Having just extracted honey this week, I am reminded of the perils that
exist.  Since it is extracting season for many beekeepers in the northern
hemisphere, for the benefit of beginners and the amusement of others, I
offer 10 things a hobby beekeeper should know about extracting honey.  Some
of these tips I learned from others, and others were learned the hard way.


TOP 10 THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT HONEY EXTRACTING

1.  Honey is sticky.  It will drip.  Every doorknob, shoelace and radio
button that is touched while uncapping or handling wet frames will become
sticky.  A bucket of water to rinse hands and a dish rag are essential
extracting equipment, especially if you are married and want to stay that
way.

2.  Bees in the extracting room are attracted to light.  Straggler bees in
the supers will tend to fly towards a window or light bulb.  A small exit
near the top of a window will allow them to leave.  Don't extract directly
under the only light bulb in the room.  A vacuum cleaner hose is an
alternative.

3.  Bees away from their colony are not inclined to sting - except when they
are crushed.  Bees in supers are normally extremely gentle, with no brood or
queen present.  However, they do tend to sting the finger that crushes them
while picking up a frame or super.  Beware.

4.  A serrated bread knife makes a good uncapping knife.  Use a sawing
motion.  No need to heat it.  Change directions if it catches the wood.

5.  A woman's nylon stocking makes a good honey filter.  A clean one, of
course.

6.  Honey that has settled for a few days after extracting will not leave
tiny bubbles around the rim of a jar.   Be patient.  Any debris left in the
honey after filtering will either float or sink within a few days, so bottle
from a spigot near the bottom of a container when possible.

7.  If there is no nectar flow and bees are inclined to rob honey,
extracting is best performed in a closed room or outside after dark.  I
heard a story about a guy that brought some supers into his basement to be
extracted the next day, but he left a window open.  The next day he found
that his bees had brought half the honey back to their hives.

8.  Uncapping is so much easier with only 8 or 9 frames spaced evenly in a
10 frame super.  The thicker comb means almost no scraping with the fork.
Uncap all the way  down to the wood on the top and bottom jar, regardless of
how far the comb in drawn out, so the comb will be nice and even next year.

9.  Butyric acid (Bee Go) really stinks.  It works great, and is the best
way for most hobby beekeepers to clear bees from the supers because the bees
don't get as angry as brushing or blowing them, but that smelly fume board
belongs behind the garage or someplace near the fence when you're done.  The
almond-smelling Benzaldehyde smells better and works okay in nice weather,
but it still belongs outside.

10.  Turn on the fan and radio before you get all sticky.


I am sure that I have omitted some really important stuff, so I hope others
will expand on this subject.

John

Caldeira
Dallas, Texas, USA
http://www.outdoorplace.org/beekeeping