Harvesting 2-4 frames

[MiamiDolphan]

My hive swarmed earlier this year. But I do have enough frames filled with capped honey compared to the current population. So I am going to take 2-4 frames of capped honey and crush and strain. How much honey should this yield so I can get an idea of jars. The frames are in deeps. What is the best way to get the bees off of the frames while I process?, a brush? How long should I let the honey sit before I put it in jars? I bought nylon screen to filter with, is this sufficient? I was thinking about scraping the frames into the screen and crushing everything with latex gloves on, and letting it drip into a container. Ideas?
Thanks.

[beekeeper28]

I do this all the time. Currently I have two Langs and through the season I pull a frame or two and harvest it. I found a cone shaped strainer on a stand in the caning section of Wal-Mart last year with a wooden masher. I hold the frame over the cone shaped strainer with a large bowl under this, with a newspaper or cookie sheet under everything. Gently scrap the frame down to the foundation with pizza cutter ect. - mash honey out of the wax through the strainer. Pour from the bowl through cheese cloth into containers of choice. I freeze the frame that was scraped and return them to the hive the next inspection. It helps to have extra frames to slip in place when you remove some to harvest. I shake the frame really over the hive to get most of the bees off. All bowls and tools are set outside for the bees to clean so no honey is wasted down the drain. A great way to harvets honey as a hobbist. It has become a summer cermonial event when we have company my wife will say go get some fresh honey.....my girls love this honey squeezing... I usually try to bring back a drone or two for them

[Dee]

>>>How much honey should this yield so I can get an idea of jars.

i used a radial extractor and for my deeps and i got about 5lbs of honey per frame

>>>What is the best way to get the bees off of the frames while I process?, a brush?

i like to use a brush

>>>How long should I let the honey sit before I put it in jars?

they say at least 24 hours, i only bottle as needed because of crystalization

>>>I bought nylon screen to filter with, is this sufficient?

depends on how much filtering you like, i personally like small bits of pollen (not that you can really see it with the naked eye) i have the double stainless steel sieve/strainer from dadant, it works great

>>>I was thinking about scraping the frames into the screen and crushing everything with latex gloves on, and letting it drip into a container. Ideas?

i have only crushed once and it was from a swarm in a house that i took out - so all the comb was in large chunks already and i used my bare hands to squish all the honey out, then let the bees clean up any honey left over on the crushed comb

the old comb was harder so i was able to squish the wax into balls, but the new wax just crumbled when i crushed it so then i put it in the top basket of my double sieve to let it drain

it was a warm day in the house so it drained fairly quick

[bjerm2]

I use an extractor (10 frame). I also use a shop vac to blow the bees out of the suppers. I use to use a brush but I also noticed that the brush gets sticky, I hurt bees with the brush, and most of all the get pi-- with me for using the brush. The shop vac is quick and I do not see it being all that bad on the bees. A deep frame usually holds about 3-4 lbs of honey.
Dan