Extracting set honey

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Eddie

New Bee
Joined
Jan 7, 2009
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Location
near Stockbridge, Hants
Hive Type
14x12
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3
I took my supers off yesterday and all looked fine. Today I started extracting and have found a large amount of honey has set in the supers. I did fully extract the rape earlier in the year so it's not a hangover from that in case you ask.

My question is this: What is the easiest way to extract the honey from the supers in this case. I don't have any specialist gear except a manual extractor and the kitchen oven. Can I warm them in the oven at say 50 degrees C and then try again.

Thank in advance.
 
Best thing to do is cut the lot out and melt, the wax will float and the honey will sit below, keep the temp to near 63 degrees as the wax melts at 63 degrees, if these are the same supers that the OSR came from then any leftovers in the cells will start the granulation process. Trouble is the honey can spoil if over heated. If you have no specialist kit always melt out over water,(bain marie) no direct heat as wax will burn, hence candles.
Kev
 
Leave it for the bees to use in the winter and spend the money you would have spent on sugar buying some local honey which you can re-label and pass off as your own!
 
Set against 'what you intend to do' with 'what is in there'. If replacing frames and foundation - what are the economics of returning at least some to the bees. As Rooftops says, sugar costs money too.

I found some areas of my frames were granulated - they are back on the hive for the bees to shift it out for me.

If melting do not exceed 50 degrees or likely the honey will be impaired. Warm slowly and evenly but not for an extended period. I would prefer the comb was cut up and the honey melted away from the wax, as in using a sieve to keep most of the wax out of the honey (might, or might not, work). Warm only to a temperature where the honey liquidises - some go at lower temperatures (and yours should not need as high a temperature as granulated OSR).

I would be doing just enough to satisfy my domestic needs for the year, as offering for sale honey extracted this way is not the ideal situation and you may finish up contavening a regulation or two.

If you are thinking warming a frame to 50 degrees and not expecting it to collapse, I fear you will be disappointed. Wax does not melt until over 60 but certainly softens and looses structural stability in membranes of that thickness at lower temperatures.

Regards, RAB
 
It's not about the economics

If I wanted to make money it certainly wouldn't be keeping bees!

I am really interested in getting the honey out. It seems the best way is to cut the foundation out and gently warm it until the honey melts but not the wax.

I'm guessing doing this in the oven is the fastest way.
 
What I have done in the past is to dunk the frames in water/ give the super a good soaking and place it back on the hive above the crown board, I block off one porter escape hole and leave the other one half open.

This time of year they will most probably clean out the super and store it below and you'll end up with a dry, empty super.

Enzo.
 
Sometimes our greenhouse is warm enough to liquefy hard honey. Just wait for the Indian summer.
 
If you want to make money don't keep bees! However, to offset your losses you could always try selling it as cut comb honey. I suspect it won't sell quickly and repeat orders will be few but who knows? Remove any wire in the comb first of course. Any complaints deal with along the lines of "it's artisan honey - so you should expect it to be a bit chewy."
 
As already said, no more than 50°C.

Cut out and chop / mash into smallish pieces and use the bain-marie method, one container stood in an outer container of water. Wax will slowly form a crust on the top and can be scooped of and strained through a large holed sieve, honey can simply be ladled into a container.

"ABC" for food conservation with temperature control and timer with a stainless steel bucket inside.

Steriliser1.jpg


Used-as-bain-marie.jpg


Well worth it if you have a lot.

Chris
 
I took my supers off yesterday and all looked fine. Today I started extracting and have found a large amount of honey has set in the supers. I did fully extract the rape earlier in the year so it's not a hangover from that in case you ask.

My question is this: What is the easiest way to extract the honey from the supers in this case. I don't have any specialist gear except a manual extractor and the kitchen oven. Can I warm them in the oven at say 50 degrees C and then try again.

Thank in advance.

could be spring sown OSR that flowers much later, Spring OSR was sown this year in our area for the first time
 
Fed up and sticky all over...

What a P.I.A!!!

All that effort and honey and cappings everywhere.

Is it just me or is processing honey the worst part of keeping bees?

Managed 50 lbs out of two colonies (plus 24 lbs earlier in the year from rape), and now I have to bottle and label the stuff. 15 lbs were set and had to be heated out of the wax.

I wonder, how much mead can I make out of 74 lbs?

Where can I get custom ROUND labels printed up?
 
What a P.I.A!!!

All that effort and honey and cappings everywhere.

Is it just me or is processing honey the worst part of keeping bees?

Managed 50 lbs out of two colonies (plus 24 lbs earlier in the year from rape), and now I have to bottle and label the stuff. 15 lbs were set and had to be heated out of the wax.

I wonder, how much mead can I make out of 74 lbs?

Where can I get custom ROUND labels printed up?
enough for a serious hangover
 
I am really interested in getting the honey out. It seems the best way is to cut the foundation out and gently warm it until the honey melts but not the wax.

I'm guessing doing this in the oven is the fastest way.

Yes, that's the way to do it. But no need to cut out the combs, just scrape back to the midrib.

I would not heat honey to the temperature at which wax melts because that is the way to ruin it.

40 deg C to a max of 50 deg C will do what you want.
 

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