Did you ever have a customer buy a jar of honey only to find it granulated? Here's a simple solution "The Reliquidator." Just place the granulated jars of honey in the Reliqudator, a few days later you'll have crystal clear honey. You'll always have clear honey ready for sale. Just follow these simple steps. 1) On this prototype model I cut out the divider between the freezer and the refrigerator. You may want to leave it there instead for a cooler place to store liquified jars of honey above. I found that I didn't need that much heated space. 2) Mount a 75w bulb in the bottom of an old refrigerator. Be sure to place plywood with reflective sheet of tin around the sides of the bulb to prevent burning the sides of the refrigerator. You may need a tray above the bulb to catch any honey that may ooze out of the jars so it doesn't drip on the bulb. The bulb I have in my prototype is screwed into an outdoor porch lite fixture with a glass cover on it. 3) Run the power thru a 110 volt thermostat then to the bulb. You can see the thermostat mounted on the right side of the Reliquidator with the wire run inside. 4) I mounted a light switch inside the reliquidator to bypass the thermostat but I don't recommend this. If you forget you have it on temperatures can soar inside the reliquidator. I also wired the defrost fan to come on when the light does in order to help circulate the heat, but it is not necessary to do that either. I also drilled a 1" hole in the door and placed a colored lense over it so I can tell at a glance if the light is on. operation. Place a thermometer inside the reliquidator. Set the temperature to 110 degrees. Turn it on and check the temperature every hour. It may take 6 hours or more for some larger refrigerators to heat up. I keep mine set between 100 and 110 degrees although it reached 140 at one time when I forgot and left it on manual. If the gasket doesn't seal, or if there are any leaks the reliquidator may not heat up correctly. |
The Loyalhanna Scenic Gorge |
One of my bee yards located in the beautiful Loyalhanna Scenic Gorge in Kingston, Pennsylvania. USA. Crystal clear spring waters filter their way through the surrounding Chestnut Ridge Mountains and into the Loyalhanna Creek that lazily winds it's way through the gorge less than a stones throw from these hives. Chestnut Ridge is sleeping now and the creek runs quiet but soon the spring thaw will begin and the loyalhanna creek with it rising waters will turn the gorge into a raging river. The Loyalhanna waters will overflow and engulf the valley as if to reclaim it as it's own. Waters will surround the hives but the honeybees will remain safe and dry. Due to a slight rise in elevation where the hives are placed the waters will come to within a few feet all around creating a safe oasis for the honeybees. In spring the Loyalhanna Gorge will burst into bloom bringing forth a wonderful gift of gold in each and every flower. The honeybees go out into the surrounding hills and valleys in search of this gold. In return leaving behind riches of much greater than they take by pollinating the fruit trees, nut trees, and plants throughout the area giving life to the gorge. |
The Reliquidator |
Joe's Beekeeping Site |
Autumn Flowers of Chestnut Ridge -August thru October- |
Four Frame Observation Hive |
Canada Goldenrod, Solidago canadensis Medow Goldenrod, Tall Goldenrod Goldenrod, one of more than a dozen goldenrods found in New England, bursts into full bloom August thru October and continues until frost. Goldenrod spreads across meadows like large, billowy yellow blankets. Beekeepers know when their bees are gathering goldenrod nectar for the beeyard will fill with the wonderful smell of goldenrod being processed inside the hives. Honey produced from Goldenrods has a yellow amber color with a characteristic flavor. It granulates fairly quickly. During winter the seeds provide food for finches, sparrows, and other birds. |
What is this plant? Help me ID this plant |
Early to mid Spring Flowers of Chestnut Ridge -February to Early May- |
Late Spring to Early Summer Flowers of Chestnut Ridge -May thru August- |
Black Locust Robinia pseudoacacia Black Locust is the first major honey plant in my area to come into bloom. I try to have my honeybee colonies at peak strength by this time. The flowers are very fragrant; drooping in showy clusters 4 - 8" long. Black Locust is an excellent source of nectar and a minor source for pollen. Locust blooms May thru June. The honey is light in color and mild in flavor. In the Autumn Black Locust provides an abundance of seed for quail, turkey, grouse and pheasant. |
Sweet Crabapple Malus coronaria Apple trees provide an early source of nectar and pollen in mid spring. Crabapple blooms March thru May and honeybees readily visit the flowers for their nectar and pollen, but bees rarely produce any surplus from crabapple. An individual honeybee visits about 100 apple flowers on a single foraging trip. If temperatures are above 65 F. and winds are less than ten miles per hour, it takes her a little more than one hour to complete the trip. During Autumn the fruit provides food for deer, turkey and other wildlife. |
Tulip Tree Liriodendron tulipifera Yellow Popular The Tulip Tree (Yellow Popular) Is one of the tallest and most beautiful trees that grow in my area. The large showy flowers resemble tulips of lilies with 6 rounded green petals orange at the base. The Tulip Tree bloom May thru June generally follows the Black Locust bloom and often the two overlap. Popular is one of the most important honey plants and a good source of pollen. The honey is dark reddish amber and more strongly flavored that the Locust, but of excellent quality. In the Auttumn the seeds provide food for birds, rabbits, deer, squrrel and other animals. |
Black Cherry Prunus serotina Wild Cherry Black Cherry (Wild Cherry) is a source of nectar and pollen. Black Cherry blooms April thru May and grows in abundance throught the area. Honeybees seldom produce a surplus from this plant. Instead, they use the nectar gathered for brood rearing. The occasional surplus honey made from Wild Cherry is red in color and tastes bitter. The fallen fruit provides a valuable sorce of food for grouse, turkey and other wildlife. throught the winter. |
Common Dandelion Taraxacum officinale Dandelion Dandelion is a common weed that grows throught the area blooming April thru May. Dandelion is one of the most important honey and pollen plants it is a source that beekeepers in my area depend on for brood rearing to build up the large populations of honeybees that are required to collect surplus honey during the coming Locust and Tulip blooms. Honey made from dandelion is yellow in color and has a very poor flavor. The flowers and leaves are eaten by bear, turkey, rabbits and other wildlife and the seeds are eaten by goldfinches and other small birds. |
WhiteSnakeRoot? |
Red Maple Acer rubrum Sugar Maple Acer saccharum Silver Maple Acer saccharinum The maples are an important early spring nectar and pollen plants. They start to bloom on the first warm days in February thru April. The maples are an excellent source of nectar, but the honeybees rarely, if ever, store any surplus honey, as most food brought in at this time of year is used for rearing brood. The leaves are browsed on by deer and the seeds are eaten by chipmunks, squirrels and birds. |
Pussy Willow Salix discolor The pussy willow as well as other willow trees and shrubs are consedered by many as the first blooms of spring, blooming March thru April. They are important early nectar and pollen plants for brood rearing. However do not expect to see honeybees collecting pollen on all willow plants, as the sexes are seprate. |