Sunday 12 October 2014

Spinning the Honey.

So I have been back to the allotment and got a little more done but I figured there are only so many times you want to hear me say 'I weeded' and only so many photos of dirt you want to look at so instead I will transport you back to May!!

So back on the 30th May I removed my first 'super' from the hive to be able to get some honey.

It was quite an exciting thing to be doing and I also had some help from my friend Kate and my nephew James.

Kate was shocked to find that she was scared of the hives last year when I first got them but really wanted to help with the honey spinning.

James my middle nephew bless him was my muscle and carried the honey laden supers home for me to start spinning.

Now for the fun pictures to show you how it's done!!!


Frames from the supers, uncapped and ready for the spinner.
Frames from the supers, uncapped and ready for the spinner.
 
Uncapping knife and wax cappings ready to go back to the hive to be cleaned up.
Uncapping knife and wax cappings ready to go back to the hive to be cleaned up.

Frames loaded into the spinner, (4 will fit in), ready to be spun.
Frames loaded into the spinner, (4 will fit in), ready to be spun.
 
Then turn the handle and watch gravity do it's thing and spin the honey out of the frames and into the drum.
Then turn the handle and watch gravity do it's thing and spin the honey out of the frames and into the drum.
 
Then open the tap and watch the liquid gold pour out of the tap into the filters!!
Then open the tap and watch the liquid gold pour out of the tap into the filters!!
So that's all there is to it...easy right?? Well not as such. I got 28 12 ounce jars out of one super so you can imagine how incredibly heavy they are to carry initially and when you first load them into the spinner it is hard work starting to spin but gets easier as the honey comes out.

also it is vitally important to check that the tap is sealed tightly before you start to spin as otherwise it starts pouring honey out straight away...and yes you have probably guessed right in the fact that I didn't check this so I did lose some honey on the chair and the floor, Trojan didn't seem to mind one bit though and thoroughly enjoyed trying to clean it u before me!!

As you take the cappings off you obviously get little bits of wax left behind and this ends up in the honey spinner, this is where the filtering comes in. This mean after you have done all this you then need to leave it to filter over night before you put it into your jars.

My first spinning took about four hours which I didn't think was too bad but I managed to shave an hour off this the second time round when I had more confidence, had got a knack for removing the cappings, oh and didn't have to stop to clean honey off the furniture and floors because I remembered to check the tap first!!
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14 comments:

  1. Something I always wondered - are the cells containing the bee larvae in a separate area to the honey areas.

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    1. In my hive yes sue...there is a thing called a queen excluder which keeps her in one part...I will take some pics and write a post about it so you can see.

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  2. Now that's a serious honey post, Tany. I'm gold with envy!

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  3. This is fascinating. I have never seen the actual process before.

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  4. Dear Tanya, This is fascinating. Fresh honey. That is wonderful. Blessings dear. Catherine

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    1. Thanks Catherine, it was certainly a learning curve the first time I did it!

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  5. It's so interesting to see how this is done. And I'm glad you've gotten this far so fast.

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    1. I have my amazing bee colonies to thank for that Ratty.

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  6. I wonder how long that honey will last you. It must be wonderful having your own supply.

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    1. It is nice Jo...have to be honest with you though...I sold quite a bit to people who wanted it which meant I could go shopping to get some more stuff for my hives!!

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  7. I've enjoyed seeing your photos of the process. Very interesting and it must be great to have your own supply of honey.

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  8. It has been really nice to taste the honey from different sources and note the difference in colours and textures too!!

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keep it clean...keep it relevant...I look forward to reading your comments!!