This is my third year beekeeping and my first year extracting (I spent the first two years focusing on increase.) I picked up a 6 frame (radial, I think) extractor and an uncapping tub and 'extracted' my first supers (3 shallows, to be exact) for the initial test run. Things seemed to go well (I'm still alive and I did get some honey - @ two-thirds of a five gallon bucket - not a ton, but I'm happy with it), but I have a few questions.
1. Uncapping : when I was finished uncapping, some of the honey had seeped through the screen and into the bottom section of the uncapping tub. There was still honey in the wax, so I decided to put the clear top on the uncapping tub and put it in the Sun. The rest of the honey seemed to drip through (with some of the wax) and I strained it into my five gallon bucket. Is this how other folks do it? Or do you just put the cappings (with the honey still on them) in the wax melter?
2. Spinning : the thing came with no real instructions on how long to spin the frames or how to do it. When I amped it up to 70 at the start, the thing would begin to shake all over the place, so my process was to start at 40 for a few minutes, then go to 60 for a few more minutes and finally to 80 for a few more minutes. It appeared as if I got all of the honey, but am thinking I probably spun for longer then I needed to. What process to other folks use?
3. Post Extraction : I now have a 5 gallon bucket, 2/3's full of honey, that has been sitting for a day and a half. I was planning to bottle it tonight. I noticed that a film has formed on the top. Do folks try to get that out or just pour the honey until it gets to the last inch or so and restrain that top part? What's the general philosophy at that point?
4. Bottling : when I bottle it tonight, I assume that I just let it pour out through the spigot, filling each bottle to the top and then put a top on it. Should be ready to go, right?
1. Uncapping : when I was finished uncapping, some of the honey had seeped through the screen and into the bottom section of the uncapping tub. There was still honey in the wax, so I decided to put the clear top on the uncapping tub and put it in the Sun. The rest of the honey seemed to drip through (with some of the wax) and I strained it into my five gallon bucket. Is this how other folks do it? Or do you just put the cappings (with the honey still on them) in the wax melter?
2. Spinning : the thing came with no real instructions on how long to spin the frames or how to do it. When I amped it up to 70 at the start, the thing would begin to shake all over the place, so my process was to start at 40 for a few minutes, then go to 60 for a few more minutes and finally to 80 for a few more minutes. It appeared as if I got all of the honey, but am thinking I probably spun for longer then I needed to. What process to other folks use?
3. Post Extraction : I now have a 5 gallon bucket, 2/3's full of honey, that has been sitting for a day and a half. I was planning to bottle it tonight. I noticed that a film has formed on the top. Do folks try to get that out or just pour the honey until it gets to the last inch or so and restrain that top part? What's the general philosophy at that point?
4. Bottling : when I bottle it tonight, I assume that I just let it pour out through the spigot, filling each bottle to the top and then put a top on it. Should be ready to go, right?