# What do you take with you when pulling honey



## honeyshack (Jan 6, 2008)

Ok so the title says it all...what do you need, what do you take? 
Trying to figure out what i really need and what is extraneous information so speak.
Me i pack up everything i think i need and add the kitchen sink to boot (kidding)
On my list
Small stuff
empty boxes 
lids to cover the honey, cattle trailer gets dusty on gravel roads
fume boards
beego
hive tools
smoker and torch and wood
bee escapes...we put them on the stacks of honey to keep the bees out and release the few that are left.
queen excluders...just in case
empty honey supers
fence tester..bears and skunks ya know

Big stuff
cattle trailer to haul home the full supers
trailer to haul empty supers incase hives need more 
power wheeler since hand moving everything to the trailer is not an option (too heavy)
wheeler
bee blower
bee blower stand

Sometimes i think i pack the kitchen sink inch:


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## Tom G. Laury (May 24, 2008)

If there is a chance of robbing I take a drum of burlap sacks and water to cover the stacks of honey. Something about the wetness that seems to suppress odor. I hate robbing.

Oh, and the forklift.:thumbsup:


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## Ted Kretschmann (Feb 2, 2011)

Bobcat and trailer, 7000 series ford truck, fume boards and stink, two employees and me for a total of three, enough supers of comb that have been cleaned up by the home yard to resuper the yards to be harvested that day, two smokers, hive tools and personal protection gear, special pallets to set harvested honey on and this being the south, lots of water and ice cold powerade in a cooler, tarps and bungy cords, and 10,000 pound ratchet straps and a whole lot of umph!..TED


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## honeyshack (Jan 6, 2008)

cool, i am not alone...
I forgot to add the pallets. I like the tarp idea instead of lids
And we do not own a forklift. We use our 3020 JD when we have to move pallets of barrels or hives around. But that is too big for the cattle trailer.


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

F-450, trailer w/ Bobcat, wearhouse pallets to stack honey supers on, smoker, hive tool, fuel, half suit, supers to replace ones taken off, cooler and water, tarp and net. I think that's all.


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## greenbeekeeping (Feb 13, 2003)

we take drip pallets, covers to cover stacks of supers, blower, extra gas, fume boards, Bee go, tarp, empty supers to put on, excluders, and ordinary stuff like smoker and extra queens. Also take lunch and lots of water!

Oh and take the cell phone to call John for help when I get the truck stuck in the yard like I did friday!


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## Tom G. Laury (May 24, 2008)

But no beer. Never take beer with you.


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## honeyshack (Jan 6, 2008)

Not that i would, but why no beer?


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## CharlieN (Feb 23, 2011)

Well, you could ask my brother but it's not wise to mention the time he came out to the yard we were working with a open can and set it down on the top of a hive.... Next drink...WHAM!

Almost messed up the rest of the day because the rest of us couldn't quit laughing at him. That was 20 odd years ago and it's still funny... to us.... He still gets mad...


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## BEES4U (Oct 10, 2007)

Beer dehydrates you body!
First aid kit unless you have one in the truck.
Extra water, at least 2 gallons /person.
Salt tablets.
Cell phone charger and tell someone close to you where you are going just to be on the safe side.
Your 2 friends Smith and Wesson.


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## honeyshack (Jan 6, 2008)

ah yes, the gun and water. We take about 5 gallons in a cooler, and an epi pen and benadryl. Cel phone yes, never thought of salt tablets...should look into it
q


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## Roland (Dec 14, 2008)

Don't forget your favorite voodoo head/Ouija(sp?) board/lucky troll/rabbit's foot so that there is some honey in the yard when you get there. Skill/talent/hard work does not seem to matter any more. 

We must be using the wrong device. If it weren't for bad luck, we'd have no luck at all.

Crazy Roland

P.S. we do not migrate, and use an enclosed truck. Eliminates robbing off the truck.


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## Tom G. Laury (May 24, 2008)

Tomorrow I'm going to go get the rabbits foot, the troll, and the ouijii board but where can one obtain the voodoo head? i want to be sure I make some honey.
Thanks for the inside tip Roland.


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## jim lyon (Feb 19, 2006)

Surely I'm not the only guy here that throws darts at our bee yard map blindfolded to decide where to go and pull honey.


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

Roland and Tom,
What? No honey out there? Not much here. I almost feel bad taking what I am, but it is in the shallow supers which I won't be leaving on anyway. I went to two yards yesterday. 

The first yard is made up of a deep and a medium w/ an excluder and then three shallow supers. There is no honey in any of the shallows. I considered robbing some honey from the mediums, but that is supposed to be feed honey for when they go south. I have never run singles w/ feeders in SC for the winter before. Yds are currently in NY. Hoping for some goldenrod.

The second yd is made up of colonies of two deeps and then honey supers, no excluders. The yard started off looking promising and then, in the end, turned out to be only one shallow of honey per hive. I need to go back w/ about 16 supers to have 3 shallows per hive for potential goldenrod. I sure don't want to be buying honey again this year.


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## rainesridgefarm (Sep 4, 2001)

All the stuff mentions and like Matt said bring extra queens with you. It is nice to put in when you are taking off supers.


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## Tom G. Laury (May 24, 2008)

Mark it is an epic fail out here. I need to find that voodoo head.


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## irwin harlton (Jan 7, 2005)

As of this past week I have only heard of one commercial beekeeper extracting in my province, and he was complaining, the time factor leaves obtaining an average crop out, .... your only going to get what you get, you never lose what you never had and some years the honey gods are unkind


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## jim lyon (Feb 19, 2006)

Well stated Irwin, when I hear that "the crop is late" I think it might be code for "will the honey flow ever start?". In every big crop I have ever raised (both of them) there was a lot of honey on the hives early. With all that said we have the possibility with the right weather in August to have a chance at a fair to good crop even though we had almost no honey on in early July. Oh yeah the thread is what do you take pulling honey.....I'll turn that around and say if you want to find some full bees then DON'T take along any supers, works every time.


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## Keith Jarrett (Dec 10, 2006)

Nothing, got nothing to pull.


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## honeyshack (Jan 6, 2008)

Well, thanks for all the answers. I'm glad i am not the only one who takes everything but the kitchen sink.
Cattle trailer is pressure washed, honeyhouse ready to go..or as ready as it can be until the first few frames have been loaded in to the uncapper, bee blower and bee cart are serviced and start on one pull so i am told. Thank goodness for cell phones! Empty supers are loaded on the other trailer. Just need a few small things. Got to find space though. Trying real hard to not pack in the goose neck. On my own pulling so trying to find ways to do things in less steps. It might mean, go with the gooseneck and get the honey and then go back with the other trailer of empties...i need to clone my self.

oooo, two of me, I think that would scare even me...


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## Ted Kretschmann (Feb 2, 2011)

One last question to my good friend Jim Lyon.....Jim, what happens when you throw the darts at the map on the board blindfolded and it lands on your neighbors bee yard??---JOKING TED


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## jim lyon (Feb 19, 2006)

Ted Kretschmann said:


> One last question to my good friend Jim Lyon.....Jim, what happens when you throw the darts at the map on the board blindfolded and it lands on your neighbors bee yard??---JOKING TED


Shhhhhhh


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## The Honey Householder (Nov 14, 2008)

Looks like a bust year in NW Ohio this year.  With honey over $2 in the barrel I hope others are doing better then I. Last year at this time I had over 20 ton off and sold. This year all I have is customers that are trying to double there orders. Anyone out there have a few extra loads yet.

Last week I took empty boxes out to do some extra suppering and brang almost the full load back to the shop. Some even looked like I need to run and get a load of feed. Well its time for the bees to make it or brake it. Sorry no more feed. Tuffluv!!! Some years you just have to know when to cut them off. :applause: Time to pay the rent or get out.


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## Roland (Dec 14, 2008)

After much meditation, and remembering the talk if the great crops in the 60's and 70's, I am beginning to think we need a pair of fuzzy dice on the rear view mirror, and some Jimi Hendrix, Rolling Stones, and maybe even some Grateful Dead. Playing. The bees can't read a calender can they?

OK - back on topic. we travel with ALOT of tools. We have been known to rebuild a Chevy 350 Carb in a huge Burdock patch, cuz that's where the old girl stopped.

The flow around here started at 11:00 A.M. Saturday. It was very "sloppy" working the hives today. We had alot of "next time" deeps that we hope will be full next time, otherwise it is still pretty slim around here.

Crazy Roland


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## Ted Kretschmann (Feb 2, 2011)

Roland, while we are doing O.K. here, the crop Nation wide is going to be just short of disasterous. TED


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

Talked w/ a friend last night who used to help bring bees up here into the St. Law. Valley of NY, from the lower Catskills, back in the 60s. One year they would get 200 or more per hive. The next year nothin'. Cycles happen. We have to be aware of history and prepare to ride out the low years. Somehow.


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## CharlieN (Feb 23, 2011)

Looked good 2nd week in June but since the dry / heat hit and everything dried up they're quickly consuming what they built up until then.

Unless the drought breaks in the next couple weeks we will either have to start feeding this month or watch them die...... 

I'm glad to see it's not that way for everyone though....


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## BEES4U (Oct 10, 2007)

Re: Salt tabs.
Here's the one that that has a good recommendation: 
THERMOTABS
Salt Supplement Buffered
It's used as a nutritional support for chronic fatigue, muscle cramps and heat prostation.
Per tablet:
Chloride 287 mg (as sodium and potassium chloride) 8% Daily Value
Sodium 180 mg (as sodium chloride) 8% Daily Value
Potassium 15 mg (as potassium chloride) <1%
 Have an excellent trip!


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## Ian (Jan 16, 2003)

Bee escapes, pallets, straps, smoker, extra excluders, empty box of foundation topand bottom to catch the odd swarm, hive tools,and water

empty boxes out, full boxes in,


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## jim lyon (Feb 19, 2006)

I think I might need to take along different trucks tomorrow, one started running hot and the other must have a defect in the temp reading as it was showing 109 on the display, but of course the wind was blowing so that wasnt figuring in the wind chill factor.....right??????


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## Tom G. Laury (May 24, 2008)

Jim can't you just coast down the hills to cool it off?


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## honeyshack (Jan 6, 2008)

Isn't that just the way. Just when you need that piece of equipment it decided to take a vacation!


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## Tom G. Laury (May 24, 2008)

Shack; how did it go? Were the supers full? So much easier to pull when all is capped.


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

Cost less to remove full supers than it does empty ones, I think. More productive anyway. Almost feel like stripping all colonies down to one super until I see honey in it.


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## Michael Palmer (Dec 29, 2006)

A bucket of water.


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

And a dipper?


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## honeyshack (Jan 6, 2008)

I am off to the first yard this morning. 3 and 4 weeks ago we had a massive heat wave which dried everything out. Two weeks ago some decent rain. Last week was the first real fly week so i wanted to give them time to pack it in so to speak. Then i was in the hay field due to the threat of rain...so now i am checking. Will report tonight!.


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## honeyshack (Jan 6, 2008)

brought home full supers. Not as many as i would like but some. Some hives in the yard have a near full box +1. But this year the girls just can not get it together. They keep backfilling in the brood nest. I've openned the nests on this yard 2x since july2. Now i have to do it again. ?????


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## wildbranch2007 (Dec 3, 2008)

honeyshack said:


> They keep backfilling in the brood nest.


they have been doing the same in N.Y. all year, I started bottom supering instead of top supering and once they had filled the top brood chamber they finally started filling more of the honey supers. I know you shouldn't give human attributes to bees but I think they remember last winter and aren't taking any chances. I asked a beek from Penn, that has hive in N.Y. and he is seeing the same thing.
and both of us have less than one year ould queens and plenty of brood so I discount the theory of lousy queens.


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## honeyshack (Jan 6, 2008)

I am hearing this from other beekeepers too. Some in Manitoba and some in ND. The honey is there, just got to get it from the chambers. Thing is, with the back fill, I am seeing less bees because she does not have the room to lay eggs.


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## Tim Stewart (Jul 19, 2009)

All I can say is NJ had a good year--and ive got bees on a flow now when July-August is usually a dearth. You folks with no honey, next year will be better....

About what I bring, f350 with empties on the back of the truck, and lids on them. Smoker, hive tool, fume boards, bee go (or honey robber), smoker, hive tool and water. With the empties on the back of the truck the fulls go farther forwards so the weight is where I want it. Lids move from back to front, and all goes well.

Tim Stewart


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## The Honey Householder (Nov 14, 2008)

Don't forget the snanks.opcorn:opcorn:


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## chillardbee (May 26, 2005)

What do I take?

2-2liters of water (one frozen) it melts.
a bucket of water
Bee blower and gas can
tarp
and thats about it.


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## gregstahlman (Oct 7, 2009)

sirius radio!!! we have lousy radio stations around here. lol


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## Ian (Jan 16, 2003)

Its hard to do anything about brood nest back filling this time of year. If the queen isnt going to use the space, the bees will fill it with nectar. 
If your worried about the space she has to lay in, wait until the flow is nearly over, then add space right in her nest. That way they will not fill the frame with honey as easy


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## odfrank (May 13, 2002)

The Honey Householder said:


> Don't forget the snanks.opcorn:opcorn:


snakes or skanks?


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## Tom G. Laury (May 24, 2008)

Now that's funny od. :lpf:


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## high rate of speed (Jan 4, 2008)

plenty of snakes around here just bring the skanks....


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## Tom G. Laury (May 24, 2008)

You can pick them both up along the side of the road.


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## The Honey Householder (Nov 14, 2008)

SIRIUS and SKANKS! Now we're ready to pull honey!!!:wiener::banana:


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## Johnny (Sep 7, 2007)

Hahaha lol! Now you guys are out of control! Do you get to bring home any left overs home? That is snanks I'm tlkin about or snacks


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## Keith Jarrett (Dec 10, 2006)

Johnny said:


> Hahaha lol! Now you guys are out of control!


That's what happens when you don't have any honey too pull.


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## odfrank (May 13, 2002)

Keith Jarrett said:


> That's what happens when you don't have any honey too pull.


I have honey to pull but no time or skanks to help me.


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## loggermike (Jul 23, 2000)

My yards are too far out in the wilds for skanks, but they have skinks. And rattlers too. 

The main thing to take for efficiently pulling honey is young people with strong backs.:thumbsup:


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