Poor Man's Extractor

[fjblair]

I have five frames of honey to extract. I do not want to crush or cut the comb. I do not have an extractor. Is there any hope?

Can I lay the frames over with a heat lamp on them or something?

Thanks, I searched the forums with no luck.

[Sundance]

Short of finding a friend with an extractor........ I'd go
with crush and strain. What kind of foundation behind
it??

Heating (IMO) is touchy............. Plausible if you can
heat it to 100F or so and invert the frames.

[alpha6]

You can go in the shower, plug up the drain and spin around as fast as you can for ten minutes...and maybe you could get some honey out.

From what I have heard you need some kind of an extractor. Just warming them up won't be enough to get the wax out.

See if there is someone in your area who has one and will let you extract with their machine.

Thinking out of the box, you could buy a paint mixer for a drill (one of the long ones) tie a frame onto it place in a 5 gallon bucket and let it rip. It should work if you secure the frame to the drill well enough.

[Jeffzhear]

You can go in the shower, plug up the drain and spin around as fast as you can for ten minutes...and maybe you could get some honey out.

From what I have heard you need some kind of an extractor. Just warming them up won't be enough to get the wax out.

See if there is someone in your area who has one and will let you extract with their machine.

Thinking out of the box, you could buy a paint mixer for a drill (one of the long ones) tie a frame onto it place in a 5 gallon bucket and let it rip. It should work if you secure the frame to the drill well enough.

Alpha, if you could secure two frames to balance it out, maybe it would work...

My advice would be to put an add in your local newpaper "Wanted - Used honey extractor" and use it. The old galvanized ones are fairly easy to pick up at a reasonable price.

[Hobie]

My first year I did "gravity extraction"... cut off cappings, and lay the frame on a wire rack (I used a new queen excluder) over a large pan. It drips out slowly, and then you have to flip the frame and wait again. Time consuming, but it works. I did this in fall when it was cold and put the assembly in the oven at 100F to speed it along. But I only had 2 frames, so no big deal.

Someone in a class I took said they do the same thing but set the frames on end in a 5 gal bucket. I didn't try it.

[Hambone]

I plan on making something like these to start out with.

http://www.voiceofthehive.com/VotH/1..._Extractor.htm

http://www.scienceinafrica.co.za/200...yextractor.htm

[BeekeeperBill]

Hmmm...I was thinking these exact same thoughts about 2 weeks ago. After careful deliberation....I placed an order for one from ML.

[xC0000005]

Find a friend and borrow his. Rent one from a club, build your own (see links above) or buy new. Buy new doesn't really qualify as a poor man's extractor, unless you are referring to the beekeeper after paying for the extractor.

[Maine_Beekeeper]

My club owns an extractor that all members can borrow for "free" just by being members $4.00/year
Also, our local bee supplier rents a 4 frame extractor for $25.00/day - you return dirty! (what a steal)
check with your local beek organizations

[papa bear]

i am a cheapskate. i ordered a basket.20$, because i didn't think i could make one. bought a 33 gal. trash can 13$. bought a pvc floor flange 8$, j.b. welded it to the bottom. used a 2x4 as a cross bar (already had scrap 0$), with a hole in the center. put in the basket, slid on the cross bar, put screws through side (screws so i could clean it). extracted 6 med supers of honey "priceless". started off with a handle, but soon switch to cordless drill. the lid makes a good storage cover

[Hambone]

Hmmm...I was thinking these exact same thoughts about 2 weeks ago. After careful deliberation....I placed an order for one from ML.

lol

How good it works is still yet to come. I will probably do the crush and strain next year. But do plan to build one of those. Just to post experiance if nothing else. It looks like a good plan at a good price. If you don't have access to a club member or rental, seems to be a good cheap way to go.

[tecumseh]

perhaps a mulligan extractor might fit your pocketbook?

what is a mulligan extractor (I though you would never ask)? a mulligan extactor is a box the size of the frame to be extracted, two eyelets attached to the side of the box and a rob with a stop (typically a simple washer welded half way down the rod).

how does it work... uncap frame of honey and place in box , thread eyelets thru bar, use one foot to anchor bottom end of rod and set the box a spinning via circular hand motion at other end of rod, flip frame for removing honey from other side. pour liquid contents from box. repeat.

and why is this extractor call a mulligan... cause the fellow that invented it was named mulligan.

[Hobie]

I'm waiting for someone to ask if this poor guy has a ceiling fan....

I bought a used 2-frame SS extractor from someone at a club in the next state, by looking at online beekeeper group newsletter classified ads. $50, can't beat it. It was a homemade deal, and his plastic frames did not fit right. I had to make a few modifications, because the centrifugal force made the frame ear hit the honey gate, but I'm happy!

I just read the "voice of the hive" extractor story. Funny! But a few serious notes: Avoid pickle containers. I don't know if pickles come in 55 gallon plastic barrels, but it is nearly impossible to remove the smell from the 5 gal buckets. Second, try toothpaste. I've read that toothpaste will remove odors where no other substance known to man will touch it. Think of a good reason to explain to your wife/husband why you need to order toothpaste by the gross.

[greenismycolor]

LOL Derek

Your link to building the extractor is a GREAT read...I think there is a book somewhere in the future. I laughed so much, my husband sitting way across the room from me said "what is it that is soooo funny?" Please give my best regards to your wife. It's a great idea and seems you did a great job, let us know how it works.

green

[fjblair]

Looks like poor man is going to have to buy an extractor. My local club doesn't have one and doesn't plan on getting one for disease spreading reasons I believe. It is wireless foundation by the way.

Guess I'll drag out the catalogs.

Thanks...

[honeyshack]

while reading the posts all i could think about was the spread of disease with a shared extractor.
If you are going to be in beekeeping for any length of time then get one, just a small one. If you are going to buy a used one, get the bee keepers health info. Make sure no AFB.
Someting we have done over night is a white plastic sink with a queen excluder in it. Place the frames in the sink. My husband screwes some wood on the sink for a frame rest. Let it sit overnight in about a 30 C room. Most of it drips out.
Works well if the honey is runny.

If you use a drill, you need to watch out for the fine shavings of metal that come from the drill motor. Some drills give off very little and some give off alot.

[kyfarmer]

I just built my own extractor (not finished, lacking a motor and control) My total cost was about $30. The paint cost me the most. I used the beesource plans, and some scrap wood from a cabinet shop. I have a friend that is getting me a treadmill motor.

This morning I was looking thru Dadant's Cat and saw an imported plastic extractor $115.95 42lbs., pg. 65. I don't know how well it would hold up.

[xC0000005]

[quote=Hobie;345307]But a few serious notes: Avoid pickle containers. I don't know if pickles come in 55 gallon plastic barrels, but it is nearly impossible to remove the smell from the 5 gal buckets.[quote]

Pickels do come in 55 gallon plastic barrels and it is extremely hard to get the stench out. Steak sauce is no picnic either. Camcote would deal with both.

[Michael Bush]

You have five drawn frames. A strong hive in a flow will draw that in a day or two. You're working too hard at this.

http://www.bushfarms.com/beesharvest.htm

[dcross]

This morning I was looking thru Dadant's Cat and saw an imported plastic extractor $115.95 42lbs., pg. 65. I don't know how well it would hold up.

They hold up really well, since very few people are willing to use them more than once.