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Show Working people ' 'If and the marketplace Tfr- Wednesday October 1, 1986 ;P73SE3E K Bees produce honey inside wooden frames and seal it with wax. LAYTON Chances are the old cliche busy as a bec was originated by either a beekeeper or a honey extractor or both. And Layton resident Wilburn Phelps, owner of Wilburn's Honey Farm, is just that. Phelps, who has dabbled in beekeeping for more than 13 years as just a hobby, said he works as a honey extractor and e basis for beekeeper on a u part-tim- his business. e at a Salt Phelps works d Lake corporation. We produce about 12 to 13 full-tim- City-base- tons of honey yearly, Phelps said. And we leave approximately 50 to 60 pounds of honey out in the field for the bees to winter on. YnA .4 k.. ; i S.P v JV, :. V t 6Ml V y He sells honey extracted from the hives to area wholesalers for $8.50 a gallon. Phelps said he places his 350 or more hives, also known as supers, out in canyon areas from Kaysville to Lost Creek during the middle of May, then collects them when the weather turns cold or when the fall season be- - gins. The weather is the determin- V ing factor ' of how much honey produced by the bees, - Y PTrt,." uK' $ u I soon as there are freezing temperatures, the bees producing season ends. The honey the bees produce h over the period fill frames in the e hives, he said. Upon filling the frames, the bees seal the honeycombs with a wax they secrete. The wax is later cut from the frames with an autoknife. This promated cess is known as honey As j 5 fua & s four-mont- man-mad- - X is he said. c hot-cutti- extraction. The honey is then placed into a tank with baffles that use centrifugal force to separate the wax from the honey. The product is then filtered through nylon screens which remove any remaining wax particles, Phelps said. The honey is allowed to settle in a holding tank for approximately 48 hours after extraction, k A bee in he said. However, everything about the honey business isn't as sweet as it the wild gathers nectar from a sunflower. U.js'MU.WjijW..V.U'.lf u-- Ul- - , h Ik IjP - Y Is4' 5 fvlC' ur uU V IO Vsv.y fllA Y vY Pv ' I r J f d vT,rr y Ol'H' ' f v l I .V V vuuu v I '; x . jfTj 15 ' vv 9 'A hot-cutti- sounds. The most difficult task in honey extraction is actually going out to the hives and removing the bees from the honey, said Ted Gross, assistant extractor. Gross said they use a powerful hand-helblow gun to remove the worker bees from the hives, in order to reduce the number of bees transported back to the honey extraction plant. But even with a blow gun and matesuits made of a canvas-lik- e rial, both Phelps and Gross said if mad enough the bees will sting !i V Shaving wax from frames, beekeeper Wilbur Phelps uses an automated knife. Honey from Wilburns Honey Farm is sold in unique containers. V ( 1 rx v ja ; anyway. 1 YOx .vVyfebYOA Y. I ,s ; ,vi , . 1 , u . i" ! - I . 'o " flesh. ?f i , - xv y VI f: The best thing to do if a bee stings you is just scratch it off and get on your way, Phelps said. But never pinch the bee or you will push both the stinger and the venom further into the Y U a ..; ,r ' t'itory by Bryon Saxton .M4 .V Y 4Y Jf Photos by Rodney Wright s.tfi a- p ' I X;,. . Z 'X Y. k v A iS: uaWi1i t |