Honey harvesting is the careful, seasonal process beekeepers use to collect the surplus honey produced by a colony. This practice balances collecting the sweet reward while ensuring the bees have enough stores to thrive. The goal is to remove the honey the bees will not need for their own survival, focusing primarily on the frames stored in the upper boxes of the hive. Successfully collecting honey requires knowing when the product is ready, safely managing the bees, and using specialized equipment to extract the liquid from the wax comb.
Determining if the Honey is Ready
The most reliable indicator that honey is ready for harvest is the presence of capping on the honeycomb cells. After bees reduce the moisture content of the nectar to below 18 to 20%, they seal the cells with a thin layer of beeswax, a process known as capping. This low moisture level prevents the honey from fermenting in the hive or in storage.
Beekeepers generally wait until at least 80% of the comb surface on a frame is capped before removing it. Waiting for this high percentage ensures the honey is cured and shelf-stable. Some beekeepers test uncapped honey with a refractometer for an exact moisture reading. Another simple method is the “shake test,” where the beekeeper shakes a frame horizontally; if no liquid nectar spills out, the honey is considered ready. This readiness typically aligns with the end of the main nectar flow season, often occurring in late spring or early summer, depending on the local climate and available forage.
Preparing the Hive and Clearing the Bees
Before removing the honey-filled frames, beekeepers must wear protective gear, including a full suit or jacket, veil, and gloves, to prevent stings. The first step is using a bee smoker, a device that generates cool, white smoke from smoldering fuel. The smoke serves two primary functions based on the bees’ natural instincts.
The smoke masks alarm pheromones, specifically isopentyl acetate, which guard bees release to signal a threat and coordinate a defensive response. The smoke also triggers a primal survival instinct, causing the bees to gorge themselves on honey in preparation for a potential evacuation due to fire. A bee with a full abdomen of honey is physically less able to flex its body to sting, making the colony significantly more docile.
Once the hive is calm, the frames of capped honey are gently pried out of the box. Remaining bees must be cleared from the frames before transport to prevent them from becoming trapped or injured. Common clearing methods include gently brushing them off the comb with a soft bee brush or using a specialized board called a bee escape. The bee escape allows bees to leave the upper honey box but prevents them from returning. The cleared frames are then placed into a sealed container for transport, protecting the honey from debris and external contamination.
Steps for Extracting the Honey
The mechanical process of turning a wax-sealed frame into liquid honey begins with uncapping the cells. Beekeepers use specialized tools, such as a heated uncapping knife or a scratching tool, to remove the thin layer of beeswax that seals the honey. This step must be performed over a container to catch the honey dripping from the removed wax cappings.
After uncapping, the frames are placed inside a honey extractor, a large drum that operates on the principle of centrifugal force. The frames must be balanced within the extractor to prevent excessive vibration during spinning. The extractor is spun, either manually with a crank or by an electric motor, which slings the honey out of the cells and against the inner wall of the drum.
Using an extractor is the preferred modern method because it preserves the fragile wax comb structure, allowing the bees to reuse the frame and reducing the energy they must expend on rebuilding wax. The extracted honey collects at the bottom of the drum and is drained through a spigot into a holding tank. The final step is filtering the honey through a fine sieve or cheesecloth to remove impurities, such as wax particles, pollen, or debris, before bottling.
Leaving Enough Honey for the Colony
A responsible harvest only removes the “surplus” honey, leaving the colony with sufficient stores for its survival, especially through the winter or during periods of nectar dearth. The amount of honey a colony needs varies significantly by climate, with warmer southern regions requiring less than northern regions.
In temperate climates, a colony typically needs between 60 to 90 pounds of stored honey to survive the cold season. This reserve serves as the colony’s primary food source when forage is unavailable. If the beekeeper determines that natural stores are insufficient after harvesting, they must provide supplemental feeding. This is often done by feeding the bees a thick sugar syrup, typically a 2:1 sugar-to-water ratio by weight, to ensure they have the necessary energy reserves to survive until the next spring nectar flow.