Honey extractor
Encyclopedia
A honey extractor is a mechanical device used in the honey extraction
. 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.
Bees cover the filled in cells with wax cap that must be removed (cut by knife, etc.) before centrifugation.
Radial baskets have the top bar of the frame facing outwards while tangential baskets have one side of the comb facing outward. Large commercial extractors are radial and rely on the upward slope of the comb cells. This slope allows to extract honey by applying centrifugal force toward the upper edge of the comb (opposite to the direction of gravity while in the hive). The amount of work during extraction is reduced in the radial type because the frames do not have to be turned over to extract the honey from the other side of the comb (however some extractors are capable of turning combs automatically). Hobbyist extractors can be hand or electric motor powered. If the extractor is hand powered, it often has accelerating gear to spin with less effort.
The smallest size of extractor typically holds two frames. The largest commercial extractor holds more than a hundred frames.
During the extraction process the honey is forced out of the uncapped wax cells, runs down the walls of the extractor and pools at the bottom. A tap or honey pump allows for the removal of honey from the extractor. Honey must be removed in time and always stay below the rotating frames as otherwise it prevents extractor from spinning with sufficient speed.
s, cut the whole honey comb out of the frame, and use it directly as cut comb honey. To extract liquid honey, the comb can be crushed to release the honey and strained to remove the wax and other impurities. Alternatively, cut comb is put into a honey press to squeeze out the honey.
A principal benefit of using an extractor is that drawn wax comb can be re-used. When using the crush-and-strain method or extracting cut comb, the bees must rebuild the comb structure. On the other hand, a high-quality extractor is a significant expense for a hobbyist, while crush-and-strain requires almost no specialized equipment.
Honey extraction
Honey extraction is the central process in beekeeping of removing honey from honeycomb so that it is isolated in a pure liquid form.Normally, the honey is stored by the bees on a very regular honeycomb they build on a frame. The frames are typically harvested late summer, when they will be most...
. A honey extractor extracts the honey
Honey
Honey is a sweet food made by bees using nectar from flowers. The variety produced by honey bees is the one most commonly referred to and is the type of honey collected by beekeepers and consumed by humans...
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
Frame (beehive)
A frame in a beehive is the structural element that holds the honeycomb or brood comb within the hive body . The frame is a key part of the modern "movable" hive since it can be removed in order to inspect the bees for disease or to extract the excess honey.-History:One of first beehive frames was...
and can be reused by the bees.
Bees cover the filled in cells with wax cap that must be removed (cut by knife, etc.) before centrifugation.
Types of extractor
Extractors are either tangential or radial depending on how the frames are put into the basket.Radial baskets have the top bar of the frame facing outwards while tangential baskets have one side of the comb facing outward. Large commercial extractors are radial and rely on the upward slope of the comb cells. This slope allows to extract honey by applying centrifugal force toward the upper edge of the comb (opposite to the direction of gravity while in the hive). The amount of work during extraction is reduced in the radial type because the frames do not have to be turned over to extract the honey from the other side of the comb (however some extractors are capable of turning combs automatically). Hobbyist extractors can be hand or electric motor powered. If the extractor is hand powered, it often has accelerating gear to spin with less effort.
The smallest size of extractor typically holds two frames. The largest commercial extractor holds more than a hundred frames.
During the extraction process the honey is forced out of the uncapped wax cells, runs down the walls of the extractor and pools at the bottom. A tap or honey pump allows for the removal of honey from the extractor. Honey must be removed in time and always stay below the rotating frames as otherwise it prevents extractor from spinning with sufficient speed.
Alternatives
Some hobbyist beekeepers and beekeepers in developing countries, especially keepers of top-bar hiveTop-bar hive
Top-bar hives are a style of beehive used for beekeeping. They are especially useful in areas where resources are limited, but are also increasingly popular among hobby beekeepers in industrialized nations...
s, cut the whole honey comb out of the frame, and use it directly as cut comb honey. To extract liquid honey, the comb can be crushed to release the honey and strained to remove the wax and other impurities. Alternatively, cut comb is put into a honey press to squeeze out the honey.
A principal benefit of using an extractor is that drawn wax comb can be re-used. When using the crush-and-strain method or extracting cut comb, the bees must rebuild the comb structure. On the other hand, a high-quality extractor is a significant expense for a hobbyist, while crush-and-strain requires almost no specialized equipment.