Comments on: Extracting Honey Without an Extractor

By: Phil

Phil — Thu, 08 Jul 2021 09:40:12 +0000

Would heating the honey-and-wax mixture not destroy the biologically active ingredients of the honey? I scrape the wax foundation to release the honey and then put it all in a muslin sheet which I gather around the mass and hang over a receptacle to catch the honey. The wax is later recovered and washed to remove traces of honey. I dry, then melt the wax and filter it through paper towel to retrieve very clean product.

By: John Stavridis

John Stavridis — Tue, 07 Apr 2020 15:27:26 +0000

I read with fascination your article on extracting honey with out an extractor. Just a couple of quick questions. How long did it take for the honey to run through the screened strainer? Did you also run the honey through a cloth strainer a second time to remove any pieces of wax?
I live in columbus, ohio and unfortunately, my bees did not survive the winter (despite feeding them in the fall and over the winter). When i cleaned out the hive, i was amazed at how much “product” was left in the frames. I say product because very little of what i saw looked like the nice white capped honey that you show in your pics. much of mine was uncapped and looked like nectar (or perhaps storage of the sugar water from my feeder) or was dark looking. The frames also had powdery mold on the top. I had built a quilt frame and put it in last fall but believe water got in the hive (we had a very wet spring this year). I worry about disease though. Does this sound like the hive died due to moisture, or disease? The mold is what concerns me the most. I appreciate any advice you might offer. Thanks.

By: Steve

Steve — Fri, 27 Mar 2020 23:21:18 +0000

Jennifer

I am a first year beekeeper this year, 3 hives overwintered well. I had a huge ant problem. massive amount of ants in the lids. I tried this and I have had zero ants in my hives. Zero. My hives are sitting on two 4 x 4’s that are sitting on a large concrete block at each end. I took vaseline and wiped a 2″ band around the block. The ants cannot climb through the vaseline and have no other route. Super cheap and easy and 100% effective. Hope the tip helps you or others.

Steve

By: Dawn Pizzoferrato

Dawn Pizzoferrato — Sat, 14 Mar 2020 19:21:35 +0000

Is that strainer plastic or stainless steel?

By: KBB Editor

KBB Editor — Tue, 17 Dec 2019 19:29:52 +0000

In reply to Darrell.

Darrell,

1) I hope that other folks here answer you.
2) We’ll be adding your question to our Bee Questions answered podcast with Becky Tipton that comes out once a month. Look for it on the Mother Earth News and Friends website: https://www.motherearthnews.com/podcast

By: Darrell

Darrell — Sun, 15 Dec 2019 14:00:56 +0000

When you take your comb that has been crushed and strained and then heat it up to separate the last of the honey and wax – at what temp to you heat it up to and for how long?

By: Shayne Starkey

Shayne Starkey — Sun, 20 Oct 2019 22:00:05 +0000

Very interesting article. I have wax foundation in my frames. Can I still use the scraping method of extraction? Will it damage the foundation sheets or should I cut the whole lot out and crush it all up and then remake the frames? I like the thought of giving the bees back something to rebuild.

By: Aimee

Aimee — Fri, 18 Oct 2019 16:47:12 +0000

I am so glad that you don’t have to buy an extractor!!! I am going to get bees in the spring, and I don’t want to have to buy an extractor!

By: vn patil

vn patil — Mon, 19 Nov 2018 06:38:17 +0000

I am New in this field. I retired from Indian army. Please guide me which place is good for keeping the colony (Boxes).

By: Morning Feedings | The Byrd and the Bees

Morning Feedings | The Byrd and the Bees — Tue, 30 Oct 2018 00:52:17 +0000

[…] But back to our first honey harvest. We took two frames, which we extracted without an extractor. If you’re curious how this works, go here: https://www.keepingbackyardbees.com/extracting-honey-without-extractor/. […]