Off the Urban Grid

Processing Honey the Budget Friendly Way

Maintaining a backyard beehive can be a sustainable move for your family. Honey can be used as a substitute for sugar and other sweeteners, and it also compliments many meals, snacks and desserts. If you’re going to take on the challenges of beekeeping, it’s important to educate yourself on how to process honey, so you can benefit from your hard work.

There are three types of processed honey: extracted, comb and chunk. Extracted honey is in liquid form, and it’s the common form of honey found in grocery stores. Comb honey is sold in its natural comb form, and chunk honey is a mix of liquid and comb honey.

In order to extract honey, you need special equipment, which can cost $500 or more. However, you can buy the following equipment used and spend less.

• Uncapping knife
• Uncapping tank
• Extractor
• Strainer
• Storage Tank

If you decide to go the extraction route, you will have to familiarize yourself with these tools. It’s also important to note that this process isn’t the most convenient or inexpensive way to enjoy honey from your backyard bees.

The cheapest form of processing honey is comb honey. It’s a great way for new beekeepers, because it’s a simple and straight-to-the-point procedure. All you have to do is remove the entire comb away from the frame and cut it into smaller sections for storage. Just don’t forget to freeze the comb overnight to kill any residual wax moth eggs or larvae. There is the option to purchase special comb honey supers that produce round or square one-pound portions, but it’s not necessary.

Processing your backyard honey can be an easy afternoon activity that doesn’t take up hours of your time. So if you’re interested in beekeeping, there are parts of it that the whole family can take part in and pitch in.

Tags: backyard beehive, backyard beekeeping, processing honey