Stainless Steel Large Hand Crank Honey Press Machine Extractor Filter Apiculture Beekeeping Equipment Tool Supplies

What is a Honey Press?

A honey press is a machine that squeezes honeycomb between two surfaces. It can use either rollers or a pressure plate, though the typical ones are those using a pressure plate – also called a bucket honey press. Typical features of a bucket honey press include the pressure plate, a receptacle for comb with honey that can let honey flow through it and use of some force on the pressure plate. Application of force on the pressure plate crushes the comb placed underneath. The crushed comb releases honey from the cells. Various methods of collecting the extracted honey and putting it into a receiving container are provided for. They are usually incorporated into the design and manufacture of the device.

       In a honey press, the pressed wax is left in the sieve bucket. It is removed before more material is put in. The wax can be left on straining setups to allow more honey to flow out. In the right conditions, the honey is fully strained from wax in a day. Wax can then be stored or processed for its preferred uses. If you do not subject the wax to further straining after pressing, you can eat it as chunk honey.

       In the cut and strain method of honey extraction, sieving and filtration of honey can be done to varying degrees. Using a filter that removes chunks of wax but leaves pollen in the honey is sometimes done. The pressed honey with pollen has a more pronounced flavor. The honey is also of better nutritional value because of the presence of pollen grains in it.

       Extracting honey using a press is a very rewarding experience for the beekeeper. It achieves the first step in separation of two major beehive products. Subsequent processing of the wax or honey is carried out individually. With a press, it is recommended that you work on comb that is at least 80⁰ F (26.7⁰ C) or warmer. The process of subsequent straining can be completed in about a day if the comb is warm enough during the entire process. If temperatures are lower beyond 70⁰ F (21.1⁰ C), straining can be required to run for more than a few days for best results. Even then, the honey or comb should not be heated too much, so that its nutritional value is retained.

Cleaning a Honey Press

      After pressing honey, you should clean the honey press, which involves removing stuck bits of wax and honey. If left, they make the device quite dirty. They can also encourage bacteria and fungi growing on them. Microbial growth on the press can affect the next crop of honey if the press is not cleaned before use. The crop of honey is ruined and the loss can be injurious to the continuity of the beekeeping operation. Honey that is in the open can also attract insects. Some of the attracted insects may predate on nearby beehives and bees. If some of them are honeybees, they can rob nearby honey bee colonies.

      Good hygiene in beekeeping keeps the quality of beehive products out of question. Quality often determines the price that your beehive products will fetch. The highest quality products get the best prices. Clean beekeeping equipment and other beekeeping management practices help keep the good quality of beehive products. Equipment such as honey presses that are used only at some time periods in the year, should be cleaned before and after use. They should also be kept covered so that dust does not settle on them. Cleaning also helps the equipment last longer and perform at its best.