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Collecting honey is an important final stage of the apiary's work throughout the year. The quality of honey depends on the time it takes to pump it out of the hives. If harvested too early, it will be immature and quickly sour. Unripe food contains a lot of water and few enzymes. You can collect honey from wild or domestic hives.
Is it possible to collect honey from wild bees
In nature, honey is produced by bees and bumblebees. The bumblebee product has a more liquid consistency, slightly different in composition (less minerals, sucrose), is stored for a short time, only in the refrigerator. Bortevoy (wild) honey does not contain artificial impurities, therefore it is often recommended for the elderly, children, and the sick.
Differences between onboard honey and homemade honey:
- the density is higher;
- sweet, tart taste;
- amber;
- smells of herbs, wood, resin;
- contains admixtures of bee bread, wax, propolis;
- not easy to collect;
- high price (due to complex collection).
The selection of honey from wild bees is called beekeeping. To fight - this is the inner cavity of the tree trunk, where insects equip their hives. Often, beekeepers have to create artificial boards and attract bees there (it is more convenient to collect the product from such boards). It is difficult to collect wild honey - beekeepers manage to extract only a small amount of it, therefore the cost of such a product is higher.
How to collect honey from wild bees
Borting is an endangered craft. The secrets of the craftsmanship are carefully passed on to the next generation. You can learn how to collect honey correctly only from a practicing bee keeper: there is no special training.
Collection tools are made in a handicraft way. Kiram is a braided leather rope that helps to climb the trunk, its length is up to 5 meters. Batman is a nest box made of a solid linden tree trunk. Lange - a portable side, fixed with a kiram, allows the bee keeper to stand during collection.
Small workers are calmed down with smoke so that they do not attack. Previously, brooms made of dry and wet branches and leaves were used. Today beekeepers use a cigarette lighter. Smoke is used to treat the entrance and all the cracks. Then the board is opened, that is, they are removed (the "doors" of the hive are in the form of a narrow long hole). With a cigarette lighter, insects are moved to the upper part of the hollow. Only then can honey be taken from the hive. Details on how to collect the product from wild bees is described in the video:
The honeycomb is cut off with a wide knife from a tree, folded into a batman. All honey cannot be taken from bees - they feed on it in winter. Part of the honeycomb is also left next to the entrance (below) in order to preserve the natural insulation of the nest. Collect carefully: the remaining honeycomb must not be damaged. From one side receive from 1 to 15 kg of product. The time is chosen warm - August or September.
When honey is taken from bees in an apiary
Collecting honey is the main purpose of creating apiaries. The constant collection of the product from the honeycomb stimulates the bees, makes them collect more nectar. To pump out the honey from the hives, the beekeeper needs to make sure that the honey is ripe - there is no need to collect the unripe honey: it will quickly deteriorate and turn sour.
The process begins at the end of the season, when the insects finish collecting nectar. After that, they need to rest, seal the remaining frames. You can take honey from bees after 5 - 7 days.
Bees pump honey from the hives early in the morning - in the evening the bees gather in the hive, do not disturb them.In a small apiary, you can collect it in the daytime.
In some regions, honey is collected up to four times per season. It is harvested for the first time from May to August. The time depends on the flowering period of the plants from which the bees receive nectar. For example, buckwheat and linden honey can be harvested from late June to mid-July. Beekeepers are guided by insect behavior.
The time of the last collection depends on the state of the bee colonies, the climate of the region. It is advisable to complete the collection by the end of August. September is the last month. Then the insects prepare for wintering, and it is not recommended to disturb them. How to take honey from the hive correctly - every beekeeper should know and be able to.
How to remove honey from a hive
It takes a long time to pump out honey with a standard manual honey extractor. A beginner beekeeper from 2 pm to evening will be able to process no more than 50 regular frames. And this - if you do not stop for a minute.
Preparation begins the day before. The equipment is washed, treated with boiling water and left to dry. Then the mechanism is lubricated with oil, the remains are removed with a rag. Prepare the tools. Standard set:
- table (where honeycombs are unpacked);
- knife (standard, steam or electric will do);
- honey extractor with radial or chordial action;
- truck;
- box for cut pieces;
- honey pumping pump;
- feather, blower, brush (brush off bees);
- containers for collecting the finished product.
Prepare the room: it must be clean and have access to water - for periodic hand washing. The frames are removed after lunch, folded for carrying, covered with a cloth to keep the bees out. The honey is pumped out immediately - it must not be allowed to cool, otherwise the frames will have to be heated.
Before pumping out, cut off the wax lids. Use a fork, hot knife. The finished frames are placed in the honey extractor. Rotate slowly at first, then the speed is gradually increased. Having pumped out about half of the useful delicacy, the frames are turned over and again taken up to half. Turn it over again - and pump it out to the end. Work on each side twice, about 10 minutes.
The resulting product is poured into containers and closed. The freed frames are left to dry. Begin to collect from the following hives.
How to pump honey in multihull hives
Collecting honey in double hives and multi-hives is different from collecting honey in simple hives. In addition to the standard set of instruments, a Hahnemannian (separating) type grate remover is required. Experienced beekeepers consider such a grid to be indispensable. The device protects the uterus, does not allow it to fly out in the absence of the beekeeper.
The removers are installed the night before. It is important that at this moment there is no brood in the hive. During the collection of honeycombs, the frames are removed, the worker bees are shaken off (the remaining ones can be collected with a brush with wet bristles).
The removed frame is examined. If there is a brood inside, you should put it back in place and collect it next time: hasty collection can lead to the death of the brood, even if it is sealed. After removing the frames, the hive is closed and the collection begins from the next one.
What ways are there
Collecting honey from honeycombs is a responsible occupation. Until 1865, the collection was carried out by one and only method: the honeycombs were placed under a press, the resulting impurities and debris were removed through gauze. Modern beekeepers use honey extractors of various types.
To start collecting, the honeycomb must be printed. This is done manually or with special automatic devices. For small farms, forks are suitable (cut off the upper, sealing layer) or a roller with needles (pierces the bead).
The extraction technique depends on the type of honey extractor.The essence of the mechanism is that under the influence of centrifugal forces, honey leaves the honeycomb, small drops fall on the walls of the device and drain into a special container. Honey extractors work in horizontal and vertical positions. Horizontal models function in a radial or chordial manner.
How honey is stored
Honey is a product that has a very long shelf life. It is not difficult to provide the necessary conditions. Store in a refrigerator at home: the recommended temperature is from 0 ° C to +20 ° C. At higher or, conversely, low temperatures, useful substances begin to decompose.
Banks should not be exposed to direct sunlight. It is forbidden to place toxic objects nearby. It is important to protect it from children, since exceeding the daily dose of a treat causes allergies, diarrhea and other pathologies.
The containers are used differently. Glass jars, plastic containers, enamel, wood and earthenware - any kind will do, provided the right external conditions are in place. Storage in combs is considered to be the most suitable (they also require a separate container).
According to the terms, the storage of the product is considered indefinite. GOST defines a period of 2 years - subject to compliance with storage standards. Beekeepers know very well that this is a suspended sentence. High-quality honey is stored for several years and does not lose its taste, color, and beneficial properties.
Interesting! About ten years ago, a vessel with sealed honey was discovered in the tomb of the Egyptian pharaoh, who was buried more than two thousand years ago. Archaeologists claim that the delicacy has not lost its taste and color.
Crystallization is a natural process after harvest. This does not affect the usefulness in any way. Such honey is not considered spoiled.
The main signs of a good product:
- a ripe delicacy is wound on a spoon, stretches continuously, forms a slide on the surface;
- does not foam (foam means that the product is fermented or not ripe);
- there are no delaminations inside.
Conclusion
Collecting honey is a responsible process. Failure to comply with the technique can lead to the death of the hives, deterioration of the health of bees and, as a consequence, a decrease in honey production in the next season. Each beekeeper needs to prepare for the collection in advance: purchase equipment, familiarize yourself with the procedure and rules. Beginners should turn to more experienced colleagues and assemble the product under their careful guidance. The result of the effort and time spent will be a high-quality, sweet and healthy product with a long shelf life.
