Beekeeping
Practical Action
Start the process again at the other end of the hive.
Close the hive carefully, replacing the lid.
Honey extraction
The honeycomb can be simply cut into pieces and sold as fresh, cut comb honey. Alternatively,
the honey and comb can be separated and sold as fresh honey and beeswax.
It is important when processing honey to remember that it is hygroscopic and will absorb
moisture, so all honey processing equipment must be perfectly dry.
The most common traditional methods of honey extraction are squeezing or burning the combs.
Burning the honeycomb is wasteful and makes the quality of both the wax and the honey inferior;
it should be avoided at all costs. If your quantity of honey or financial resources are small, then
squeezing the honey out by hand is probably the most viable option. The honey extracted by this
method will have to be strained through several increasingly finer meshes to remove any bits of
wax or debris, ending with something like muslin cloth. It is very important that this procedure
be carried out hygienically, and that the honey is not left exposed to the air, where it will pick up
moisture and deteriorate.
Another good way of extracting honey from top-bar or movable frame hives is a radial or tangential
extractor. This is a cylindrical container with a centrally-mounted fitting to support combs or
frames of uncapped honey, and a mechanism to rotate the fitting (and the combs) at speed. The
honey is thrown out against the side of the container and runs down to the bottom, where it is
collected and then drained off with a tap. Most manufactured extractors are made to hold frames
and have to be adapted to take comb from top bar hives. This is usually done by making wire
baskets to hold the comb. The baskets can either lie flat horizontally, or be attached to the
vertical frames and sit tangentially within the container. Top-bar combs in tangential extractors
have to be spun twice, once on each side, to extract all the honey.
The honey must be stored in airtight, non-tainting containers to prevent water absorption and
consequent fermentation. If you want to sell your honey it would be helpful to add a label
describing the source of the honey (for example sunflower, mixed blossom, tree honey), the
country and district it was produced in, the weight or amount of honey in the container, and your
name and address.
Beeswax extraction
The comb from which bees build their nest is made of beeswax. After as much honey as possible
is separated from the combs, the beeswax can be melted gently over moderately warm water
(boiling water will ruin the wax) and moulded into a block.
Another option for processing the wax is a solar wax melter (Figure 4). This appliance is easy to
make and consists of a wooden box with a galvanised metal shelf with a spout, a bowl or container
that sits under the spout, and a glass or plastic cover. When placed in the sun the temperature
inside the box will melt down a comb and the wax will flow into a container inside the box. Any
honey that was left in the combs will sink to the bottom; it is usually used for cooking or beer
making as its taste is spoiled somewhat by this process.
Beeswax does not deteriorate with age and therefore beekeepers often save their scraps of
beeswax until they have a sufficiently large amount to sell. Many beekeepers still discard
beeswax, unaware of its value. Beeswax is a valuable commodity with many uses in traditional
societies: it is used in the lost-wax method of brass casting, as a waterproofing agent for
strengthening leather and cotton strings, in batik, in the manufacture of candles, and in various
hair and skin ointments. Beeswax is also in demand on the world market. Beeswax for export
should be clean and have been re-heated as little as possible.
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