Honey!

A couple of weeks ago, we finally harvested honey from NP’s first hive of honey bees. The first thing we did after removing the 'super' from the hive was to allow the honey to dry down a bit. If the honey contains too much liquid it can actually ferment in the jar! Once NP was satisfied that the honey was dry enough, we began the extraction! 

​We borrowed a hand crank honey extractor from a friend and turned it into a family affair with my parents pitching in with supper and some arm muscles ;) Before we could put the frames in the extractor, NP had to 'uncap' the honey comb using a sharp knife. With that step complete we were ready to start spinning!

The extractor is basically just a centrifuge. It holds 3 frames at a time and as you crank on the handle, the frames spin and the honey flies out of the honeycomb and drains to the bottom of the canister. From there it flows into a bucket with a filter to help remove any bee’s wax or debris.  With just 1 super (8 frames) to harvest, it went pretty quick and I didn’t hear any complaints about sore arms the next day!

​NP filtered the honey twice and filled the jars. Isn’t that beautiful?! Now to get some labels made up and we’ll be in the honey business ;)

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NP cranking the honey extractor!

Honey!! The very first honey flowing out of the extractor! This bucket has a filter nestled in the top of it for the honey to pass through.

We didn’t have huge yields this year as the bees had to work hard building wax, making honeycomb, and growing the size of the colony in addition to collecting nectar and making honey. To be honest, with all of the extra work that a first year hive has to do, we were just happy that they survived. That we were able to harvest honey this year was truly the icing on the cake! Next year, this hive should be in good shape from a housekeeping stand point and the bees will be able to focus more on collecting nectar and making honey :)

Enjoy!
​Brun Ko Farm