Specification

04
to supplies found in beekeeping catalogs.
• A serrated bread knife makes a good uncap-
ping knife. Use a sawing motion. No need
to heat it. Change directions if it catches the
wood. Some beekeepers really like using a
hot-air electric paint stripper to quickly melt
the cappings, as well.
• Kitchen strainers, nylon paint strainers, and
women’s nylon stockings can serve as good
honey lters. Clean ones, of course.
• Tupperware and Rubbermaid both make
good plastic containers to hold honey and
cappings. Honey is acidic, so don’t use items
such as aluminum and galvanized steel that
will react with the honey acids. Stick with
plastic, stainless steel or glass.
While there is a good household substitute for
most extracting equipment, there is no good sub-
stitute for a good centrifugal extractor.
Let the honey settle. Honey that rests for a few
days after extracting will not leave tiny bubbles
around the rim of a jar. Be patient. Almost all
debris left in the honey after ltering will either
oat or sink within a few days. A spigot just
o the bottom of a container will prevent both
oating and sunken debris from being acciden-
tally bottled.
If there is no nectar ow, bees will rob honey. If
the honey in an extracting room is more appeal-
ing than local owers, the neighborhood bees
will try to feast on it and tell all their friends. Ex-
tracting is best performed in a closed screened
room such as a garage, basement or barn, or
outside after dark.