The bees have been
working hard all summer to gather nectar and convert it into honey. The nectar
has been deposited into cells in the honeycomb and the bees have fanned it with
their wings to evaporate out much of the moisture. The cell is then capped with
wax for storage. At this point, it is considered honey. The honey is their
food, or where they get their carbohydrates for energy. This is what we will
harvest at the end of summer.
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| Extractor |
In order to prepare
for honey harvest, there are a few key pieces of equipment we need to acquire.
Keep in mind that beekeepers can have one hive or one thousand hives, which
means there are different setups for harvesting honey. The equipment listed
here is for a beekeeper that has a small number of hives.
First, we need an
extractor. For a small scale beekeeper, this will be the biggest investment for
honey harvest equipment. An extractor is essentially a stainless steel barrel.
Inside are baskets that hold frames full of honey. There is a hand crank or
motor mounted on top that will spin the baskets inside the steel barrel. At the
bottom of the barrel is a gate that controls the flow of honey out of the
barrel.  |
| Hot knife |
Next is the hot
knife. This is a large steel blade that must be plugged in to heat up. It has a
wooden handle to protect the user’s hand from being burned. We will also need
honey buckets. The quantity depends on how much honey you will be harvesting
and bottling. The buckets are a standard five-gallon food grade pail with a
gate at the bottom. This bucket will catch the honey from the extractor. For
the top of the bucket, some type of strainer is needed.
Depending on the
facility where you are harvesting honey, you may want to cover the floor with a
layer of plastic. Honey is incredibly sticky and tends to get everywhere! The
plastic will help make cleanup a breeze. Don’t forget about bottles. Small
plastic bears to large glass jars are all acceptable, provided they are clean
and do not have residues from other foods. Remember to set aside a whole day or
more for harvesting, it’s not something you can rush. Once you have all the
necessary equipment, you’re ready for harvest!
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| Honey bucket |
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| Plastic bottle |
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| Strainer |
