Once you’ve confirmed that your colony has enough honey stores for itself, the harvesting process is relatively simple – especially if you’re prepared. Before heading to the bee yard, make sure you have all your equipment ready to avoid unnecessary trips. Start with your basic inspection gear like protective clothing (suit, hat/veil) and a smoker. You’ll also need an uncapping tool or knife, an extractor, strainers, and containers.
Preparation can begin before you even pull honey frames. Many beekeepers use tools like an escape board, fume board, or repellents like Bee Go or Bee Quick to help move bees out of the honey supers ahead of time. Aim to harvest earlier in the day when fewer bees are in the hive and choose calm, warm weather to make the process smoother.
Honey harvesting often coincides with robbing season (late summer), so bees may be a little more defensive than usual. Work efficiently but calmly – fast, jerky movements can alarm your bees, while lingering too long invites robbers. To help mask the scent of honey and deter robbers, keep the hive covered with an inner cover or even a piece of burlap whenever you’re not actively working in it. If you’re only harvesting a few frames, replace them with empty frames to prevent bees from drawing burr comb in open spaces. Brush off any straggler bees gently with a bee brush.
After collecting your honey supers or frames, take them to a clean, enclosed workspace where bees can’t access the scent. Close windows and doors – pollinators can smell honey from a long distance and may try to help themselves. A warm room is ideal, as heat helps honey flow more easily during extraction.
To extract honey, start by uncapping the sealed honeycomb. Common tools include heated uncapping knives, cold uncapping knives, and uncapping forks. After uncapping, use either a manual or electric extractor to spin the honey out, or opt for the crush-and-strain method if you don’t have many frames. Once extracted, return “wet” frames (those still holding residual honey) to the hive above the inner cover. Bees will clean them up within a few days and the inner cover will prevent them from filling them with more honey.
Store extracted frames in a cool, sealed space to protect against wax moths and small hive beetles. If you plan to sell honey, check your state and county regulations – many have specific rules about bottling, labeling, and food safety.
Harvesting honey is one of the most rewarding parts of beekeeping. Savor the process, learn from it, and take notes for next season. You’ve earned it!
