Hello

[Tarkus]

I kept bees for a number of years in So CAL and made a lot of mead, then moved back to Oregon, took a big hit on my bee's (southern bees didn't like northern clime's) just getting re-established with bee's. After being back here a few years found that the neighbors on the ranches/farms around me don't bother to harvest or use the vast majority of the fruit growing on they're properties (mostly pears and apples some plum's) and I hate waste, so I've started collecting what I can along with my own trees, intending to cider and or ferment most of it (I can only dehydrate and can so much) It's been a few years so thought checking you guys out would be a good idea.

 

[lumpher]

Hey Tarkus. Welcome. This is a good place to learn and help others to learn. Some of us here also have too much fruit of various kinds and we liquefy that, just as you say. I have several gallons of wine for the same reason.

 

[Ivan1234]

Hello, I am joining your company. My father has always been a beekeeper. We had a big apiary. I now want to resume my father's business. I often cook mead, but I buy honey

 

[Tarkus]

Hey Ivan, my apiary was on the small side comparatively, only 120-140 colonies, some of my colleague's ran as many as 15,000 (professionals). I started off doing live bee removal in southern CA which not only added to my colonies quickly but also gave me a huge amount of "wall" honey to play with, anywhere from 700-1,500 lbs of honey and comb a year. Back in the early 80's I played at making mead with store bought honey and had mediocre results, with the large influx of comb/honey, I had a bit more incentive and a lower cost on mistakes I managed to start making some decent Mead based beverages (Mead, Cycer, Pyment and melomel) and found it simple (I was over complicating it before)

 

[Ivan1234]

Hey Ivan, my apiary was on the small side comparatively, only 120-140 colonies, some of my colleague's ran as many as 15,000 (professionals). I started off doing live bee removal in southern CA which not only added to my colonies quickly but also gave me a huge amount of "wall" honey to play with, anywhere from 700-1,500 lbs of honey and comb a year. Back in the early 80's I played at making mead with store bought honey and had mediocre results, with the large influx of comb/honey, I had a bit more incentive and a lower cost on mistakes I managed to start making some decent Mead based beverages (Mead, Cycer, Pyment and melomel) and found it simple (I was over complicating it before)

Thank you for sharing your experience. I am impressed that you were able to start making decent honey based beverages with the large influx of comb and honey from your live bee removal business.

 

[ncbrewer]

Welcome to HBT.

 

[redrocker652002]

Howdy from the San Francisco area. Where in Oregon? I am about to put an offer down on a house in a small town called Prineville just outside Redmond.