Honey Production

Honey production means preparing a strong colony for the main nectar flow on time, giving supers at the right moment and harvesting ripe (capped) honey while leaving the colony its winter share. Most of the yield is determined months before the harvest, during spring management. This page explains super management, harvest timing, extraction and quality step by step.

How is honey made?

Forager bees collect nectar from flowers and, from some plants, the sweet secretion left by insects (e.g. the honeydew of the pine scale insect on pine trees). In the hive this liquid is mixed with enzymes as it is passed from bee to bee, and complex sugars are broken down into simple sugars. The bees spread the liquid in the comb cells and evaporate its water by fanning their wings.

When the water content has fallen far enough, the cell is sealed with a thin layer of wax; this is called capping. Capped honey is the colony's signal that "this store is ready", and it is also the beekeeper's most reliable harvest criterion.

What determines honey yield?

A worker bee emerges about 21 days after the egg is laid, then works in the hive for two to three weeks before becoming a forager. So the bees that will carry nectar during the main flow must have been laid as eggs about 5–6 weeks before the flow. A beekeeper who only acts on seeing the flow is too late; this calculation is covered in detail on the "Making use of the nectar flow" page.

• Colony strength: Going into the main flow with a large population and plenty of foragers is the biggest determinant of yield.
• Queen: A young, well-laying queen speeds up spring build-up.
• Swarm control: A colony that swarms before the flow loses a large part of its foraging force.
• Health: A high varroa load and disease silently reduce the yield.
• Location and weather: The apiary's proximity to the forage, and the temperature, humidity and rainfall that affect nectar secretion, are decisive.

When and how should you add a honey super?

A super (honey super, upper box) is the box placed on top of the brood chamber in which only honey is meant to be stored. Timing is a two-sided balance:

• Give it on time: The super is added when most of the frames in the brood box are covered with bees and the flow is starting. If you are late, the queen finds no room to lay and the swarming tendency increases.
• Don't give too much, either: A weak colony cannot keep a large space warm or protect it; the risk of wax moth and robbing arises.
• Prefer drawn comb: Ready-drawn comb allows bees to store honey straight away. If foundation is to be given, choose days when forage is plentiful.
• Second super: The second is added when the first is about three quarters full; acting early during a heavy flow prevents congestion.

Should you use a queen excluder?

A queen excluder is a sheet with gaps that worker bees can pass through but the queen cannot. It keeps brood out of the super, so the frames to be extracted stay clean. On the other hand, in weak colonies and with undrawn foundation it can slow down the bees' move up into the super. Many beekeepers fit the excluder once the bees have moved up into the super.

When is honey ready to harvest?

The criterion for harvesting is not the calendar but ripeness. The general rule is that at least three quarters of the cells on the frame should be capped. With partly capped frames a simple test is done: if nectar drips from the cells when the frame is held horizontally and shaken, the honey is not yet ripe.

For a more precise result, moisture is measured with a refractometer. Honey with a high moisture content ferments over time and the whole batch can spoil. The aim is moisture below 18%; the general upper limit in the regulations is 20% (it may differ for some types of honey).

Harvesting step by step

1. Clear the bees from the super: A day or two before the harvest, a clearer board is placed between the super and the brood box. The bees go down but cannot come back up. Brushing or shaking is faster but disturbs the colony more.
2. Use little smoke: Heavy smoke can taint the honey's aroma; work calmly and briefly.
3. Watch out for robbing: If the flow has stopped, do not leave frames exposed; carry supers in closed boxes.
4. Leave the winter share: Calculate the stores the colony needs to survive the winter; in regions with cold, long winters, more honey is left.
5. Keep records: Which apiary, which source and date; carry batches to be extracted separately apart from each other.

How is honey extracted?

Extraction is done in a clean, closed room that bees cannot enter. Remember that honey absorbs moisture; frames should not be left standing in a humid room.

1. Uncapping: The cappings are cut off with an uncapping knife or fork. The cappings wax is collected separately; it is the most valuable beeswax.
2. Centrifuge (honey extractor): The frames are placed in the extractor. It is spun slowly at first, then fast; full, heavy combs can break if started at high speed.
3. Straining and settling: The honey is passed through a coarse and a fine strainer and put into a settling tank. In honey left for a few days, air bubbles and bits of wax rise to the surface and are skimmed off.
4. Bottling: The honey is filled into clean, dry, food-safe jars and labelled.

Warming honey makes it flow easily, but excessive heat damages the aroma and raises the HMF (hydroxymethylfurfural) value, which is a quality criterion. If warming is necessary, it should be done at a low temperature and for a short time.

Separate harvests and quality

Extracting separately by flow period and apiary brings three benefits: it makes a monofloral honey claim (e.g. chestnut, lime, black locust) defensible through pollen analysis, it preserves the differences in character between honeys, and it provides traceability if a problem arises. Combining everything in a single tank throws away all three advantages.

• Crystallisation (setting): This is a natural process, not spoilage. Its speed depends on the honey's sugar composition and on temperature.
• Storage: Store in a closed container in a cool, dry place out of the sun. In an open container honey absorbs moisture and can ferment.
• Hygiene: Stainless steel or food-grade plastic containers are used; galvanised and rusty metal must not come into contact with honey.

Keeping feeding and harvesting apart

If feeding is needed during a dearth, the supers are removed first. Any leftover syrup stores must have been used up in the brood box so that they are not carried up into the supers the following season.

Common mistakes

• Taking uncapped honey: This leads to fermentation and souring.
• Leaving the colony hungry: Taking all the honey after the last flow is a common cause of winter losses.
• Supering late: This means swarming and a missed flow.
• Leaving extraction leftovers exposed in the apiary: This triggers robbing and the spread of disease.
• Keeping supers on during treatment: This creates a risk of residues.