How much honey is lost in the extraction process?

[Terri]

Due to a very wet summer, I might have a shallow super of honey to extract.

The question is, how much honey would be wasted if I extract it? There has got to be some loss from honey coating the drum and so forth.

Is it worth it to extract just one shallow super, or would I have to crush the wax to get an appreciable amount of honey?

[Michael Bush]

If you HAVE an extractor and you want some drawn comb, I'd extract. But if you don't, I'd just crush it.

[MountainCamp]

I don't believe that you would see a great deal of differnce between extracting (1) super and crushing (1) super.

There is going to be honey in the cappings, frames, and tank with extracting.

With crushing there is going to be honey in / on the crushed comb, what you crush with, and the container used.

Extracting will gve you drawn comb for next time and will mean more honey in the long run.

[bjerm2]

Also if you wish you can give the bees the supper to clean out, along with the cappings. I think it's still early to extract. You should still have time to put on another supper.
Dan

[Dee]

my local supplier, Drapers, will extract the honey for you for a fee, $5 per super, and they weigh it so you get the correct amount - minimal loss, plus you'll have drawn out comb, they'll even bottle it for a fee, or bring your own buckets, not to mention, if its a large amount to extract i do believe they'll give you credit for the wax cappings

[Michael Bush]

Wow! If I could do that I'd never buy an extractor.

[gadzooks]

I guess it depends on how much work you are willing to do for the honey. It also depends on how much you think is an "appreciable amount."

Last weekend, I was determined that I was going to pull off a super but didn't even have all the frames filled. I left some of them for the bees and extracted half of them. I'm not rolling in honey, but I bottled as much as I'll need until fall.

Concerning the loss of honey during extraction, I let the honey drain down and settle for a day or two. When bottling, I get my son to help me tip the tank and scrape as much of the honey out with a flexible rubber food scraper/spatula. The loss is minimal in my opinion.

I actually think I lose more during uncapping and straining the wax than during the actual extraction. Maybe that's just me, though. Good luck!