Extracting honey without a centrifuge

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Extracting honey without a centrifuge

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ksia

Joined: 17 May 2006
Posts: 2320
Location: Mayenne, France

Posted: Thu Aug 20, 09 10:35 am Post subject: Extracting honey without a centrifuge
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8b4k-RIH14 Any comments? Anyone tried this method?

Tavascarow

Joined: 06 Aug 2006
Posts: 8407
Location: South Cornwall

Posted: Thu Aug 20, 09 12:03 pm Post subject:

I've done it with wild comb & before frame hives it was the only way.
People say you are wasting honey because by cutting, crushing & straining the bees have to renew their comb every time & it takes many pounds of honey to make a pound of wax but many now think this is a good hygeine regime & we should renew our comb more often anyway.
When I convert to top bar hives this will be the only way I can extract & I've already sold my big extractor so I'm commited now.

jamanda
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 22 Oct 2006
Posts: 35057
Location: Devon

Posted: Thu Aug 20, 09 3:01 pm Post subject:
I've not taken much this year, but what I have taken I have just mushed it all up and let it drip through a jelly bag, squeezing the last bit out after 24 hours. Seems to work.

ksia

Joined: 17 May 2006
Posts: 2320
Location: Mayenne, France

Posted: Thu Aug 20, 09 4:59 pm Post subject:
Ta Tavascarow and Jamanda - I haven't got my bees yet, but I'll be trying this method when I can ....

Bulgarianlily

Joined: 01 Jun 2008
Posts: 1667
Location: South West Mountains of Bulgaria

Posted: Thu Aug 20, 09 6:40 pm Post subject:
I don't know if these are used in the UK, but here they use a plastic roller covered with short spikes, to open up the cells and encourage the honey to drip out. Then the frames are put back into the hive. I couldn't think what on earth they were for when I first saw them and had to ask.

jamanda
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 22 Oct 2006
Posts: 35057
Location: Devon

Posted: Fri Aug 21, 09 11:29 am Post subject:

Bulgarianlily wrote:

I don't know if these are used in the UK, but here they use a plastic roller covered with short spikes, to open up the cells and encourage the honey to drip out. Then the frames are put back into the hive. I couldn't think what on earth they were for when I first saw them and had to ask.

Yes, you can buy those here. The National Bee Supply place in Okehampton has them.

Tavascarow

Joined: 06 Aug 2006
Posts: 8407
Location: South Cornwall

Posted: Fri Aug 21, 09 3:00 pm Post subject:

Bulgarianlily wrote:

Some use something similar for extracting heather honey which is thixotropic & wont extract in the normal way.
But again the cheapest way is cut crush & press in heathers case.
The bee buisness has always been great at coming up with new (& expensive) gadgets.
To encourage more beekeepers we should be advocating the simple aproach not baffling them with gadgetry which for a begginer might look exciting till they see the overall price.
Not much change from �500.00 to set up a new hive now even before buying extracting equipment.
Top Bar hives & cut, crush & strain has got to be the way forward.
If peops can set up a hive for less than �50.00 instead of �500 it has got to be more of an incentive, especially as honey has been selling at �5.00 a jar recently.
Talking of TBHs I wonder how RichardWs bees are doing?

RichardW

Joined: 24 Aug 2006
Posts: 8443
Location: Llyn Peninsular North Wales

Posted: Fri Aug 21, 09 8:34 pm Post subject:
I think the old wifes tale is right. "A swarm in July is not worth a fly". They all died. It was a very loose swarm with no group structure. We tried. Have to wait for next year now. At least the hive should smell of bees now.

Tavascarow

Joined: 06 Aug 2006
Posts: 8407
Location: South Cornwall

Posted: Sat Aug 22, 09 6:08 am Post subject:
Probably a cast with a virgin queen that subsequently didn't get mated. Better luck next time.

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