Upscaling from Hobbyist to Sideliner - The Honey House (321)

Expanding a beekeeping operation brings new challenges, especially when it comes to processing and bottling honey efficiently. In this episode, Jeff and Becky continue their series on upscaling from hobbyist to sideliner beekeeping with a deep dive into honey house design and equipment. They welcome back John Rath, co-owner of Betterbee, who shares his expertise on selecting the right extractor, uncapping system, and storage solutions to match a growing beekeeping business. John explains the key decisions beekeepers must make when scaling up, from choosing the right equipment to optimizing workflow and managing space. He offers practical advice on warm rooms, sump systems, and the benefits of an extracting line, as well as common pitfalls to avoid when designing a honey house. Whether you're processing honey in your dining room or considering a dedicated facility, this episode is packed with valuable insights to help beekeepers streamline their extraction process. The conversation covers the importance of planning for long-term growth, ensuring proper power and plumbing, and making strategic investments to save time and labor. John also discusses ways beekeepers can offset costs by offering extraction services to others and shares ideas for efficient bottling and wax processing. If you're looking to make honey harvesting more manageable and efficient, this episode provides the guidance you need to take the next step. Websites we recommend: Honey House Sanitation & Food Safety: https://beekeepingtodaypodcast.com/287 Honey Bee Health Coalition: https://honeybeehealthcoalition.org The National Honey Board: https://honey.com Honey Bee Obscura Podcast: https://honeybeeobscura.com 2 Million Blossoms - The Podcast: https://2millionblossoms.com Copyright © 2025 by Growing Planet Media, LLC ______________ Betterbee is the presenting sponsor of Beekeeping Today Podcast. Betterbee's mission is to support every beekeeper with excellent customer service, continued education and quality equipment. From their colorful and informative catalog to their support of beekeeper educational activities, including this podcast series, Betterbee truly is Beekeepers Serving Beekeepers . See for yourself at www.betterbee.com This episode is brought to you by Global Patties ! Global offers a variety of standard and custom patties. Visit them today at http://globalpatties.com and let them know you appreciate them sponsoring this episode! Thanks to Bee Smart Designs as a sponsor of this podcast! Bee Smart Designs is the creator of innovative, modular and interchangeable hive systems made in the USA using recycled and American sourced materials. Bee Smart Designs - Simply better beekeeping for the modern beekeeper. Thanks to Strong Microbials for their support of Beekeeping Today Podcast. Find out more about their line of probiotics in our Season 3, Episode 12 episode and from their website: https://www.strongmicrobials.com Thanks for Northern Bee Books for their support. Northern Bee Books is the publisher of bee books available worldwide from their website or from Amazon and bookstores everywhere. They are also the publishers of The Beekeepers Quarterly and Natural Bee Husbandry . _______________ We hope you enjoy this podcast and welcome your questions and comments in the show notes of this episode or: questions@beekeepingtodaypodcast.com Thank you for listening! Podcast music: Be Strong by Young Presidents ; Epilogue by Musicalman ; Faraday by BeGun; Walking in Paris by Studio Le Bus ; A Fresh New Start by Pete Morse ; Wedding Day by Boomer ; Christmas Avenue by Immersive Music ; Red Jack Blues by Daniel Hart ; Original guitar background instrumental by Jeff Ott. Beekeeping Today Podcast is an audio production of Growing Planet Media, LLC Copyright © 2025 by Growing Planet Media, LLC