The crush and strain method is the best way to harvest honey when you have one or two hives or are in your first year of beekeeping. The set up and clean up is fairly minimal, the equipment you'll need is pretty cheap, and you might even find some of these things in your kitchen. Plus! You don't have to shell out $100+ on a big extractor your first year when you're already spending a lot of money on bees and beehives.
How It Works
The crush and strain method of harvesting honeycomb involves squishing the cells of the comb so that the honey comes out. The comb is destroyed in the process and cannot by given back to the bees to rebuild. Most beekeepers melt the wax down for use in body products, crafts or in their beehives. Some beekeepers sell their wax.
Who It's For
This method of harvesting honey is best for people in their first or second year of beekeeping and have one or two hives. Ideally, you used no plastic foundation in your frames, but you can still harvest if you did use foundation. Foundationless frames just make it easier.
Watch How to Harvest Honey Using the Crush & Strain Method
Helpful Links About Harvesting Honey:
- How to Store Frames of Drawn Out Honeycomb Over the Winter
- How to Harvest Comb Honey
- How to Get Bees Out of Your Honey Super
- How to Harvest Honey Using a Hand Crank Extractor
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