[GregV]

FWIW - this is the kit I've used in the past to Crush & Strain - nothing more than a short length of 6-inch plastic drainage pipe ...........
Crude maybe, but cost nowt (nothing) to make. It certainly ain't food-grade, but then I don't sell honey. If I did, then I'd make the same kind of thing from s/s.
LJ

Recently I picked up something similar for $20 made from food-grade buckets (should I ever C&S on a bigger scale).
It is used, but I just gotten a bit too lazy to make one myself anymore - $20 is not worth the time spent.

 

[roddo27846]

Extractor in no way will increase honey production. Where is logic in this?
Extractor facilitates the efficient extraction of honey already produced by the bees, NOT honey production.
Bees produce the honey, not extractors.

In short - follow the commercial ways AS IF you are a commercial producer and be happy.
It is fine approach and works for many.

I personally prefer going against the grain and get what I need my way (with near zero investment).
I see not much value in the pseudo-commercial approaches for what I need from beekeeping project.
The idea of value in drawn comb is one such commercial dogma, for example (it is predicated on mandatory separation of the brood from the honey).

They'll fill a super of drawn comb faster than one with no drawn comb in it, therefore, increasing production. Also, drawn comb has many uses which are not filled by empty frames. I run foundationless and drawn comb is precious to me. Seems such a waste to always crush it to get honey.

 

[GregV]

...... Seems such a waste to always crush it to get honey.

UNLESS, you crush what is to be melted due to age/flaws anyway.
Everyone melts old wax, don't they.
Might as well, C&S them first - then melt.
But to do this, you'd need to practice different methods - a matter of choice.

PS: different honey extraction approaches generate different amounts of "poop" in the honey - to be clear;
to me, the more residue in the honey - the better;
others think otherwise;
others yet don't know/don't care of the "poop" issues;
worth mentioning;
This ref indicates just that:
https://www.beesource.com/forums/sh...for-the-Detection-and-Monitoring-of-Honey-Bee

 

[roddo27846]

That's why I said always. I certainly crush and strain a lot. That's why I checked out this thread. I am contemplating buying a wax press myself. Crush and strain seems to waste a lot of honey to me. I would think that a press might let you get more of it out, but I have never seen one and they are expensive. But if they save a quart or so of honey every time you use them I thought they might pay off. Just hard to put out the money to test that theory, and was hoping someone with experience might comment here. Seems like nobody has one.

 

[Gray Goose]

FWIW I have done C&S and Extract, Point was valid,, Empty comb has value, Expands , swarms, splits ets.
Greg's point on ease and flavor is also spot on the C&S honey is the best tasting, IF you also have use for and or want the wax then C&S gets them both.

I would get a 5 gal pail with the gate to bottle and the bag suggested by LJ,, can clean and store the works in the pail and not use a ton of space or cost much.

Last C&S I did was 12 supers on 4 hives in 82, Had an extractor of sorts since then. Now have 24 hives with an 18 frame , its a dream.

Honey Eater do not let the 2 hive deal in the back yard be a "detriment" to you, I have 4 spots with 4 to 8 hives each and it seems to work well, not all spots have the same flow, and if you really like to eat honey, each spot has a unique flavor, so another spot, another flavor.

If you plan to stay at 2 then a bag and a pail will suffice, if you plan to "have bees" just keep an eye out for used, or spread the work with some of your friends and in time one will show up.

BTW you are over thinking it a bit, now that you have graduated from the flow hive dream, welcome to BS and the rest of the bee activities.

GG

 

[Fivej]

Ideal is to get into a bee club or just a small group of people in your area that are in the same situation. Do you have a neighborhood forum to post to ? Buy a cheap 3 frame extractor for a couple hundred and share it. Well worth it. One of those folks can store it if you don't have the space.
If you are convinced that a press is the way to go, get a decent one that will do fruit. You may find that you expand your interests. If not, a decent one can be sold. J

 

[GregV]

That's why I said always. I certainly crush and strain a lot. That's why I checked out this thread. I am contemplating buying a wax press myself. Crush and strain seems to waste a lot of honey to me. I would think that a press might let you get more of it out, but I have never seen one and they are expensive. But if they save a quart or so of honey every time you use them I thought they might pay off. Just hard to put out the money to test that theory, and was hoping someone with experience might comment here. Seems like nobody has one.

Waste as in - "you don't get the honey" - but bees will get it back, and so this is not a waste at all.
Waste would be IF you dump the honey down the drain; now that is waste.

The press would get you extra few cups of honey for $$$$.
Those $$$$ are certainly waste because you spend say $300-400 to get press extra quart of honey out of the batch.
How much is that extra quart going to cost you? That is a very high marginal cost for an extra quart - basically it is "golden".
That is going to take a lot of extra quarts and a lot of years to pay back for the $300-400 spent (even $150 for a cheaper press).
LOL.

Bees are doing excellent job cleaning the residue. Costs nothing. They get back what is theirs.

So - the press expense would make some sense IF you had lots of bees and insisted on running lots of TB hives or Warre hives.
Still, there are ways to extract TBHs and Warre on a conventional equipment (for sure the Warre can be centrifuged).

Certainly, a desire to have expensive toys is a good justification and the toys have nice benefits to them, and it works too.
It is what it is .... and I don't argue!
Heck, I almost bought me a full farmette...... and didn't.
Glad that I didn't.
Instead, I bought an expensive Bosch table saw and started building hives from scraps.
Wife did not mind the saw - that's because I did not buy the farmette; tools are many magnitudes cheaper all way around.

 

[Honeyeater]

All the comments are making a lot of sense, thanks people. I am not a member of any bee club, (club meetings are not for me, being a bit of a recluse), so can't borrow equipment, and I'm only on this forum, and occasionally the Flow forum.

Two hives are more than enough for me, and that's what I can legally keep here anyway. The two hives are next to each other, and I swear they produce different tasting honey. I definitely agree with you there GrayGoose.

Regarding the value of drawn comb - I read about this a lot and I understand that from a commercial beekeeper point of view where every drop of honey counts. But for me, does it really matter if they give me a bit less honey while they re-build the comb? Are there any other disadvantages apart from having a minor hit on honey production that I am not seeing? I have two hives, and I never harvest more than a third, maximum half the frames at a time.


Out of my Flow hive, I get crystal clear honey and I do not have to strain it usually. I do understand that with C&S, pressing or spinning I have to strain it (will not be filter it though). That doesn't bother me at all and don't mind the "poop' as Greg said. However I don't know whether I can get clear enough honey after straining C&S/pressed honey.... just in case I sell some.

 

[GregV]

..........However I don't know whether I can get clear enough honey after straining C&S/pressed honey.... just in case I sell some.

Absolutely, you will get clear honey.
It all depends on the source.
I really like mincing/draining the old brood combs with some bee bread in them - after the honey cured few months (our favorite, darker honey with strong, unique flavors).
But pressing from light drone-sized combs will get a very clear, lighter honey (similar to classic super extraction).
I deliberately do not mix honeys, but keep them separate (down to even a single jar batches in some instances).
It will look like this - my favorite benefit of running my own bees - the variety you can never buy anywhere (because it makes no commercial sense whatsoever)!

 

[roddo27846]

All the comments are making a lot of sense, thanks people. I am not a member of any bee club, (club meetings are not for me, being a bit of a recluse), so can't borrow equipment, and I'm only on this forum, and occasionally the Flow forum.

Two hives are more than enough for me, and that's what I can legally keep here anyway. The two hives are next to each other, and I swear they produce different tasting honey. I definitely agree with you there GrayGoose.

Regarding the value of drawn comb - I read about this a lot and I understand that from a commercial beekeeper point of view where every drop of honey counts. But for me, does it really matter if they give me a bit less honey while they re-build the comb? Are there any other disadvantages apart from having a minor hit on honey production that I am not seeing? I have two hives, and I never harvest more than a third, maximum half the frames at a time.


Out of my Flow hive, I get crystal clear honey and I do not have to strain it usually. I do understand that with C&S, pressing or spinning I have to strain it (will not be filter it though). That doesn't bother me at all and don't mind the "poop' as Greg said. However I don't know whether I can get clear enough honey after straining C&S/pressed honey.... just in case I sell some.

There is nothing wrong with C&S honey -- one thing we all agree on, I think.

As far as the value of drawn comb, I'll only say that if you keep bees long enough, you will either see the value of drawn comb or you will not. People do things different ways.

If you are like me and do see the value of drawn comb, you will see yourself destroying something valuable in the C&S process and you will not like doing that. Then you will see the value of an extractor. If you don't keep bees long enough to start seeing the value of drawn comb, then an extractor is definitely a waste of money. So, for now, save your money and use C&S. The honey is fine and you can keep it more varietal that way too. Extractors just mix it all together. It's still mighty fine either way.

 

[Amibusiness]

I do have a lyson press. Of note, a honey press has a deeper trough for the honey than a regular fruit press as the honey is more viscous and therefore deeper. I'm not sure if I like the press or c/s better. The press gets quicker results. We use a paint strainer bag inside the press. We also pour the pressed honey through a double (honey) strainer and it is beautifully clear. (our extracted honey also goes through the double strainer.) I would definitely say c/s works fine for 2 colonies. For example: 1 bucket with honey gate and double strainer for bottling; this may be unnecessary esp if not selling. 2nd bucket with lid to catch drips: cut a hole in the lid leaving a rim big enough to hold the 3rd bucket. Drill holes in the bottom of the 3rd bucket to allow honey to drain into second bucket. Hang nylon paint strainer in 3rd bucket. Mince honey into paint strainer and stick the stack In the corner. When it is drained enough, repeat.
If you do get a press do small amounts at first. When you press a full basket the hard cake can be difficult to remove. When the cake is thin it comes out easily. If you start with a small amount and work your way up you will find what the upper limit is before you cross it....
Happy spring, honeyeater. We are winding down for a long winter's nap here.

 

[GregV]

Here is another very cool implementation of a honey/wax press.