HONEY & HONEY MAKING. How to make Honey. Of course, bees make honey. Honey is made by gathering flower nectar, which the bees place in the honeycomb cells of their hive. But how do you harvest this honey? Here are some tips about beekeeping supplies, honeycomb, honey bees and more. Here's how to make honey and bottle it in a honey jar. Step 1 Set up your beekeeping equipment: Of course, you’ll need a hive from which to harvest the honey.An important consideration is your safety; there is a reason why beekeepers wear head-to-toe protection when dealing with honey bees.Make sure you have the proper beekeeping supplies before getting started.You can usually find beekeeping equipment online or even at your local gardening or hardware store. Step 2 Harvest the honeycombs: The honeycomb is kept in chambers above where the eggs are laid and cared for. These areas are actually easier to remove from the hive than other sections, which is good news for those harvesting the honey.You can eat the honey right from the combs, but most serious beekeepers and honey enthusiasts process the honeycombs and bottle the honey.When honey is used straight from the honeycombs, it is called “comb honey”, while honey that has been processed is called “liquid honey.” Step 3 Clean the honeycombs: There are caps over the honey in the honeycombs. These will need to be scraped off each side of the honey frames before harvesting the honey. Step 4 Extract the honey: There are special extracting machines to extract the honey.They spin the frames of honeycombs until he honey drips down, into a tank of unprocessed honey. Step 5 Process the honey: The honey should be processed to remove any debris which may have been extracted along with the honey.Honey is so thick that most of this debris actually floats, and it can be skimmed off the top. Then, it is warmed slightly to make it easier to work with, and strained to remove any smaller pieces of debris. Step 6 Bottling the honey: Now, the honey is ready for bottling in a honey jar.Some honey makers pressure-filter their honey before bottling to remove all of the pollen, but this also removes some of the flavor, and many serious honey fans prefer raw honey, which still has its pollen.You may notice that honey varies in color from darker to lighter. This depends on the source of the nectar, and results in a different taste. Generally, the darker the color, the stronger the taste. Step 7 Storage: Honey will keep for a very long time. It may crystallize, especially if it is raw honey, but you can eat it as-is, or heat it gently to re-liquefy these crystals.Honey should be stored between 20 and 24 C, and tightly capped to prevent moisture from reaching the honey.For long term storage, keep it in the freezer. Information. Making honey from beehives is quite challenging, yet it's also a rewarding activity. An involved hobby, it's not for everyone. If you are getting into beekeeping, make sure that you adequately protect yourself from the bees. Honey is a pure, natural sweetener, and it can be well worth the effort required to harvest it. Back to the Top of the page! Take me back!
Of course, bees make honey. Honey is made by gathering flower nectar, which the bees place in the honeycomb cells of their hive. But how do you harvest this honey? Here are some tips about beekeeping supplies, honeycomb, honey bees and more. Here's how to make honey and bottle it in a honey jar.
Of course, you’ll need a hive from which to harvest the honey.An important consideration is your safety; there is a reason why beekeepers wear head-to-toe protection when dealing with honey bees.Make sure you have the proper beekeeping supplies before getting started.You can usually find beekeeping equipment online or even at your local gardening or hardware store.
The honeycomb is kept in chambers above where the eggs are laid and cared for. These areas are actually easier to remove from the hive than other sections, which is good news for those harvesting the honey.You can eat the honey right from the combs, but most serious beekeepers and honey enthusiasts process the honeycombs and bottle the honey.When honey is used straight from the honeycombs, it is called “comb honey”, while honey that has been processed is called “liquid honey.”
There are caps over the honey in the honeycombs. These will need to be scraped off each side of the honey frames before harvesting the honey.
There are special extracting machines to extract the honey.They spin the frames of honeycombs until he honey drips down, into a tank of unprocessed honey.
The honey should be processed to remove any debris which may have been extracted along with the honey.Honey is so thick that most of this debris actually floats, and it can be skimmed off the top. Then, it is warmed slightly to make it easier to work with, and strained to remove any smaller pieces of debris.
Now, the honey is ready for bottling in a honey jar.Some honey makers pressure-filter their honey before bottling to remove all of the pollen, but this also removes some of the flavor, and many serious honey fans prefer raw honey, which still has its pollen.You may notice that honey varies in color from darker to lighter. This depends on the source of the nectar, and results in a different taste. Generally, the darker the color, the stronger the taste.
Honey will keep for a very long time. It may crystallize, especially if it is raw honey, but you can eat it as-is, or heat it gently to re-liquefy these crystals.Honey should be stored between 20 and 24 C, and tightly capped to prevent moisture from reaching the honey.For long term storage, keep it in the freezer.
Making honey from beehives is quite challenging, yet it's also a rewarding activity. An involved hobby, it's not for everyone. If you are getting into beekeeping, make sure that you adequately protect yourself from the bees. Honey is a pure, natural sweetener, and it can be well worth the effort required to harvest it.
