Susan's Gardening Tips | Garden Tips

Jul 25

Honey Harvesting

Honey harvesting tips…

Here are some excellent honey harvesting tips for all backyard beekeepers…

Collecting the Honey

Clearly the whole reason to set up, maintain, and stock a beehive is to be able to harvest honey. You will know that it’s time to harvest the honey once you take a look in one of your hives supers and discover that the frames are filled with honey combs that your bees have lined with wax caps.

Now all you have to do is take out the honey combs.

Harvesting honey will not be a concern as long as your put on all your beekeeping suit, wear light coloured garments (beekeepers swear that lighter coloured clothing have a calming affect on bees) and stay calm.

If the super is full of capped honey combs you’re going to have to remove the bees from that particular super. There are chemicals available on the market that could make this easier. One common chemical that beekeepers use to remove bees from the super is Bee-Go. All the beekeepers ought to do is put Bee-Go to a fumer board. When the bees smell the Bee-Go they go to the base of the hive, leaving the super full of capped honeycombs bare for you to harvest. One more product beekeepers use to empty supers is one referred to as Fishers Bee Quick. Neither of these products hurt the bees, the bees simply find the scent unpleasant and move away from it.

Now that you are in possession of the honey comb you ought to prepare it to be removed.

The first step on this preparation is to take out the wax caps the bees have made use of to stick the honey into the honey comb. Various beekeepers favor to use nine frames rather than ten in their supers. By making use of 9 frames they provide the bees enough room to get the comb out, placing the cap precisely on the very border of the comb. This makes it easier to take out the wax caps. Beekeepers utilize a metal knife to take out the caps, the knife is really helpful if the knife blade is warmed, after all its simpler to cut warm wax then it’s to cut cold wax. You’ll be able to keep the knife blade warm by way of repeated dipping in a basin that is full of warm water. Various beekeepers like to use their bread knife to remove the wax caps from the honey comb while others choose an electrical knife that is meant just for beekeepers. What do you think bee’s wax candles are made out of. Removing the caps from the saturated honey is simple, just use a piece of cheese material to clear out the contents right into another pot, the honey would drain through the cheesecloth and the bee’s wax caps will gather on the top. As soon as the caps are removed from the honey comb the honey is able to be removed.

While you take out the caps, allow them to fall into a pot, don’t simply through them away. You will discover that there is a surprising quantity of honey attached to these caps, honey that could be processed and used. Furthermore there’s a market for the wax caps. As soon as the caps have been removed from the honeycombs the honey combs are ready to have the honey extracted.