Honey Strainers

Honey filtering equipment comprises the perforated sheet strainers, wire sieves, double strainers and cloth or nylon straining bags that separate honey coming from the extractor or press from wax fragments, bee parts and other coarse foreign matter. The right goal for a beekeeper is to clean honey with coarse to medium mesh and leave the pollen in the honey. This page covers the types of equipment, choosing mesh size, use and cleaning.

Why is honey filtered, and why shouldn't it be over-filtered?

The purpose of filtering is to separate foreign matter without touching the honey's natural components: fragments of cappings and comb, bee parts, sometimes dust. These particles spoil the appearance and are unpleasant for the consumer.

Pollen, however, is not foreign matter. It is an integral part of honey and the trace that allows its botanical and geographical origin to be determined in the laboratory. Pollen grains are mostly a few tens of micrometres in size; they pass easily through the mesh of the sieves beekeepers use. Pollen is only largely retained by very fine filtration under pressure or with filter aids.

Types of honey filtering equipment

Perforated sheet pre-strainer

A conical or flat strainer made of stainless steel sheet with holes on the millimetre scale. It is placed under the extractor's honey gate and catches large pieces of cappings and fragments. It is the first stage, delaying clogging of the fine sieves.

Double wire sieve

Two nested stainless steel sieves: the upper one coarse, the lower one finer. It sits on the rim of a bucket or settling tank, and on most models the arms adjust to the bucket diameter. It is the most common filtering equipment for small and medium operations.

Cloth or nylon straining bag

A bag or stretched straining cloth made of food-grade nylon or polyester fabric. It is stretched over the rim of a bucket or hung from a stand; thanks to its large surface it strains slowly but cleanly. It is also suitable for pressed honey and honey from broken comb.

Industrial filters

In large packing plants, honey is pumped through pressure filters, sometimes after heating. These systems give honey that looks very clear, but heat and fine mesh together can change the honey's pollen and some of its qualities. There is no need for this kind of filtration at beekeeper scale.

How do you choose the mesh size?

Values vary from manufacturer to manufacturer; the table is only a guide. The rule is simple: strain in stages, and make the finest stage a sieve or cloth of the kind used at beekeeper scale.

How is filtering equipment used?

1. Order of stages: Coarse first, then fine. Using a fine sieve on its own clogs it within minutes.
2. Warm room: Honey strains more easily when warm. Keep the room warm; do not heat the honey directly.
3. By its own weight: Do not press honey through the sieve or squeeze a cloth strainer by hand. Squeezing also pushes wax and dirt through and adds bubbles.
4. Scrape often: Wax that collects on the sieve surface is removed with a spoon; when the flow slows, the sieve is changed.
5. Keep it covered: Cover the bucket being strained into as far as possible; honey absorbs moisture and dust.
6. Straight into the settling container: If the strainer is seated on the rim of the settling tank, the honey is not transferred again and does not foam.

Filtering in special cases

• Pressed honey and broken comb: These contain much more wax. Use a perforated sheet strainer first, then a cloth strainer with a large surface; spread the straining out over time in a warm room.
• Thick, slow-flowing honeys: Change the sieve often and set up two straining lines instead of one. Keep the extracting room warm rather than heating the honey.
• Honey that has started to crystallise: Set honey does not pass through a strainer. It is first liquefied by controlled, gentle warming, then strained (see “Honey warming tanks”).
• Honey drained from the uncapping tray: If clean, it can be added to the same batch; honey separated by heating in a cappings melter, however, is kept apart because its colour and HMF value change.

Materials and hygiene

• Stainless steel sieve: Durable, easy to clean, lasts for years. Welds and seams should be smooth.
• Food-grade nylon or polyester cloth: Cheap and strains finely; it should be washed well after each use and replaced when worn.
• Unsuitable: Galvanised wire sieves, painted or rusty strainers, and net curtain fabric or cloth not made for food use.

Use warm water for cleaning; very hot water melts the wax and sticks it into the mesh. Wax on the sieve is first scraped off dry and collected separately, then the sieve is washed in warm water. Cloth strainers are rinsed thoroughly, dried completely and stored in a closed bag. Cloth left damp goes mouldy and smells.

Common mistakes

• Removing pollen with a very fine filter for the sake of clarity.
• Heating honey or pressing it through the sieve to speed up straining.
• Squeezing a cloth strainer by hand.
• Working with a single fine sieve and constantly fighting clogging.
• Using galvanised or rusty sieves.