This year our great friends Mike and Tracy Kiefer joined us for the Spring harvest. This was their first time in a beehive. They were a great help to us. Welcome to our hive enjoy the process.
The Team
The first step involves putting a "fume" board on top of the Honey Supers (top boxes bees make honey in). This board is sprayed with a product which smells like almonds and drives the bees down into the hive out of the Supers.
Once most of the bees have moved down into the hives we pull the frames. These frames are filled with honey that is capped with wax.
Once the frames have been removed and are secured in a box that will prevent bees from joining the harvest process we must remove the wax cappings.
Once the wax cap has been removed the frames are put into the extractor and spun. A honey extractor is a mechanical device used in the extraction of honey from honeycombs. A honey extractor extracts the honey from the honey comb without destroying the comb. Extractors work by centrifugal force. A drum or container holds a frame basket which spins, flinging the honey out. With this method the wax comb stays intact within the frame and can be reused by the bees.
Any excess honey from the uncapping process is added to the extractor.
The Spinning
Once the extractor is full. The honey is released and strained.
The Liquid Gold is released
We harvested 4 gallons of Honey
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