Major screw up

[Charliebuck]

Well I really messed up today. I started to extract this morning, and I have an old crank style extractor that has a basket in it that turns when you crank the handle. The basket has a pin in the bottom that sits in a hole so you can spin it. I rinsed the extractor out this morning to get the years dust and what not out before I started, and evidently didn't get all of the water out of the hole, it couldn't have been much, maybe a half a teaspoon. Well as the honey started to rise in the bottom of the extractor, it got over top of the hole and with the rotation of the basket and the honey/water and the old cast aluminum it made a oil type stuff the leached into my honey ruining about 90 pounds of honey.

My question: What should I do with the honey now? There isn't too much of the oily stuff in the honey, maybe an oz or two to 90 pounds, but I am not going to sell it or eat it. Can I feed it back to the bees and let them clean it up. If so how? Or should I throw it out.

Please help.

[Sundance]

Do you use food grade grease on bearing and such??

If you do then don't worry about it. If you did not...... then I would personally be OK with cleaning the residue off and eating it myself and giving it away to family. Not selling....

If you have not used food grade grease then clean your parts throughly and reapply food grade grease to those parts.

I got mine from Kelly's but most beekeeping suppliers have it.

[Charliebuck]

I didn't use any grease. It's black oily stuff caused by the friction of the pin and hole on the bottom of the basket.

[Sundance]

Then I guess I would not worry.

Clean it up and eat it......... The metal is most likely zinc from galvanization and I would not personally worry about that small amount in 90#.

Certainly you could feed it back to the bees if your colonies are free of AFB or other diesease.

[iddee]

As a mechanic for 40+ years, I have eaten more of that stuff then I would care to think about.
I'm still alive, "I think"

[Charliebuck]

How would I Clean it up?

[Sundance]

After iddees' testimonial I strong suggest tossing the honey out!! Brain cells are a valuable comodity. ;) ;) (had to double wink that one iddee)

[Sundance]

Seriously charlie...... I wouldn't worry for my own consumption (or friends).

The amount your talking about is very small.

If it is visible then either spoon or dab it out.

[Propolis30]

Sounds like an excuse for me to make some mead!!!!

[iddee]

What are you talking about, I've still got 2 1/2 cells left. Three fell out and I stepped on one and broke 1/2 of it.