Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum
BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => GENERAL BEEKEEPING - MAIN POSTING FORUM. => Topic started by: sweet bee on February 18, 2012, 07:45:00 pm
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Looking forward to my first year of harvesting honey! Does anyone have any tips for getting beautiful, clear honey? I pulled off one frame today, crushed and strained it but it wasn't as clear as I would like. Also noticed little air bubbles...is that normal and does it go away?
~Angie
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air bubble should go away. Don't know what clarity it will end up though.
Joel
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The clarity of your honey will probably vary depending on what the nectar source is and how much pollen and other fine particles are in it. After letting it set for a while to float all of the wax, bee and other relatively large particles I don't think you can clear it up any further without doing fancy or sophisticated filtration that would make it "sparkle" with clarity, but it will still magically and beautifully transmit light through a jar of it and show off its glowing color. :) The little air bubble will gradually rise to the top.
Crushing your first frame is an awsome treat - finally.. some production from all of your planning and effort. And of course a little work from the bees to.
When you get more than a couple of frames you will need to get a little better at crush and strain. I did 17 deep frames last year which was a banner year for me. All I can say is God Bless the nice lady on here (and i'm afraid I don't remember who it was) who suggested using a potato masher for the crushing. That was a tip that helped me out a lot. The straining I did over a stainless screen kitchen strainer that I sat in a large bowl.
Have fun and let us know how it turns out. Hint hint...pics are really cool
Old Blue
Viciously overtaxed to infinity and beyond in...
Kali-bone-ya
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http://www.bushfarms.com/beesharvest.htm (http://www.bushfarms.com/beesharvest.htm)
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@Thanks Joel, yes I see that the bubbles are coming to the top :)
@ Old Blue- Getting my first frame of honey was AWESOME! and you are right...it shines like a new penny in the sunlight and some of the best I've ever tasted; (lol, isn't everyone's first honey the best they've ever tasted?) Thank you!
@ Michael Bush, Thank you! Your link was very helpful!
I wasn't planning on getting any honey today...I did a quick check and saw that they had many full frames! So I thought it would be ok to borrow just a little. It's actually pretty clear except tiny particles of the wax that is floating to the top.
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How cloudy it is, quite often is due to crystallization. I just let it crystallize, and put it on the windowsill to encourage it to happen quickly and therefore more smoothly...
The air and the wax, as you saw, will float out or to the top. A piece of saran wrap laid across the top of the honey after it has settled will get the "scum" off the top. I lay this on a plate and skim the honey off for my biscuits... I don't mind some wax...
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Ive used Michael Bush method for the past three years. Mine was very dark this year and crystalized really quick, about a month.
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http://beekeeperlinda.blogspot.com/2007/06/honey-harvest-crush-and-strain.html (http://beekeeperlinda.blogspot.com/2007/06/honey-harvest-crush-and-strain.html)
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The filter you use to filter the crushed honey will help with clarity as well. I filter mine through three layers of filter (the standard bottling kit sold at all the catalog companies) so it goes through a 600 micron filter (coarse), a 400 micron filter, and finally a 200 micron filter (the finest I have). These stack together with the 200 micron one on the bottom so it's the last filter the honey goes through.
Iddee has already posted a link to my video of how to do it with ease!
Linda T in Atlanta
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http://forum.beemaster.com/index.php/topic,14035.0.html (http://forum.beemaster.com/index.php/topic,14035.0.html)
this was my first experience with crush and strain :evil:
tillies videos are excellent!
to be honest, i wouldn't worry about the cloudiness of your honey, especially if it's for you. it's a personal preference thing, i guess. i like the bits of wax and pollen in mine. i'll pass on the gross bee parts, but the bits that get by, and i don't see on my toast, don't bother me.
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Hi,
You can go to backwards beekeeping .com kirko-beeo has several good video's, one is on crush and strain. It is like MB's. It's also on u tube. I think he used to be a member here, but haven't seen anything lately of his. Think his name is Kirk Anderson.
Joe
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I have never done crush and strain but intend to do some this year.