 |
Extractor - Used to remove honey from uncapped frames. They come in many different models, and sizes. Both hand cranked, and motor driven. Extractors are either tangent, or radial. Tangent extractors have one side of the frame facing the outside wall, and extract one side at a time. Radial extractors have the top bars facing the outside, and the bottom of the frame facing the center, like the spokes on a wheel. This allows both sides of the frame to be extracted at the same time. The smallest extractor is a 2 frame hand crank tangent extractor. The largest extractors are 120 frame radial models that sell for thousands of dollars. |
| |
|
 |
Uncapping Knife - These can be a cold knife (unpowered), or a hot knife (powered). Uncapping knives are used by hobbyist beekeepers to cut the cappings off of honey frames for extraction. |
| |
|
 |
Uncapper - Once a beekeeper has more than just a few hives, using an uncapping knife becomes unpractical and it is time to upgrade to a more efficient method. For this we have the chain uncapper. These machines allow the beekeeper to uncap hundreds of frames in a relatively short period of time. It changes the daunting task of uncapping frames with an uncapping knife into a task that is quick and easy, but at a cost of a couple thousand dollars. |
| |
|
 |
Wax Melter - These are used to process wax cappings after extraction. They range from simple solar wax melters, all the way up to commercial wax melters for those who need more capacity. The larger wax melting units separate the wax from the honey, and other debris. Pictured to the left is a Maxant wax melter that also doubles as a honey liquefier. |
| |
|
 |
Cappings Spinner - A capping spinner is used to spin honey out of the cappings in a similar fashion as the honey extractor. If you produce enough honey to justify the cost of these machines, why lose the hundreds of gallons of honey to wax cappings when you can recover and sell it? |
| |
|
 |
Honey Storage Tank - Just as the name implies, these are used to store honey. Some also have the added feature of becoming a dispensing tank. Sizes range from approximately 200lbs to a couple thousand pounds. |
| |
|
 |
Uncapping Tank - When uncapping frames we need a place to store them until they go into the extractor. These can be used as both a holding bin until the frames are transferred to the extractor, or as an uncapping tank. A valve at the bottom allows honey to drained as it drips from the frames, or separates from the cappings. |
| |
|
 |
Honey Pump - If you have enough hives to be considered at least a side-liner, you may need a honey pump. These are used to move the honey from the extractor, into other equipment like filters, clarifiers, or storage. Most honey pumps range from $700 to $3000. |
| |
|
 |
Honey Filter - Just as the name implies, these are used to filter honey before bottling or storage. Most large filters use a micron bags inside that are replaceable. Filters range widely in price, quality, and features. These are not for the hobbyist with just a few hives. |
| |
|
 |
Sieve - If you're a hobbyist beekeeper, this probably the best option for you. Sieves are generally made to fit over a five gallon bucket, and have multiple stages of filtering to remove first the larger debris, and then smaller debris. Unfortunately they are known to clog up fairly quickly. |
| |
|
 |
Clarifier - Larger honey producers use these to remove the larger debris from honey after extraction. It's basically a large debris filter. These work with gravity, by filling up and allowing the wax to float to the top while the honey is pumped out through the bottom. |
| |
|
