Honey from the wax melter

[ShaneJ]

I've had my solar wax melter running full time the last few weeks trying to melt down all my cappings etc. Each time I remove a full pan and leave it set I end up with at least a 3rd of the pan full of honey(under the wax).
Apart from tipping this honey down the sink like I've been doing, can I do something useful with it? Can I feed it back to the bees?

Thanks

[my-smokepole]

Feed it back to the bees. Are you letting them clean the wax of honey before melting it down
David

[ShaneJ]

I don't feed my bees at all or let them clean up any mess. Not because doing so teaches them to rob, but because I don't want other (bees possibly with diseases) to infect my bees.

I'd be happy to feed this honey back using an entrance feeder though if I knew it wasn't going to cause any problems.

[danno]

wax melter honey should be carmelized and shouldn't be feed back.  You can cook with it.   I know beekeepers that mix it into there extracted honey.  It will darken in up.  I dont do this.   I like the honey I sell to be very light.   Instead I found a market in bear hunters.   Last year I sold 10 gals to them.   I have also been approached by granola makers

[ShaneJ]

Yes the honey from the melter is very dark and carmelised which is why I have been disposing of it down the sink. I thought the bees might be able to make use of it rather than wasting it,

[Michael Bush]

If you keep the melter clean enough for food, you can harvest that honey.  Even if you heat wax to just melt it and separate the honey from the cappings and it gets dark, you can still use it for baking honey.

[Finski]

.
What ever melted wax honey tasted awfull. Besides it has living diseases.

When you compare to sugar price, melted honeys is not even value of sugar.

It is better then that first bees rob the old honey and then you melt--- if you need that honey.

[10framer]

.
What ever melted wax honey tasted awfull. Besides it has living diseases.

When you compare to sugar price, melted honeys is not even value of sugar.

It is better then that first bees rob the old honey and then you melt--- if you need that honey.

living diseases?  do you mean foulbrood spores? 

[Finski]

living diseases?  do you mean foulbrood spores?  

Many others but AFB is the worst.

When honey melts and drills down, the temp is not very high, about 40C.

[Lone]

Shane Shane Shane
Have you ever been called garbage guts?
Fancy wanting to eat waste products from a refinery. 

Have you thought about draining the honey from your cappings for about 3 days after extraction and using the honey then instead?

I do that then rinse out the cappings again before putting them in the solar wax melter so there is not such a mess of honey about.

Take care.  Sounds like you need it and a dose of mylanta   
Lone

[ShaneJ]

Hi Lone,

Yes we let the cappings drain for a few days, and then they are pressed into a 25L bucket until they can be put into the melter. For every half bucket of cappings we put in the melter we get at least 200-300ml of honey.

Eventually I may buy a cappings spinner to save that extra bit of honey  But until then I guess it will continue going down the drain.

[my-smokepole]

You could start making mead with them
David

[10framer]

living diseases?  do you mean foulbrood spores?  

Many others but AFB is the worst.

When honey melts and drills down, the temp is not very high, about 40C.

the moisture content of honey is so low that it is considered anti-bacterial.  i agree that foulbrood spores are transferred through honey but i don't think it carries a lot of diseases.

[danno]

200 - 300ml is hardly enough to put on a pc of toast.   

[Finski]

the moisture content of honey is so low that it is considered anti-bacterial.  i

And when you add water....

[ShaneJ]

200 - 300ml is hardly enough to put on a pc of toast.   

You must have big slices of toast over there 

[danno]

I was just exagerating about the toast but in truth its less then 1/2 pound or about 1.00 worth.   Just use it to sweeten your tea or coffee.   You would need over 3700ml to make a 5gal batch of mead

[prestonpaul]

Jo's ancient orange beginners mead recipe
 Honey candy recipies
There's a couple of ideas for you. I've done the Honey nut butter candy and it's not too bad

[Lone]

Shane, if you want some good mine runoff I could send you some creek water. 

Lone

[ShaneJ]

I'm not trying to create more work for myself. Was just wondering if I could do something with the honey rather than waste it.
I was thinking the bees must like it cause if I leave the melter open for for than 20 seconds the bees are all over it 

[Lone]

Shane, if you really want to, you could gather it up and feed it back to the bees inside the hive.  I put a dish on top of the frames with cheesecloth over.

Lone

[sterling]

I know you said you don't put the cappings out for the bees to clean up. But that is the simplest way to deal with them. You are complacating your beekeeping. Your bees will come in contact with other bees in your area regardless of what you do.

[Finski]

.
Cappings have really much honey.
I bought this to press the honey away.

[edward]

Cappings have really much honey.I bought this to press the honey away.

How much did it cost?
dose it do the job well ?
how much work is it,?
is it hard to clean,?
how much honey is left in the wax after pressing?

Would you buy one again?

mvh edward 

[Finski]

It works well and press the cappings in small volume.

was it 150 Euros?

In UK Amazon its £ 100

It makes good juice from lingon bärs.

[danno]

these start at 150.00 on up.  they are used for wine making (pressing grapes) and cheese making.  They are available at amazon and ebay.  search for wine press will most likely come up with a few

[edward]

It works well and press the cappings in small volume.

Up to how many hives would you recommend it for.?

mvh edward 

[danno]

these are little.  they only hold a qt or 2

[ShaneJ]

I have looked at those presses but they are only good for a few hives. I would be best keeping that money and save for a cappings spinner when I get a few more hives.

[hardwood]

Or look at cider presses...many can used ones can be found.

Scott

[danno]

My wife makes alot of cheese.  I built her a oak press like the 2nd one in this link.    http://www.cheesemaking.com/cheesepresses.html  Very simple design.  To operate you fill a milk jug with water and hang it off the lever. With 2 milk jugs she can get 100#s of pressure  I have never use it for wax but it would be easy to do. I would use a pc of 6" pvc.  Cut a few small notches in the bottom edge and make a wood disc alittle smaller then the inside diameter. 

[Finski]

I have looked at those presses but they are only good for a few hives. I would be best keeping that money and save for a cappings spinner when I get a few more hives.

I have 30 hives and it works with smaller container. The tool makes a good work.
I use electrict knife.

Fork do not produce much wax from cappings.

[ShaneJ]

I have a bit more than 30 hives and use a steam knife. Even though I dont get much honey yet, we still get a lot of wax.

[Finski]

I have a bit more than 30 hives and use a steam knife. Even though I dont get much honey yet, we still get a lot of wax.

And you ask from these "catch and release" guys what you should to do?


many use loundry centrifugal drier in extracting. I once used but it speed was too fast and the cleaning was not nice job.


.

[ShaneJ]

Catching swarms and removing colony's from walls is easy for me. Making honey isn't. We all need help or direction sometime

[Finski]

. We all need help or direction sometime

Yes, I agree. I have nursed bees 50 years.  When the things will be jammed, then I am forced to search new methods.

Last summer I started to use 25 kg buckets as honey store. Before that I have used 350 kg stainless barrels.


Honey sieving has been a problem to me. But I think that I have found now a solution. Honey crystals use to block the sieve. Canola is eager to crystallize.

Last autumn I made a new extraction room where I can control the heat of room and honey temp in extraction and sieving.
That is very important. Poor controlling produces much waste honey.
.

One thing is to get new honey crystallized that I can start to sell it.
So I must have a freezener what I run in the heat of +15C.  When I put a current timer, it cuts cooling to proper value.
One way is to make a big polystyrene board box where I put a cooler. It drops the temp to 15C.


I believe that I can use this small electrict cooler box cover to drop the temp down to 15C. Drop down is only 5-7C.