My bees

I have tried to give a reasonable description with the pictures but some require a bit of additional information.




The extractor works by spinning the combs at high speed and the centrigugal force (or is it centripetal? - someone will tell me!) flings the honey out against the side walls.

When I bought my extractor it was hand operated - very hard work and not terribly efficient as the speed achieved didn't spin out all of the honey, especially if it was cold. I soon upgraded it to electric motor power so I can just leave it spinning while I get on with another job.

The uncapping tray is of stainless steel construction and a layer of hot water under the working surface melts any honey/wax which comes off the uncapped combs. This will then run out a spout on the right into a bucket for processing.

For bottling purposes I originally checked weights with some analogue kitchen scales. This was rather slow and I now use digital scales which adjust to the often varying weight of the jar. The skill is to close the tap quickly so that the jar contains 454 grams (metric pound) but I'm usually far too slow and most customers get nearer 470 grams!!

The finished product shows two very different types of honey. The one on the left was harvested in May and is predominantly from oil seed rape. It has a very high sugar content and sets quickly - often before I take it off the hive.
The second one is a late season harvest produced from nectar of mixed flowers especially the Himalayan Balsam - hated by nature conservationists but loved by beekeepers for its abundant flow of nectar.

Lastly, all scraps of beeswax collected is melted and purified and either exchanged for beekeeping supplies or sold to my woodworking colleagues for preparation of wood polish.