March
21
March
21
Bee School March 20 – Honey Time
Extracting the Honey, Processing and Making New Products
Tonight should be interesting as we learn how to get the payback for helping our pollinators. I am proud of our MHSEABS (Mount Holly Smith Educational Apiary Bee School.
Please go to Lesson 22 which I just created on this topic for more information and more videos.
- The day before the harvest you need to have a good idea of what you are harvesting. Good time to check condition of frames
- Be sure your smoker operational and have plenty of fuel. There will be a good bit of wax and propelus to break apart. You may want o do this the day before the harvest
- Be sure all of your equipment is ready. A wagon or some carrying device is wise to have along with you.
- A bee brush is really essential to move the bees out of the way and prevent them from stacking up.
- Keep your extractor in prestige equipment. Should be well maintained and cleaned after each extraction.
- Take a look at your weather when you extract. Wind can work against you.
- Using is fume board to move the bees down. (I use a natural walnut extract…smells great to us, but bees hate it.)
- Do not smoke the front of hive once you add fume board as this will drive them back up.
- Have a plastic cover to place on the ground so you can place supers on this rather than the ground.
- If the entire super is not filled, just take out the ones that are good and be sure to replace with empty frames.
- Place these frames you are taking in an air-tight box.
- Continue to move to the next super and making your harvest.
- A good way to collect is using empty supers to place frames of Honey with your lid to cover as you harvest.
- Always have a bottle of fresh sugar water to calm the bees as needed.
- A 5 gallon pail of Honey will weigh about 60 pounds after extraction.
- if you are using the GCBA extraction equipment…remember to schedule.
- Set up….Extract….Cleanup
Videos: