If you own and have raised a bee hive, it will be time to collect and taste the honey they have produced. Harvesting honey may seem like a difficult process, but by taking the right precautions and following all the steps carefully, the effort will be adequately rewarded.
Steps
Method 1 of 4: Part One: Take the Honeycomb
Step 1. Choose the right time for collection
On a sunny day, most bees will be out of the hive between 9 and 16 in search of food. Collect honey within this time frame so that you have fewer bees to worry about.
- The season you harvest can greatly affect the yield and quality of honey. In late summer and early autumn, bees stop producing honey to feed the queen bee, so many cells will be empty. In general, you should therefore harvest honey early in the season.
- Harvest 2-3 weeks after the first nectar stream. You can ask when this happens to professional beekeepers in your area or you can determine it yourself by weighing the honeycomb every night throughout midsummer. The first nectar flow occurs when the hive reaches its maximum weight.
Step 2. Put on a protective suit
There is no way to completely avoid the bees attacking you when you remove the honeycomb from their hive. So a beekeeper suit is recommended when harvesting honey.
- At a minimum, make sure you have thick gloves that reach up to the elbow, a hat with a protective veil, and a bee-proof overalls. You should also wear a long-sleeved shirt and long pants.
- If you are really willing to be a beekeeper, you should invest in a professional suit.
Step 3. Gently smoke the bees
Turn on the smoker and move along the back of the hive. Blow smoke at the entrance to the hive, then carefully lift the lid and blow some smoke into the opening.
- This operation should move the bees towards the lower part of the hive and away from the honeycombs.
- A smoker is essentially a can filled with newspapers. Set the paper on fire to produce smoke and push the smoke out through the pipe.
- When smoke invades the hive, the bees react as if it were on fire. They stuff themselves with honey and doze off, which causes them to deposit on the bottom of the hive and therefore makes them less combative.
- Use as little smoke as possible. Smoking can compromise the taste of honey, so if you fill the hive with smoke even after most of the bees have calmed down, you are only spoiling the flavor of the final product.
Step 4. Open the hive
Use the special tool to lift the inner lid of the top of the hive. This tool looks like a small crowbar. Slide it under the lid and press down on the tool to lift the lid.
Bees seal the edges of their hives with a resinous material called "propolis". The welding is quite strong, so you will not be able to lift the inner lid without the help of the special tool
Step 5. Remove the bees
There may still be some bees around the frame that you want to extract. One of the safest ways to get rid of these bees is to use a small electric or gas blower.
- If you don't have a blower, you can use a "bee brush", a tool that literally sweeps the bees off the frame. However, the brush can be risky, because it makes the bees agitated and makes them more likely to attack you and those around you.
- If any bees get trapped in honey before you can get them away, you will need to remove them from the honey with your hands.
Step 6. Detach the honeycomb
The honeycomb will be attached to the frame with wax. Use a small knife, fork, or blunt butter knife to remove the wax and detach the honeycomb from both sides of the frame.
If you have spare frames, you can remove the whole frame and remove the honeycomb out of the hive. Slide the new frame inside the hive after removing the old one. It is the recommended procedure to minimize exposure to angry bees
Step 7. Take the honeycomb to a closed room
If you leave the honeycomb exposed to the open air, the surrounding bees will be attracted to the scent and will begin to gather in swarms. They will "steal" or feast on honey, making the extraction process more difficult and less effective.
- You will have to start working the honeycomb as soon as you have removed it from the hive. At this stage, the honey will still be relatively fluid but will begin to harden if you let it sit.
- If the honey begins to harden before you can work it, put it in a warm and sunny place for a few minutes so that, by heating up a little, it returns to a fluid state.
Method 2 of 4: Part Two: Extracting the Honey with an Extractor
Step 1. Put the frame in the extractor
There are both electric and crank models. Regardless of the type used, the frame or frames must be placed directly in the cylinder of the machine. Snap the frames together so they stay in place.
The exact method for securing the frames to the extractor cylinder varies from model to model. Make sure you have the instructions for the model you are using or understand how it works
Step 2. Spin the frames
Operate the machine by hand or press the switch so that the motor does the rest. While the extractor spins the frames, the honey will deposit on the walls of the drum. From there it will gradually descend to the bottom.
Step 3. Filter the honey using cheesecloth
Put several layers of gauze over the mouth of a collection bucket and place the bucket under the extractor faucet. Open the faucet and let the honey flow through the cheesecloth.
- The filtration process eliminates bits of honeycomb, wax and other debris that can fall on the honey during the extraction process.
- It will take you several hours to extract and filter the honey, so try to be patient.
Method 3 of 4: Part Three: Extracting Honey Without an Extractor
Step 1. Put the honeycomb in a large bucket
If you have not yet detached it from the frame, do it now. Tear apart the honeycomb so you can put it in the bucket.
You can break the honeycomb with your hands
Step 2. Chop the honeycomb into a pulp
Use a potato masher to mash the honeycomb until it becomes uniform mush and there are no more distinguishable pieces.
Step 3. Filter the honey
Place a colander, filter bag, or multiple layers of gauze over the drain bucket. Pour in the mash and let the honey gradually separate and collect in the bucket below.
- It may take hours for the process to complete.
- If you want to speed up the process, you can mash the mush with your hands. Keep in mind, however, that this could create a mess and won't speed up the process that much.
- Some of the mush may not fall out of the preparation bucket by itself. In this case, you need to use a scraper to remove any residue left on the bottom and sides of the bucket.
Method 4 of 4: Part Four: Put the Honey in the Jar
Step 1. Sterilize the containers
Wash any jars or bottles you intend to use with warm, soapy water. Rinse well and let dry completely.
- Use plastic or glass containers.
- Even if the container has never been used, you still need to clean it thoroughly to prevent the honey from being contaminated.
Step 2. Pot the honey
Pour the honey into the containers using a spoon or funnel. Close the jars or bottles with airtight lids.
Monitor the jars for a few days. If there is any residue, it will move to the surface of the honey within two to three days. Remove any residue and seal the jars so they will keep for a long time
Step 3. Store and then taste the honey
Organic honey can be stored for many months at room temperature, as long as the jars are tightly sealed.
The amount of honey you collect will depend on the size of the honeycomb, the health of the bees, the harvest season and how productive the season was. Under optimal conditions, you can get about 1.6kg of honey for each honeycomb
Advice
If you get the chance, follow an experienced beekeeper as they harvest honey before trying to do it yourself
Warnings
- Do not collect "green honey". It is nectar that has not yet been cleaned and processed by bees. It has a high water content and is fertile ground for the growth of yeasts, so it is generally not safe to consume it.
- Make sure all machinery and tools are thoroughly cleaned before letting them come into contact with honey.
- DO NOT harvest honey if you are or may be allergic to bee stings.
