Honey extraction on the cheap!

Hi all

Today I would like to show you a way to get good quality, yet cheap equipment for honey extraction. Firstly this week I have been a bit sick, and very busy, yet was able to do some of the DIY work during this time, so its quite easy to do.

If you are here on this page then you probably know some of the very basic things you need for extraction in what ever method you choose, be it crush and strain, gravity only or extraction machine that spines the honey out of the frames (leaving the Flow hive system out of this section). I have chosen the latter and more common honey extraction that uses a honey extractor, which spins the honey out of the frames, but more on this later. Firstly lets go over some basic equipment,for crush and strain, basically you cut the comb out of the frames in to a bowl or dish, mash it down with a large spoon or similar and then strain the honey through filtering. This is fine,but wastes the comb (wax), there are arguments for and against, some say its healthy for bees to make more wax, others say its not, I sit on the fence for most things like this so I go with what I feel. What you need is 2 buckets of food grade quality to put the crushed honey into, the top bucket has holes in the bottom and a mesh net to strain the honey and the bottom then collects it. Ill post some videos from some great Youtubers for this example.

Bee Vlog original set up.
Bee Vlog Modifications Part 1
Bee Vlog Modifications Part 2
Mahako Bees crush and strain tips.

Ok so thats crush and strain, not too bad, what about if you want to keep the comb intact? well theres 2 ways I know of, both you must remove the cappings (what the bees cover each cell once the honey is of the right moisture content) you can do this with long fillet knives, serrated bread knives, or purpose made uncapping knives that are serrated, or come with the ability to heat the blade up through an electrically powered heating element inside the blade or even steam. These make it much easier.

You may also need an Uncapping fork, this helps remove the caps that the knife cant get. I got mine in my initial package from Iwoohoo Beekeeping online, link below
http://beekeeping.iwoohoo.com.au/
I do intend on getting an electric knife at some point, that way I have to uncapping knifes at one time, hopefully shortening the time in that area.

One way to then get the honey out, is the gravity way, I have only found a little about this method as its slow and not used much anymore. I read that it was supposedly the method used by people before extractors were made. Basically you put the frame face down over a tub in a warm protected area for some time to let the honey dribble out, then flip it over to do the other side of the frame. This sounds very time consuming to me, I could imagine it being a long time with just 10 frames but say you have 20, 30, even 50 or more hives full of at least 10 frames each.... Eeekk! It would probably take up a lot of room to make it a little quicker by doing as many frames as you can at once. But if you are starting out, with a few frames, it may be a good way to get that first honey harvest done.

The most common, and by far easiest and less destructive way is by using an extractor. These are large drums that have machinery in it that spin a certain amount frames to use the centrifugal force to push the honey out of the cells. They can be hand driven, or electrically driven via a motor, they also come in different grades of construction and from plastics to stainless steel. The other things to look for is how many frames it can spin at once, they start at just 2 at a time which is perfect for a beginner, or just around the 1-4 hives, so I have read is recommended, yet I have seen people using just a 2 frame hand crank extractor do well over 100 hives and get it done in one day! They do come in more, such as 3, 4, 6 all the way up 20 frames and more!

Another thing too look at is how the spinner works, Im talking about whether it Tangential or Radial. Its not a huge issue I believe, one spines with the faces of the frames toward the wall of the extractor (Tangential) the other has the frames on edge (Radial).

Can anyone tell me what the difference is? WRONG....I mean RIGHT! ummm I cant actually tell what you might have thought so hrrmm sorry. Basically Tangential means you will have to flip the frames around and spin again as it only does one side at a time, Radial does both, basically the jist of it! Does it matter, ahh no not really, I mean go with what you want.

So what did I go? Well I was going to just hire the clubs one, reasonable price but I have a thing about not having my own, but to be honest local bee supplies have then starting at at $400 for just a 2 frame plastic extractor.... YOUCH! They then go up into the thousands depending on what number of frames, drive power and material they are. I found some online from brick and mortar stores around the country that are plastic 2 frame for around $190, still a bit steep for a plastic bucket and a wire basket.

So did I DIY my own? no, I found the effort and cost was not worth it here for me anyway, I know I wouldn't be able to hold the the machine in balance too well and didn't trust the metals I would have to use, but there are plans online if you wish to give it a go, I know I was close. I found a machine on eBay
though, good price, stainless, 2 frame, well built and can even come in sizes of around 3-4-6 frames, I went this way because one day I may wish to upgrade in size and I can just donate this one to the club when I do. A steal at $130 with a 10% discount, plus basically getting 2 honey gates free (more on them later). Here's the extractor:

Now onto another part, its not necessary but I really wanted one, its called an Uncapping Tank. Basically they are 2 food grade containers that sit on top of each other, the top one has a mesh bottom.

What you do is put the the frame on the screw on that wooden cross piece, this allows you to balance and turn the frame when uncapping, the cappings fall into the container with the mesh and the honey then drains down into the bottom container, which you can drain into your honey storage via the honey gate scene in the picture. Its basically a giant tap/plug for honey to flow easily.

I have tried to make my own, due to the fact they start at $160 from local bee supplies :O gasp! I made my first attempt from spare storage containers I had from cheap stores (such as the reject shop here in Australia)

The idea was simple, saw others try it online too, drill some holes in one containers bottom, uses a mesh or fly screen and then add some wood across the top of the bottom container to hold it all up. and another with a screw that would be the frame rest. This was fine, but to be honest I just couldn't handle that it wasn't food grade. I wouldn't leave it outside and I thought I wouldn't keep the honey in there long but it would still be long enough so I scrapped it.

I then decided to get my supplies from Bunnings (large Australian hardware chain), I knew I could get all I needed from there. I grabbed 2 54L food grade fish storage containers, the type the trawlers use to keep their catch in, I also grabbed just one lid that fit them, a piece of aluminum fly screen mesh as its stronger and safer to use then fiber glass mesh. I also grabbed 12 stainless steel bolts. I cut out the bottom of one contain and cut a piece of mesh out to the correct size and attached it the container floor via the stainless bolts. I still had the 2 supports from the first attempt but whats awesome is that these boxes can be switch around directionally and either fit inside one another or stack on top, so using these 2 supports made from left over 4x2 used in the bench build I added a screw to each and now have 2 frame holders for 2 people to use at once. This all cost me a total of $60 and is larger then store bought and I have plenty of things spare, especially mesh. I do have honey gates on the way, one to add to the bottom container and the other for my 20L bucket. Here's the pics:

I also ordered a strainer, theres a million types that are beekeeping specific, all expensive locally though, from plastic to steel ones that look like the meshed kitchen ones, which I would say you can use. I wanted one that would fit the bucket, so went for the double layer steel type that has and adjustable bucket bracket. Again, ebay is mine, and your friend, just make sure you check descriptions and use paypal!

So thats been my week in the apiary, hope this helps some of you, just remember, you get what you pay for, but not as most people think, sometimes the cheaper priced items last better the expensive ones, you just have to way up the options that suit you best!

Cheers