Draining honey from plastic frames?

[PLCRI]

Hi,

Since this is my first year with bees and I started with packages I didn't expect to get any honey. I have two hives and one of them has done better than I had planned. Both hives have their second deep full of capped honey, (which I know is for them for the winter) but the one that is doing great has already filled a medium super and started the second. (the other is just drawing comb on their first super.)

Now, finally for the question. I am using plastic one piece frames and I hate to ruin the comb to get the honey. I didn't get an extractor since this is my first year and wanted to see how it went. Is there any way of uncapping, laying the frames on their side over a container and letting the honey drip from the combs if they are kept somewhere warm? Or will the honey just stay in the comb?

It took them so long to draw out the plastic frames that I would hate scrape it off.

Thanks again for any help or suggestions!

Paul

[jfischer]

Better to find someone with an extractor
and beg, borrow, rent or trade for the
use of it than to mess around with
ad-hoc approaches.

There's gotta be someone near you who
has one - have you checked with the
state and local beekeeping clubs?

So many people who post here don't seem
to ever consider attending meetings and
learning from face-to-face encounters
with other beekeepers and even hands-on
workshops.

The internet is NOT a replacement for
membership in a bee association, as
few of the older more experienced beekeepers
can be bothered with the internet, and
few of the large beekeepers have the time
or the energy to read/post messages.

That said, just sitting in meetings won't
make you a beekeeper any more than sitting
in the garage will make you a car. http://www.beesource.com/ubb/smile.gif

[Michael Bush]

It's usually not worth buying a new extractor for just a couple of hives, unless you can get a good price on one used. The best place to meet people who would HAVE an extractor is a bee club. You might find someone who is about to extract and would do yours at the end.

I've never had any luck getting it to drain out of the comb by gravity. But maybe if you had a warm enough room some of it would drain.

You can cut MOST of it off the face and crush and strain that and drain the frame with just a little bit of comb left on it, and that might work.

[JWG]

You can scrape the combs down to the foundation with a spoon and spatula, into a strainer, and drain the honey from the wax, although the bees will have to rebuild the cells.

[PLCRI]

Well I took everyones advise. I found out that there is a RI Bee Association, which I will be joining.

For now, I tried to use a knife and cut the comb off the plastic frame. I came off VERY easily. The was combs really didn't stick to the plastic. I tried to leave layer of way comb where it did stick.

It was very cool to get honey for the first time. I thought it would be dark being the fall, but it is a clear bright yellow.

Thanks for the input!