How I Extract Honey From Honeycomb
- Laurence Edwards
- 3 days ago
- 7 min read
How do bees make honey and why it matters for extraction
Before we talk about honey extraction made simple, it is worth reminding ourselves how bees make honey.
Foragers bring nectar back to the hive at a relatively high water content. House bees add enzymes, spread the nectar out and evaporate off the moisture by fanning their wings. Over time that watery nectar is transformed into ripe honey with a lower water content and a long shelf life.
When the bees are happy that a cell of honey is finished, they cap it with a thin layer of wax. That capping is my signal that the honey is ready. If you rush and extract uncapped honey that has a high water content you dramatically increase the risk of fermentation in the jar.
Everything I do in my honey house is built around only extracting fully ripened honey and keeping it in that condition as it moves from comb to jar.
Step 1 – deciding when to harvest
Out in the apiary I try to keep the question of how to extract honey very simple. If a super is at least 80 to 90 percent capped across the comb and the bees are still working it, I am happy to take it off.
If a frame is borderline I will use the shake test. Hold the frame horizontally over the hive and give it one firm downward shake. If uncapped honey sprays out, it is not ready. If everything stays put, it usually means the water content is low enough to extract safely (alongside fully capped frames).
Some beekeepers like to use a refractometer. That is a good option if you are working with high value monofloral honeys or you are in a very damp part of the country as it gives you an accrurate reading for the moisture content of your honey (16-18% is generally ok).
The key point is that you only want ripe honey in the honey room. The bees are far better than we are at ripening nectar, so let them finish the job first. I had fun a couple of years ago with Liam from the Boat where we harvested some honey from his hives.
Step 2 – bringing supers into a warm, clean honey room
Once I am happy the supers are ready, I clear the bees off and move the boxes into the honey room as quickly as I can. A warm, dry room makes honey extraction much easier. Cold honey is thick and reluctant to move. Warm honey flows.
I like to work at a comfortable room temperature and avoid any drafts or unnecessary humidity. Supers are stacked beside the uncapping line and I keep the floor, benches and equipment clean so I am not dragging burr comb and propolis everywhere.
Even if you are extracting in a garage or shed, treat it as a food preparation space. Wipe surfaces down, seal any gaps that might let bees in and keep pets away. Honey is a food product and it deserves to be treated like one.
Step 3 – uncapping with a Lyson automatic uncapping machine
The first part of my extraction line is a Lyson automatic uncapping machine supplied by Abelo. Full supers are lifted onto the feed tray and frames are presented to the machine one after another.
The machine uses heated serrated knives to slice the wax cappings off both faces of the comb. The cappings fall straight down into a stainless steel trough. The beauty of this setup is that it is fast, consistent and gentle on the comb. I can run a lot of frames in a day without burning out my arms or shredding frames.
If you keep a handful of hives you absolutely do not need an automatic machine. A sharp serrated bread knife or uncapping knife, a simple uncapping tray and a bit of time will do the job perfectly. The principle is exactly the same.
You are just taking off the thin wax capping so that the honey can spin out of the cells in the extractor.
This is the machine that I would recommend: https://www.abelo.co.uk/shop/uncapping-tables/premium-line-automatic-chain-feed-closed-circuit-uncapping-machine-on-frame/
Step 4 – wax cappings press and reclaiming
every drop
All of the wax cappings from the uncapping machine drop down into a Lyson wax cappings press. This piece of kit lets me recover the trapped honey without using any heat at all.
The cappings go into the press, I apply pressure and the honey is squeezed out and directed into a collection tray. What comes off the press is beautiful, clean liquid honey that can join the rest of the batch.
The pressed cappings are left as a relatively dry cake of wax that I can later melt down and render.
For me, the main advantages of using a cappings press are that I do not waste honey, I do not overheat anything and I get a nice clean block of wax at the end of the process.
If you are working on a smaller scale you can get similar results by letting your cappings drain through a coarse strainer overnight and then processing the wax afterwards.
This is the machine I use: https://www.abelo.co.uk/shop/cappings-screw/cappings-screw-press-honeywax-separator-200kgh/
Step 5 – spinning in a Lyson 30 frame radial extractor
Once the frames are uncapped they go straight into a Lyson 30 frame radial extractor with a heated base. Radial extractors spin the honey out of both faces of the comb at the same time and they are much kinder on the comb than older tangential designs when they are set up correctly.
The heated base does not cook the honey. It just takes the chill off and makes the honey a little more fluid so that it leaves the comb cleanly and drains to the outlet without leaving thick streaks on the inner wall. It also lowers the centre of gravity so its very stable. The extractor has programmable cycles so I can start gently, increase the speed and bring it back down without smashing comb.
If you are using a small manual extractor at home, the same rules apply. Do not overload it, start slowly and work up to a sensible speed. If combs are exploding inside the drum, you are spinning too hard or the honey is too cold.
This is my extractor (heated base is added extra): https://www.abelo.co.uk/shop/extractors-large/electric-30-frame-radial-extractor-premium-line/
Step 6 – settling, filtering and keeping the honey crystal clear
From the extractor I run honey into food grade buckets and then transfer it into a 200 litre Lyson premium settling tank fitted with an 800 micron stainless steel sieve and a conical base.
The sieve removes the worst of the wax flakes and bee bits without stripping out all of the pollen and fine crystals that give honey its character.
The conical tank is one of my favourite pieces of equipment. I fill it from the top, put the lid on and leave the honey to sit quietly for about forty eight hours.
Over that time, tiny air bubbles and micro bits of wax rise to the top and form a thin scum layer. When I eventually draw honey off from the bottom valve, it runs crystal clear into the bottling machine.
I do not use fine filters or pressure filtration. I want my honey to be clean and bright, but I also want it to taste like real honey, straight out of the comb.
Step 7 – bottling with a Lyson bottling machine
The final stage is bottling. I connect my Lyson bottling machine to the outlet of the settling tank, set the fill volume for the jars I am using and then work steadily through the batch.
The bottling machine gives me a very consistent fill level and speeds the job up significantly. It also reduces the amount of honey that ends up on the floor, on my sleeves and on every surface in the room.
If you only have a couple of supers, a simple honey gate on the settling bucket is all you need. Sit the bucket on a bench, place your jars underneath and take your time.
As long as the honey has been allowed to settle first, it will come out bright and clear.
Bottling machine - https://www.abelo.co.uk/shop/bottling-and-pumps-machines/bottling-machine-with-mini-turn-table-premium-line/
Scaling this process down for smaller apiaries
It is easy to look at a commercial extracting line and think it is completely out of reach.
The important thing to understand is that the workflow, not the machinery, is what really matters.
For a small apiary, a very effective honey extraction setup might look like this:
A warm, bee tight room or shed where you can work in peace
A serrated knife and uncapping tray for taking cappings off
A three or four frame stainless steel extractor
A double strainer or coarse sieve that sits on top of a food grade bucket
A settling bucket with a honey gate for bottling
If you follow the same sequence that I use, you will get the same quality of honey.
Warm supers, gentle uncapping, sensible spinning, coarse straining, time to settle and clean bottling.
The only difference is the number of frames you can process in a day.
Common honey extraction mistakes I see
Over the years I have helped hundreds of beekeepers with their first harvest.
The same issues come up again and again.
Extracting unripe honey that is still too wet and fermenting later in the jar
Trying to extract in a cold, damp room where honey barely moves
Over spinning combs and tearing them to pieces in the extractor
Filtering honey too finely so that it loses its aroma and character
Leaving wet supers and kit around the apiary so that wasps and robbing bees move in
If you can avoid those mistakes, your first honey harvest will be a much calmer experience, and you will keep your bees healthier as well.
How 14 Day Beekeeper can help you extract with confidence
If you would like more help with how to extract honey, and every other part of seasonal hive management, my online course 14 Day Beekeeper is designed for you.
It takes you through an entire beekeeping year in simple, focused video lessons so that you always know what to do next.
We cover everything from building strong colonies and making increase, through to disease prevention, honey production and winter preparation.
When it comes to honey extraction, you will see the whole process from removing supers in the apiary right through to bottling.
You can find full details here -
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