[@brucesbees]

Done usually do a fall harvest lol. Maybe next year. I don’t have a boat though or do much fishing haha.

[@brucesbees]

I spend all my free time in the bees it seems!

[@DavidWilliams-wr4wb]

I’m a one man show so I will just sit back and watch my honey flow out of the tubes lol

[@brucesbees]

Do you have a flow hive?

[@DaveCantley]

I just want to know how you managed to keep that door open without getting mobbed by robbers! lol

[@brucesbees]

We had a net over the doors.

[@terrimckenzie7019]

Do you ship?

[@brucesbees]

Yes. brucesbees.com

[@healthinformation5123]

honey is very good for body health, and there are many more benefits from honey, always success and always have the spirit to work

[@brucesbees]

Hey thanks for checking in and for the comment!

[@edwardjacob5674]

Find a local brewery. Sold mine to one for a honey beer they make

[@mrwonk]

What will you do with all that honey?

[@brucesbees]

We sell it.

[@ryanvarner2338]

Tractor supply huh......

[@dennissitter2242]

I use the same uncapper. But I use a Little Mule frame grip. It's a compound action. Takes almost no pressure to hold frame. Use one hand. Keeps hands away from rollers. And not quite as sticky.

[@brucesbees]

Yes I think Rusty has used those frame grippers some. I have never really used them.

[@jedesmith]

Does anyone else sell that style of uncapper? I’m just a little surprised by the price

[@brucesbees]

I am not sure. But if you have a lot to do it is worth the price. Has been worth it to us.

[@jedesmith]

Thanks, where do you get the rolling uncapper?

[@brucesbees]

@jedesmith simple harmony farms.

[@marcpiper2000]

How much is that much honey worth?

[@brucesbees]

It’s really hard to say because there are so many variables. Probably between $30k and $40k

[@brucesbees]

Lots of expenses and work go into that though. Lots of expenses, time and work involved.

[@fahadmominah]

Hello... intervention... honey and bees are like gold or better... you lose the wax, the outer preservative layer with great benefits that you can attribute to the bees.

[@jaynedavis3388]

I think the bees are in the tree because they have eaten so much honey that they are too heavy to fly long distances. They’re resting & digesting away from possible predators until they’re able to fly to the safety of their home hives

[@brucesbees]

I think you are probably right. Thanks for watching!

[@keithfaithful3989]

Do you invite all those people to a cook out then say I had a change of plans for today?

[@brucesbees]

Nope lol. They volunteer for this craziness haha. But it really is a great time!

[@rodrigogabrecht7945]

👍✌🤗💝

[@tomasmatusek6292]

I try calculate and if u had 4.5 gal, and if u selled for 3pounds=3.5e,so you have we can say around 5500 or 6000e,uuuh. Is that profitable and this job and all around that? if I saw u Tools and all, it must cost min all around 30K,and where its the beens Stücks, waaw. Here one cost 150e,and full house maybe 600/800e,puuuf.

[@brucesbees]

92 five gallon buckets = 5,520 pounds. If I average $6/pound that is $33,120. And I actually had already harvested some. My total for the year is 124 buckets. Yes there is a big expense buying the equipment but it more than pays for itself and once all the equipment is purchased then it can be used year after year. So it can definitely be profitable. But I don’t do it all for the money. I also absolutely am amazed by the bees and love being a beekeeper. I also enjoy being a part of the beekeeping and KZbin community. I don’t know what the future holds but for now I would say it has definitely been worth it.

[@tomasmatusek6292]

@@brucesbees thank you for feedback. Sound interested and same crazy if u must cca every weekend make inspections. But I forget something, its hobby, and that true, hobby u must love ❤️😍👍. Thanks again.

[@tomasmatusek6292]

@@brucesbees can you share with me what is ur main job? If its not secret? I just think what kind of biznis is interesting, for begining.

[@brucesbees]

I am a physical therapist at a local hospital.

[@tericarter2512]

#streamteam #mystery

[@brucesbees]

Hey thanks for checking in! Be sure to go to Natures Image Farm and put the entry words in the comments to the live from last night.

[@markespich8574]

Maybe they’re taking a nap after a full belly

[@taylorboysoutdoors]

And now how to get rid of it 😆

[@brucesbees]

No doubt!

[@Rrailroad3]

First year of a good harvest and I would rather sell 100 Nucs than 100 lbs of honey.

[@brucesbees]

Yep that is what a lot of people prefer. I like to do some of all of it though honey has been my biggest money maker to date.

[@bricelarie6527]

Like you got a slot machine of your own, why don't you try to attach «grid n filter» on a door equipped empty frame, so you could process what's "waxed honey" into ? Just try to keep it as balanced as possible it is to avoid your rolling slot machine to start thoses famous honeyhoop specials they build up running with unfaced ones ... Pretty darn strange days the one you harvest honey ... You ought to remind yourself what's vital minimums not to push too hard your own . Dare, care, ride safe, clean, have fun ... From France with .

[@Дон-у2и]

Какова окупаемость этого всего?, слишком много людей и ненужного обурудования

[@brucesbees]

I guess that’s a matter of opinion. It worked well for me. When we harvest we need to get it done in one day. Couldn’t have done it in one day without the help. A lot of these people are friends and viewers that wanted to help. There was a short time where we had too many people but most of the day we had the right amount.

[@Steele_Wings]

The only help I get is eating the honey.

[@brucesbees]

I hear ya lol. Couldn’t do it without the crew.

[@markb3129]

Bruce can you repeat your email

[@brucesbees]

[e-mail]

[@markb3129]

@@brucesbees got it Thanks, y'all live streams are awesome. You Brian and Greg compliment each other great. Look forward to many more. ✌🏻