| Archive for Downsizer For an ethical approach to consumption |
| ksia |
Extracting honey without a centrifugehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8b4k-RIH14Any comments? Anyone tried this method? |
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| Tavascarow |
I've done it with wild comb & before frame hives it was the only way.
People say you are wasting honey because by cutting, crushing & straining the bees have to renew their comb every time & it takes many pounds of honey to make a pound of wax but many now think this is a good hygeine regime & we should renew our comb more often anyway. When I convert to top bar hives this will be the only way I can extract & I've already sold my big extractor so I'm commited now. 
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| Jamanda |
I've not taken much this year, but what I have taken I have just mushed it all up and let it drip through a jelly bag, squeezing the last bit out after 24 hours. Seems to work. | ||
| ksia |
Ta Tavascarow and Jamanda - I haven't got my bees yet, but I'll be trying this method when I can .... | ||
| Bulgarianlily |
I don't know if these are used in the UK, but here they use a plastic roller covered with short spikes, to open up the cells and encourage the honey to drip out. Then the frames are put back into the hive. I couldn't think what on earth they were for when I first saw them and had to ask. | ||
| Jamanda |
Yes, you can buy those here. The National Bee Supply place in Okehampton has them. |
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| Tavascarow |
Some use something similar for extracting heather honey which is thixotropic & wont extract in the normal way. But again the cheapest way is cut crush & press in heathers case. The bee buisness has always been great at coming up with new (& expensive) gadgets. To encourage more beekeepers we should be advocating the simple aproach not baffling them with gadgetry which for a begginer might look exciting till they see the overall price. Not much change from £500.00 to set up a new hive now even before buying extracting equipment. Top Bar hives & cut, crush & strain has got to be the way forward. If peops can set up a hive for less than £50.00 instead of £500 it has got to be more of an incentive, especially as honey has been selling at £5.00 a jar recently. Talking of TBHs I wonder how RichardWs bees are doing?
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| RichardW |
I think the old wifes tale is right.
"A swarm in July is not worth a fly". They all died. It was a very loose swarm with no group structure. We tried. Have to wait for next year now. At least the hive should smell of bees now. |
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| Tavascarow |
Probably a cast with a virgin queen that subsequently didn't get mated.
Better luck next time. |