Honey Room vs Basement? Please give insights.

2009 Views 6 Replies 5 Participants Last post by rolftonbees, Aug 1, 2014

rolftonbees

Discussion Starter · Jul 28, 2014

I keep reading about honey rooms or honey houses. Obviously it would be great to have a stand alone space for this but....

I have a couple of options. I have a 1000 squarefeet of basement that is basically all one room. It is a multi purpose area with a home theater at one end, a large 14 person dining/conference table with rolling chairs at the other end and a kitchen in the middle. the floor is tiled and all items are movable even the kitchen "island". The large table is multifunctional and used for homeschooling as well as dinner parties. I have padding and plastic covers for it.

I also have a 24x21 metal building where I store my mowers, tools and soon woodenware.. I have 8 feet of kitchen counter with sink and available electric in one corner of this metal building. The plumbing is for grey water only and does not have large capacity (trench of gravel). I would make a partition and use this space if needed. Of course the basement is climate controlled and more comfortable.

I read about someone using craft paper and that seems like it would cover most of my concerns for working in the basement, in that wax seems like it would be my biggest concern. Honey is water soluable so it is not a big concern as I have a large commercial mop bucket and a walkin shower in the guest room down there.

So far I have only used crush and strain, but will be purchasing an extractor this summer/early fall. I am curious as to the mess potential with using an extractor and the uncapping process and all that.

I can keep stuff in place for several days if needed in either location. Are there compelling reasons not to process honey in the basement of the house.

Thanks for any insights.

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Bees In Miami

· #2 · Jul 28, 2014

Does your basement have ground level access from outside? If yes, it would be a no brainer for me. My biggest concern would be lugging all that stuff up and down stairs.
You will learn that extracting can be done with very little mess if you take the time to set up all steps ahead of time, to keep all the equipment in basically the same area. I extract in my kitchen. The biggest problem is the occasional unseen drip that ends up getting tracked, but since it is all tile, it's nothing a damp paper towel can't fix.

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angel

· #3 · Jul 28, 2014

I'm faced with the same issue, except my basement has zero carpet, pure concrete slab and poured walls with a drain.

When you start spilling honey, bees will gather to "get in" that area and a lot of them will find their way in and soon you'll find them inside your home if you go with the basement. Are you going to store your extracted supers in this area as well? If so, then winter time for wax moths in the shed would be better in my opinion.

Some others might chime in on the humidity issues at both places, which I have no clue about yet, but have heard to leave your honey in a warm room at least 24 hours before extracting.

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Cantrellc123

· #4 · Jul 29, 2014

I've used my basement garage 20+ years for extracting and can't see how any place could be better that's not a designated honey house. I've got a sink with hot and cold water, a bathroom, and once I arrive home with the supers of honey I just back in the garage without having to unload until ready to extract if need be. It's a concrete floor so no real concern if wax pieces are stepped on. It's fully wired for 120/240 volt power. Virtually no overhead for a honey extraction room that's used one weekend per year.

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Cantrellc123

· #5 · Jul 29, 2014

I've never had an issue with bees trying to enter the basement and then into the house. Any that are brought in with the supers will congregate on the windows of the garage doors trying to get away ASAP. From my experience that's a non issue.

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Andrew Dewey

· #6 · Jul 29, 2014

Think sanitation as you are looking at things. In some states (like mine) honey is considered a food product and processing facilities are regulated.

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rolftonbees

Discussion Starter · #7 · Aug 1, 2014

As far as sanitation, the basement would be easier because I can run more water. I use the same space for canning and cheese making.

I was just worried that there was an aspect of mess making I had not experienced yet and needed to be ready for.

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