One of many people’s favourite things about beekeeping is the sweet joy of honey. The quantity of honey produced per hive depends on a variety of factors, including the hive’s strength, the local climate, the presence of flowers as feed and the duration of the nectar flow season. A strong well kept hive can produce up to 60-100 pounds of honey a year (60-100 jars of honey). But most beekeepers find their hive produces around 30-60 pounds of honey annually (30-60 jars of honey).
When this is broken down into individual bees, a diligent worker bee is able to produce a 12th of a teaspoon of honey in its entire life. This means that to produce a single teaspoon of honey, you’d need to gather a lifetime's worth of work of 12 bees.
Here is everything you need to know about harvesting honey.
1. When to Harvest
The best months to harvest honey are around June and July as the bees collect their main surplus around these months. If you do want to increase the honey that you are collecting, it is better for you to wait for the last honey flow which typically occurs in September. After this time, the bees will start eating the honey as this is how they survive through the winter.
You should be able to identify when your hive is ready to harvest when the hive cells are so full of honey that the cells are entirely saturated in white wax with no honey visible. You should regularly check your hives throughout spring and summer to keep track of the progress of honey on the frames.
2. How Much Honey to Take
Bees work extremely hard to produce honey and they travel long miles to produce just one pound of honey. They don’t put in all this effort for us humans to take all their honey; instead they do this so they can survive the long, bitter winter. As a result, you must leave enough honey for your bees to survive.
An ordinary hive can produce up to 60 pounds of honey during a productive season, with an additional 25 pounds of surplus honey (the honey that you can take). The bee’s survival should always come first, and you may enjoy their honey once you’re sure they’ll have enough to see them through winter (around 35 Pounds).
3. Equipment
In order to harvest honey, you’re going to need some key pieces of equipment. Here are the most important pieces of equipment you will need for harvesting honey:
Bee Suit: Protective gear such as a high-quality full body bee suit is essential to protect you against bee stings.
Gloves: Gloves made from leather or another protective material should be worn to add some protection to your hands.
Uncapping knife: An uncapping knife, fork or peeler to remove wax cappings from the honeycomb.
Bucket: A container to collect the honey in, ideally with a tap at the bottom of the bucket to make it simple to put the honey into jars.
Extractor: A centrifuge device that spins the frames, making it easy to extract honey from the combs.
Strainers: Strainers or filters are needed to filter out any wax particles and other impurities from the honey.
Storage jars: Glass or plastic containers where you can store and sell the harvested honey.
4. How to Remove the Frames
Frames from honey supers are taken out (one at a time) and the bees are removed from the frames. One way to remove the bees is to shake them off in front of the hive entrance. However, individuals that are new to beekeeping should avoid shaking bees off the frames as this method can be labour intensive, especially if they have several supers to empty. A better option could be to gently brush the bees off the frames with a bee brush.
Once you’ve cleared the frame of bees, we recommend that you place the honey filled frames into an empty super and cover the super to stop bees from landing on the comb again. This approach makes the frames easy to transport to your honey harvesting location.
5. Uncapping: How to Separate Honey from Wax
A vital stage in the extraction of honey is ‘uncapping’. This involves removing the wax caps that seal the honeycomb cells in order to reveal the honey underneath. There are various ways to do this and each has benefits of its own:
- Uncapping Knife: The most widely used instrument is the uncapping knife. The heat minimises the damage to the honeycomb by enabling the knife to cut through the wax caps smoothly. Although manual heated knives are as effective, electric uncapping knives maintain a constant temperature, speeding up the process and improving efficiency.
- Uncapping fork: A multipurpose instrument that is useful for extracting wax caps in uneven or low areas that blades might overlook is the uncapping fork, also known as the stretcher. When dealing with delicate combs, especially for small scale beekeepers, this is an excellent solution.
- Uncapping roller: This is a tool with tiny, pointed spikes that puncture the wax caps without completely removing them. Although this method can be quicker and less dirty, there's a chance some honey will remain stuck in the comb.
Every approach has a function and which you choose is based on both your operation size and your individual preferences.
6. Extracting Honey
Here we will dive into the two main methods used to extract honey:
Crushing:
Crushing is an approach where the beekeeper manually removes the honey from the filled combs. The honey is released by physically crushing the combs, either by hand or with the aid of a tool. The crushed mixture of honey, debris and other materials is subsequently strained through a cheesecloth or fine mesh screen. This process separates the liquid honey from the wax and other particles. The honey then runs off into a container underneath.
The pros of crushing is the simplicity of the procedure; it is quite straightforward and doesn’t require expensive equipment. This means it is often the best option for beginner beekeepers.
Extractor:
The process of removing honey from combs can be done using an extractor machine that applies centrifugal force. The beekeeper simply inserts the frames with the honeycombs into the machine. The machine spins the frames at a fast speed so the honey is forced out of the combs. As a result, the honey drops down and gathers at the bottom.
The pros to the extraction technique is that it is quicker compared to the manual approach and requires less labour. This makes it perfect for beekeepers running a medium-to-large scale honey harvesting operation.
This method also allows for the preservation of intact combs, meaning the combs can be returned to the hive for the bees to repair and reuse. This boosts overall production by enabling bees to concentrate on making more honey instead of building new combs.
The cons to using an extractor machine is that they can be pricey, particularly the higher quality ones. An additional con is that the equipment needs to be cleaned and maintained on a regular basis to ensure effective operation and hygiene, which can be labour intensive for a new beekeeper.
7. Allow the Honey to Settle
Before bottling, it is crucial to allow the extracted honey to settle in its container so that any air bubbles, wax particles, or contaminants can rise to the surface. Air bubbles caught during extraction can float to the top during this period, allowing any leftover debris to be skimmed off. Honey usually needs to settle for 24 to 48 hours in a dark, cool location. The honey can then be gently poured into jars and kept for sale or personal use. This stage is essential for producing a high-quality product with a smoother texture and silky look to the honey.
8. Storing and Bottling
If you’re planning on selling your honey, you need to ensure it complies with all applicable food safety and labelling regulations for your area. The purpose of these rules is to safeguard customers and uphold the safety and quality of food items. Guidelines for correct labelling, which include the origin of the honey, its net weight, and any nutritional information are the most common standards. However, there are also regulations about hygiene in relation to harvesting, processing and packaging the honey that you need to be aware of.
There may still be multiple laws to abide by even if you’re collecting honey for your own consumption. Depending on the country you live in or even your local council, these regulations may change significantly.
Make sure to get in touch with your local food safety authority, beekeeping association, or agriculture extension office to find out the precise requirements that apply to your area. For example, you can contact the Foods Standards Agency (FSA) if you’re in the UK and they can offer you guidance.
9. What to do with Leftover Wax
When honey is uncapped, leftover beeswax can be used to make a number of useful goods. You could create natural candles, which burn cleaner and last longer than paraffin wax. Another common application is wax melt, which is a flameless method of enjoying scents. Furthermore, beeswax, which has moisturising and protecting qualities, is a crucial component for handmade lip balms, lotions, furniture polish and skin salves. Creating and selling these items can provide an extra form of income alongside selling your honey.
On the other hand, unused wax caps and used but undamaged frames can be put back into the hive for the bees to fix and reuse. Bees are good at recycling wax so they are able to quickly get back to work fixing the damaged comb. This will help them save the energy that would be used to make fresh wax and comb.
Summary
Harvesting honey is a skill that requires time, repetition and patience. This blog has highlighted the steps and methods you can use to harvest honey while doing it in an efficient manner.
If you are interested in beekeeping, check out the Hiveology blog. Looking to buy a new beehive or invest in a high-quality bee suit? At Hiveology our focus is on providing the best products to care for your local bees and the wider environment, ultimately leading to a more enjoyable beekeeping experience and a more delicious honey harvest.