FACTSHEET

Removing honey from the hive
Doug Somerville, Technical Specialist, Honey Bees, Goulburn

Introduction
One of the main reasons for keeping honey bees is
to harvest the honey that bees store in their hives.
The ability of honey bees to store vast quantities ofthis sweet substance has attracted human interestfor thousands of years.
Each floral source of nectar collected by honeybees gives a specific natural delicate flavour andaroma to the honey produced from it.

If there is any loose nectar, wait until the ripening
process is completed.

How much honey to take
When taking honey from hives it is essential toleave bees with sufficient honey to satisfy theirneeds. Bees require honey for a number ofreasons.


Honey is the main energy source for the bees’
survival — without it, they will perish.

The need to retain this quality product as near tothat which honey bees have created is the prime
aim of a beekeeper in the process of removing,extracting and storing honey.



Worker bees consume honey to stimulate wax
glands in their abdomens. Beeswax is thenused to construct and build cells in which tostore further honey and pollen and to raise
larvae, and to cap cells full of ripe honey.

How honey is produced

Bees are insects and thus cold blooded. To
remain active they need to create heat which islargely done by the consumption of honey. This
enables bees to maintain the brood nest
temperature and develop larvae at a constantºtemperature of 34–35 C, and for the bees tocluster during the winter.

The process starts when field bees collectquantities of nectar from flowering plants andreturn to the hive. This nectar is stored in thehoney sac where invertase, an enzyme, is added
to the nectar. Invertase enables the nectar,
primarily a sucrose solution, to be converted to amainly levulose and dextrose solution.
The nectar collected by field bees is stored in wax
cells in the hive where it is converted into honey.
During this process the moisture content isreduced to 14–21%. When the honey is ripe, bees
cap the cells with beeswax. The higher thehumidity or colder the climate, the more difficult it isfor house bees to reduce the moisture content.
Honey with a moisture content over 21% is likely toferment and spoil.

It is not uncommon for a hive to be left without
sufficient stored honey to survive winter. In thiscase the colony starves and dies.
With these points in mind, consider how muchhoney is on the hive in relation to:The population of the hive — a strong hive
requires far more stored honey for its survival
than a weaker colony.

Time of year — a colony going into winterneeds an adequate amount of stored honey toenable it to survive to early/mid-spring, which
may be a four to five month period. In midspring a colony may actually benefit by having
its honey removed to act as a deterrent against
swarming.



Other floral prospects — what other honeysources are available after this honey isremoved? If the colony is in the middle of areasonably good honey flow, taking a large
proportion of the honey off the hive isadvisable. Even if the honey flow is finishing,

When to take honey from hives
The question is whether the honey is mature
enough to be harvested.
Normally a frame of honey three-quarters cappedwith wax can be considered for removal.
One test to determine the ripeness of the nectar/
honey is to hold an uncapped comb containing
honey on its side and give it a good sharp shake.

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another may be anticipated with reasonableassurance straight away and in this caseremoval of the bulk of the honey is still worth
considering.
If further honey flows are not likely in theimmediate future, it may be wise to anticipate theworst and leave ample stored honey on the hive.
This may or may not mean you can remove honey.
For instance, if you had two full supers of honeyand a brood box, it would be reasonable to removeat least one box (super) of honey at any time ofyear, if it had ripened properly.

with the least possible disturbance to the brood
nest.

Methods of removing honeyTo remove honey from a hive, what options do wehave? There are a number of possibilities,
depending on the time of year, whether bees arerobbing or not, how many hives there are, and theirlocation.

Honey from brood nests

The methods currently used are brushing andshaking bees from each comb, removing the superof honey and letting bees fly and walk out, using
escape boards and using bee blowers.

Removing honey from a brood nest is notconducive to a quality product because:

Beekeepers will need to determine what is mostappropriate to their circumstances.



Honey in and around the brood nest is oftenmuch darker as the dark brood combs
discolour the honey.
Dislodged brood and larvae in the extraction
process is likely to contaminate the honey.

If honeycombs are to be taken out of brood nests
they must be free of brood, or first be placed above
a queen excluder to allow all the brood to fully
hatch before extraction takes place. If possible,
keep this honey separate from your main
extraction because of its darker colour.

Floral honeys
It may be possible to collect a pure floral honeyfrom one source. If you anticipate a varietal honeyand want it to be as pure as possible, it may benecessary to remove all the honey in the supers
and replace with empty combs.
Any honey collected and eventually extracted fromthat moment on will be from the floral source thecolony is working. This is sometimes practised on
citrus honey flows to obtain as pure a honey cropas possible from this source. Citrus honey is very
light and has a very distinct citrus flavour. As aconsequence, it can attract a premium price in its
pure form.

Queen excluders
The use of queen excluders offers beekeepers amuch more efficient way of removing honey fromthe hive. If the brood nest is confined to the broodbox (usually only one box) then any combs above
this should be free of the possibility of any brood orlarvae — a potential contaminant in the extraction
process.
Queen excluders allow beekeepers, particularlycommercially-orientated ones, to remove honeyp 2 Removing honey from the hive

Shake and brush
The shake and brush method, used mainly byamateur beekeepers, aims to separate bees fromtheir honey frames. This method requires eachframe to be removed, given a shake (either backinto the bee box or at the entrance), then any
excess bees brushed off the comb. With practice,
the quick shake can be a very efficient way todislodge the bees from their comb.
If a brush is used, it should be clean and used only
for the purpose of brushing bees off honeycombs.
This ensures that it does not contaminate yourhoney with other substances. You may need tocarry fresh water with you so that you can washthe brush if it becomes sticky with honey.
After each honeycomb is cleaned of its attachedbees, the comb is placed in an empty box kept
within reach. This box needs to be kept off theground on a honey pallet so that no dirt or sticks
adhere to the bottom of the frames.
Disadvantages are that this method is rather slow
and can stir the bees up if the beekeeper is
inexperienced. Also, leaving the hive open too long
may cause stress to the brood and encouragerobbing by other bees. Robbing will mean an end
to removing the honey until the bees settle down.
The advantages are that individual frames that arecompletely ripe can be removed, leaving those thatstill contain ripening nectar. The shake and brush
may be very suitable for beekeepers with only asmall number of hives or who do not use queen
excluders.

Let them drift
In some conditions removing the top box of combs
and placing the whole box on its end on the lid willallow the bees to walk and fly out.

This may take a number of hours. I have taken
honey off this way on a winter honey flow and themethod works very well under certain conditions.
The main problem is robbing. If robbing is evenslightly suspected then this method should not be
attempted, although I have heard of honey supers
being removed near dusk and placed on the lid ofeach hive. Then, at dawn, come back before thebees begin to fly.
If the bees do not leave the honey super quickly
enough shake, brush or blow the remaining beesout before removing the box of honey. Somebeekeepers think this method works better if thesupers of honey are removed in the early morning
before the young bees come above the queen
excluder. This method cannot be used if theweather is wet or windy — the risk ofcontaminating the honey is too great.

beekeepers believe that two nights are better for
clearing the bees. It can also be sufficient to leave
the boards for three to four hours if you are willingto shake, brush or blow off the excess bees that do
not clear from the top box.
To under super remove the top box which isusually more than half-full of honey and a superwith empty combs is placed on the brood box, thenthe partly-full super is replaced. To use an escapeboard just before removing the honey, the top
super, once full, is again lifted and the escapeboard is inserted.
If a large number of hives are to be processed,
either under supering or inserting escape boards,
this is best treated as a two-person job.
Escape boards work better during cooler weather,
particularly when placed on a hive overnight. In hot
weather they are sometimes slow to work and, insome cases, bees are smothered in the top box.
This may be overcome to some degree by using
butterfly entrances. The board is placed between
the empty and full super of honey on top and thebutterfly entrance is left open on the board,
allowing bees to leave the box of honey, boththrough the escapes into the box underneath andthrough the butterfly entrance directly outside thehive body. This allows bees to clear reasonably
quickly. These butterfly entrances can easily beclosed if robbing becomes a problem.

Butterfly entrance on upper level of escape board.

Supers on their ends, allowing the bees to drift/walkback into the hive.

Escape boards

There are many variations in the design of escapeboards. The principle is always the same; they act
as a one-way board. All of them probably work in
the right circumstances, but experiment with thevarious designs available to find one that suits you.

Escape boards work by allowing bees to get fromone side of a board to the other without returning,
thus emptying the super of bees. The boards areinserted between the super of honey to be
removed and the super underneath. They areusually left on overnight, although someRemoving honey from the hive p 3When used properly, escape boards cause theleast disturbance within the apiary and colony,
and are strongly recommended for backyard
hives for this reason.

Blowers
Devices used to blow bees from supers of honeyhave been used successfully for some time. They
require the box of honey to be removed and placedon its end, either on the lid of the same hive or ona neighbouring hive.

Escape board in place with super.

The blower is then used to blow the bees off theircombs. This is done by working from the back of
the hive and blowing the bees to the front of thehive.
The blower nozzle is angled slightly up anddirected between each frame in turn. Starting fromone side of a super, each frame is given a blast of
air, blowing from the bottom bar end of the box,
through the top bars. The frames are prised apartto enable the jet of air to reach the clustering bees.
Once the box is cleared of bees, it is immediately
removed and covered up to prevent entry by
returning bees.
At this stage, the use of escape boards on stacked
honey supers has the major benefit of continuing
to clear any excess bees still in the boxes. If the air
jet is strong it is advisable to blow the bees out of
the combs with an upward movement. In somecases bees which were blown downwards havebeen damaged.

Various escape board designs.

Notes on escape boardsBees do not leave the honey supers if there isbrood or larvae in the combs.

Bees are unlikely to leave uncapped or
ripening honey.

Escape boards tend to reduce robbing in theapiary.

Supers and lids must be in sound condition toprevent entry of robbing bees.

Put escape boards on your load of supers
before returning to the extraction shed. They
continue to clear bees from boxes without
allowing them to re-enter or rob boxes alreadyremoved.



A major disadvantage is the requirement inmost cases for two trips to the apiary — once
to put the escape boards on and then to
remove the box of honey and escape board.

Occasionally, a bee escape will become
clogged, preventing bees from exiting.

p 4 Removing honey from the hive

Blowing bees during cold weather also causes
problems for the bees. It is possible for them tobecome chilled before finding their hive and die
overnight. Avoid using bee blowers during very
cold weather or late in the afternoon.
The use of adequate protective clothing during thisoperation will certainly speed up the process
because bees are more likely to sting when ablower is used. Blowers tend to be noisy, which ismore of an annoyance to the operator than to thebees. Test blowers before buying one to makesure the one you choose is quiet. Be aware of thefire risk — blower motors get hot and may start a
blaze.
A variation on the use of bee blowers is gaining in
popularity: the bees are blown off the combs whilestill on their hive. This is done by tilting the bee
blower at about a 15 degree angle between
frames. Each gap between frames is blown fromone direction, then the other. The angle seems to
make the bees run down towards the queen
excluder. To be able to do this, the hives must be
three or more decks high. When bees are blown
down from the top, the super is removed and thesurplus bees, adhering to the bottom of the frames,
are blown off.
The advantage of this technique is that bees are
not blown all over the place. Most are confined tothe bee hive and when the super is removed it isvirtually empty.

take every step necessary to keep the product aspure and clean as possible.
© State of New South Wales through Department of Trade andInvestment, Regional Infrastructure and Services 2012. You
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From the hive to the extractor

ISSN 1832-6668

Be aware of the possibility of contaminating thehoney when the honeycombs have been removed
from the hive. Placing combs and supers of honeyonto pallets, on the truck or next to the hive, willassist in keeping grass, dirt, sticks and small rocks
from sticking to the combs. Cover the boxes toprevent re-entry of bees into the boxes.

Disclaimer: The information contained in this publication isbased on knowledge and understanding at the time of writing(September 2012). However, because of advances inknowledge, users are reminded of the need to ensure that
information upon which they rely is up to date and to checkcurrency of the information with the appropriate officer of the
Department of Primary Industries or the user’s independent
adviser.

If the honey needs to be transported to an
extracting plant, cover the load with escape boards
or a tarp to prevent dust and bees from entering
the boxes. If travelling on dusty roads, be sure tocover the honey boxes securely.

Published by the Department of Primary Industries, a part of the
Department of Trade and Investment, Regional Infrastructureand Services.
PUB 12/133

Avoid taking honey off during wet weather.
Rain on the combs will increase the moisture
content in the honey. Honey attracts and absorbs
water very readily. If there is threat of rain, cover all
supers with a waterproof covering.
Avoid windy weather. Wind carries dust and dirt.
Exposing the honeycombs in any way may lead tocontamination. Working bees during windy weather
is also very uncomfortable for you and the bees.
Be aware of any other contaminants. If using
antibiotics to treat hives for European foulbrooddisease, ensure you do not remove the honey fromthese hives for at least eight weeks, preferably
longer. It is better to remove any honey before
treatment.
Be aware of agricultural sprays. Many pesticides
now have a low toxicity to bees, but even so,
nectar and pollen from sprayed floral sources may
result in some form of residue in the honey.
When working horticultural or flowering broad acre
crops that have been sprayed with anything,clearly label and record any honey from this source
and inform the buyer of the honey of the potential
risk.
In some cases, honey will ferment in the hive.
Fermented honey can be very detrimental to bees’
health and must be removed from the hive. Extract
this honey but keep it separate from your otherhoney. Notify a packer to see if they can use it, and
if not, discard the honey in a responsible manner.
With care, honey can be removed with minimal orno contamination. Remember, honey is a valuable
substance. Anyone who extracts honey for humanconsumption has a responsibility to ensure they

Removing honey from the hive p 5