Harvesting equipment covers everything from taking the comb off the hive to filling the jar. Most of it is expensive and used for a few days a year, which makes the choices worth thinking about.

Clearing the bees

• Clearer board: Placed under the super; the bees leave overnight and cannot return. The calmest method for the colony
• Brush: Simple but slow, and it irritates the bees
• Blower: Fast; suits larger operations

Smoke should be used sparingly at harvest; heavy smoke carries into the aroma of the honey.

Uncapping

• Uncapping fork: Cheap and simple; works well on uneven comb but is slow
• Uncapping knife: Fast and leaves a clean surface; misses hollows in uneven comb
• Heated knife: Melts rather than cuts. The temperature setting matters; too hot and it scorches the honey

An uncapping tray catches the cappings and separates the honey running from them.

Extractor

• Tangential: One side at a time; the frame must be turned. Cheap and adequate at small scale
• Radial: Both sides at once; faster and gentler on the comb, but larger and more expensive

Whichever is used: start slowly, build up speed gradually. A full side spun hard breaks the comb.

Straining and settling

• Coarse strainer: Removes wax and debris. Sufficient for most beekeepers
• Settling tank: Air bubbles and fine wax rise and are skimmed off

Do not filter finely. Very fine filtration removes pollen grains and erases the trace of geographical origin.

Measurement

A refractometer is the cheapest and most decisive item in the whole list. Honey with high moisture ferments and the batch is lost.

Materials

Honey is acidic and corrodes unsuitable metal.

• Suitable: Stainless steel, food-grade plastic, glass
• Unsuitable: Untreated steel, copper, zinc, galvanised metal

Sharing

An extractor is expensive and used for a few days a year. Many beekeeping associations keep a shared machine; for a small producer this is the most sensible arrangement.

Cleaning

All equipment is washed with warm water after use and dried completely. Residual honey goes mouldy and becomes a source of contamination the following season. No detergent residue should be left.