Harvesting and Extraction of Raw Honey

Have you ever seen how honey is harvested? 

It's a truly fascinating process, and in this post we’re going to walk you through each step – from opening the hive to obtaining raw, wonderful honey!

At the end of the post, don’t miss our video where we show all the stages, from harvesting and centrifuging to filtering and storing the honey.

Whether you're simply curious about beekeeping or thinking about getting started yourself, we’ve put together a range of tips and practical advice to help you achieve a successful honey harvest.

When To Harvest?

The honey should be harvested at the height of summer, once the flowering season has come to an end – usually from July onwards.

We carried out our harvest in August, after making regular visits to the hive throughout the year to ensure the bees’ wellbeing.

The honey should be collected during the day, when most of the colony is out foraging in the fields. This usually happens during the hottest hours of the day. By the evening, the bees return to the hive and no longer leave once night falls.

What Equipment Do You Need?

It’s important to have all your equipment clean, organised and ready to use before heading out to the apiary.

Here’s a list of the clothing and tools you’ll need:

Clothing

• Beekeeper suit
• Thick gloves
• Boots or closed footwear

Equipment

• Hive tool 
• Smoker + lighter (Optional. Be careful with fire!)
• Bee brush
• Scraper
• Box for transportation of frames (Optional)
• Uncapping knife (can be electric or manual)
• Filters
• Extractor 
• Glass jars for storage

How To Harvest?

1. Wearing all the necessary protective gear, start by opening the hive. You should position yourself either behind the hive entrance or to the side.

2. After removing the lid, use a hive tool to inspect each frame one by one in each super (or half-super, depending on the type of hive). Some beekeepers use a smoker to gently move the bees away. We’ve stopped using one to reduce the risk of wildfires.

3. Select the frames to be removed based on how much honey is stored in the combs.

4. Before leaving, carefully close the hive again, taking care not to crush any bees.

How Much Honey Should You Take From The Hive?

Bees produce more honey than they consume, but the beekeeper should never take more than 30% of the honey to avoid putting the colony’s survival at risk.

The larger box at the bottom of the hive is the brood box, and honey should never be taken from it. In addition to the brood, it contains stores of honey and pollen that serve as food for the bees during the winter months.

Transporting The Frames To The Extraction Area

There are two ways to transport the frames. You can either carry the entire super (or half-super), or place the frames in a separate box, which helps reduce the number of bees taken away from the hive.

We remove the frames one by one and use a special bee brush to gently remove any bees. Each frame is placed into the box, and we always keep the lid on to stop the bees from getting back in. Trust us – you really don’t want to bring them home with you!

We then carry the box close to the extraction area and carefully inspect it to make sure no bees remain inside. If there are, they’ll signal the rest of the colony and attract the swarm to wherever the honey is.

Centrifuging

The extractor can be either electric or manual, and it should be thoroughly cleaned and ready to receive the honey beforehand.

1. Using an uncapping knife, uncap the wax cappings on both sides of each frame and place them in the extractor. The centrifugation process will spin the honey out of the combs.
2. After centrifuging, the frames should be placed back in the box or super to return to the hive.

The frames must be returned to the hive just as they are – with the wax combs still intact – because if we replace them with fresh wax sheets, the bees will need to consume more honey to rebuild the combs. This way, we’re saving them the extra work!

Filetring

1. For filtering, two filters are used to separate the honey from the wax, along with a large container to collect the honey.
2. Simply open the outlet tap of the extractor and let the honey and wax flow out.
3. The wax remains in the filters, while the honey collects in the container.

Once the honey is clean, it can be stored.

Storing

Honey should be stored in well-sealed glass jars, kept in a cool, dry place. If stored somewhere too cold, it will become almost solid and difficult to spoon out. That’s what happens when the honey is pure and raw!

What Is Raw Honey?

Raw honey is honey as it is extracted from the hive, without undergoing any industrial processing.

Honey sold on a large commercial scale often goes through refining processes that make it clearer and more appealing to consumers but remove beneficial nutrients such as pollen, enzymes and antioxidants. It is also known that sugars and other sweeteners are sometimes added to commercial honey to reduce production costs.

There are several ways to distinguish raw honey from processed honey, which we will cover in another post to keep this one from becoming too long.

What To Do With Beeswax?

The beeswax left in the extractor and filters can be melted and purified for use in making artisanal products, such as soap, cosmetics, and candles.

Check out our post and video How To Clean Beeswax to learn how to melt, filter, and store this wonderful natural product.

For a better understanding of the whole process, watch our educational video where we show the step-by-step honey harvest.

VIDEO - Harvesting and Extraction of Raw Honey