Common Mistakes When Extracting Honey & How to Avoid Them
Regardless if you are a hobbyist beekeeper or a commercial beekeeper, extracting honey from your beehive is always a thrill. But it is also a surprisingly difficult task that involves a lot of care. Make one mistake and you could ruin your honey or worse, kill your bees. Extracting honey that is misplaced can lead to honey that does not taste as good, loss of contaminated product, and wasted resources.
Some of the most common mistakes beekeepers make when doing the honey extraction and how to avoid these mistakes will be the focus of this article. Whether you're a first-time honey harvester or a veteran looking to hone your extraction routine, this guide will give you the facts that will help you to harvest your honey as safely, neatly, and tastily as possible.
How Honey Extraction Happens
Honey extraction is important in beekeeping, but to dive into the mistakes to avoid with honey extraction, first, what is honey extraction. Honey Extraction: How does honey come out of honeycomb? Honey is stored by the bees in hexagonal wax cells, sealed with beeswax when the right moisture content is reached. The beekeeper's job is to uncap the cells and extract the honey leaving just enough to carry the bees through the winter months.
Now, we will take a look at the general mistakes and how to avoid them while extracting honey.
1. Harvesting Honey Too Early
Why This is a Mistake:
In the previous post, we discussed that one of the biggest mistakes a beekeeper can make is in harvesting honey too early in the season. Honey should be harvested at optimum moisture content. Harvesting too early would yield honey that is still watery and insufficiently cured and that could ferment or spoil. Under-cured honey will also have a shorter shelf life.
How to Avoid It:
You need to check that the honey cells are capped; if the cells are capped, it means that the bees consider the cell fully ready to go for Harvest. When this stabilizes (ideally 18-20%) it starts to form a wax cap. If the cells do not have a cap this may also mean that the honey is not fully dried out and there is a chance of the honey fermenting inside the cells.
A hygrometer is also a good tool to gauge the amount of water in the honey. Do not extract if the moisture content exceeds 20%; wait a few more weeks before doing so.
2. Utilizing Dirty Equipment or Equipment That Has Been Used to Care for Infected Animals
Why This is a Mistake:
If the extractor or any of the other equipment is not washed properly, then it can contaminate honey, rendering it unsafe to eat. The smallest amount of wax, soil or any other contaminant can modify the taste and safety of the end product. Furthermore, if the extraction tools are unclean, bacteria or mold can be introduced and spoil the honey.
How to Avoid It:
Clean everything before you extract this includes uncapping knives, honey extractors, containers and any other equipment that is going to come in contact with the honey. Always rinse all of your tools & equipment after you finish using them to avoid any buildup of residue.
Use warm water and a gentle detergent to wash your equipment and refrain from using harsh chemicals that leave residues in the equipment. Or you can, if needed, disinfect by wiping down tools with a diluted vinegar solution or a sanitizer safe for food use.
3. Not Leaving Enough Honey for the Bees
Why This is a Mistake:
The greatest error in honey extractions is to take a large amount away from the hive, depriving bees of an adequate food source for their use. The honey that you extract will leave the bees with nothing to survive on during the winter months. Overconsumption can leave your bees starving and the colony dead, or you have to supplement with artificial feed.
How to Avoid It:
In colder climates, make sure that you leave your colonies with at least 40–50 pounds of honey stored to keep the bees fed through the winter. This is adjustable based on your local climate and the season, but never leave bees hungry when harvesting.
Along with that, keep track of your hives on regular intervals and evaluate the honey the hives are filled with. Or you could think: if you are in doubt, it is better to leave some honey in the hive and not too little than too much, after all you can always take your bees out of the hive and put them in another one.
4. Incorrect Uncapping of the Honeycomb
Why This is a Mistake:
Uncapping the comb is a necessary process when harvesting honey. Uncapping incorrectly can destroy the combs, which can prove expensive and time-consuming if you were anticipating using the same combs next honey season. Honey leakage, wasted product and a messy extraction are further consequences of dreadful uncapping.
How to Avoid It:
Gently remove the wax caps from the honey cells using a hot uncapping knife or uncapping fork. Set your knife to the proper level so it will slice through the wax without fraying the comb underneath.Then When cutting the comb, press your knife with the right force and sweep away any wax frills that may form.
When uncapping, be careful not to put too much pressure or it will break the comb! Slow motion, gentle sweeping will help ensure that the comb stays intact and the honey is removed.
5. Extracting Honey with the Wrong Honey Extractor
Why This is a Mistake:
Well, not all honey extractors are equal and using the wrong one for your needs will only make things a bit more complicated, or less effective. A slow manual extractor for big jobs or a tiny extractor for huge frames, for example, can slow you down, annoy you, and prevent you from achieving your goals. Super primitive extractors Can also ruin combs or result in honey spillage.
How to Avoid It:
Based on the hives you have, choose the suitable extractor. If you have just a few hives, the hand-cranked extractor is probably fine. An electric extractor may be needed for larger operations to process more quickly and efficiently.
Make sure to choose an extractor for your individual needs and first follow the manufacturer guidelines to use it correctly.
6. Not Filtering Honey Properly
Why This is a Mistake:
After extracting the honey, there are usually tiny pieces of wax, parts from bees, or debris found in the final product. Not filtering out the honey well can be unpleasant to look at, and your honey may not be as clean as one would want.
How to Avoid It:
Use fine mesh strainers or layers of cheesecloth to remove impurities when filtering honey. The honey will need to be filtered several times, particularly if you are using raw honey right from a hive, because there may be more foreign material than with filtered honey.
If you intend to sell your honey or provide for anyone, you should be certain that it looks tidy and businesslike. The kind of filtration we want will eliminate large debris and make the honey appear crystal clear and slick.
7. Extracting Honey on a Hot Day
Why This is a Mistake:
So although it can sound like the most logical thing to do to extract when the weather is warm, an overly warm day can create issues in relation to the consistency of the honey. It may make the uncapping difficult as well the honey may become high runny honey can lose its viscosity easily. If temperature is high, bees become more aggressive and you could be stung uncalled for.
How to Avoid It:
Honey is best removed at a temperature of about 70-80°F (21-27°C). But if the weather is too hot, put off harvesting until a cooler day. Preferably done in the early morning or late in the evening when temperatures are lower and bees are less active.
Do make sure your room of extraction is well ventilated and not too hot if your indoors.
8. Failing to Keep a Close Eye on the Extraction Process
Why This is a Mistake:
We have to pay close attention to the extraction process. A common mistake novices make is to start the extractor up and then walk away, thinking that they could leave the extractor unattended. But this can result in excessive extraction, honey leaks, and breakdowns.
How to Avoid It:
GardenHives advises to never leave honey extractor unattended. Look for indications of over-extraction and for honey oozing out of the extractor. Regular washing of the extractor and the other containers is also necessary to avoid any sticky messes.
Also, take time to correct the speed and direction of the extractor to eventually make sure that honey is being spun out evenly and efficiently.
Conclusion
Removing honey is perhaps the most pleasing activity in beekeeping, but it must be done carefully and with attention to detail. Through not making the common mistakes, like harvesting too early, dirty tools, or over-extracting, you can make sure that your honey is high quality, your bees are happy and healthy, and that your extraction can go smoothly.
If you avoid these mistakes and do everything the right way, you will soon get to enjoy the reward of your hard work in the shape of beautiful and pure honey of which you can be proud. Happy beekeeping!
