Solar extractor

[Wandering Man]

When I first had bees (1980's), I used a solar extractor as a one step process for extracting honey & melting wax.

I thought I would do that this time, too.

Someone suggested I'd be overheating the honey.

Is this true? We had no problems with the honey back then. What am I losing?

Has anyone else used this method to harvest their honey?

[Jen]

Hey Wandering Man, I just learned this info on heating honey from this forum

Apis said ~ "40 c is 104 f. that being said with honey em-zines being killed by the heat it is a time temperature thing. honey held at 90 F will have its em-zines destroyed and will darken if kept at that temperature for weeks."

I like to infuse honey with ginger and lemon and follow these same heating instructions.

I haven't used a solar melter yet, but have to think that it could get hotter than 90 degrees in the melter if your not watching it closely.

Also, here is a link on what is in the honey nutrition wise. These properties of the honey would be destroyed as well if over heated. Hope this helps 

http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/sweets/5568/2

[apisbees]

The minimum melting point of wax is 147 deg. At this temp the honey will be killing enzymes
and will start to darken and caramelize the honey because of the heat in about 4 hrs.
In todays market with customers more informed and with more knowledge available to them, they are demanding more natural raw products with all the raw natural goodness. Not honey that has been heated to the point of pasteurization ans micro filtered.
Extractors can be obtained so reasonably that saving the bees from having to restart from scratch
2 lbs of wax is used by the bees to draw a deep super. The bees will consume 20 lbs of honey to make the 2 Lbs of wax with honey at $5.00 a pound. Every deep super of combs destroyed with the extraction process has a value of $100.00 It doesn't take many reused supers to cover the cost of an extractor.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Pro-2-Frame-Beekeeping-Equipment-Large-Stainless-Steel-SS-Honey-Extractor-US/252061062207?_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIC.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20131003132420%26meid%3D115efe7eeca74b9588f075db0500002b%26pid%3D100005%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D5%26sd%3D391373309929
But for the little extra money I would buy electric
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Beekeeping-Equipment-110V-Electric-2-4-Frame-Stainless-Steel-Honey-Extractor/322011023996?_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIC.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20131003132420%26meid%3D3caf7a47a3244bbd8e41a2bc7f5a48a6%26pid%3D100005%26rk%3D4%26rkt%3D6%26sd%3D111718558217
But for an extra $20.00 you can get the 3/6
http://www.ebay.com/itm/3-FRAME-ELECTRIC-HONEY-EXTRACTOR-2-OUTLET-BEEKEEPING-STAINLESS-STEEL-HIGH-LEVEL-/121878841458

[riverbee]

"When I first had bees (1980's), I used a solar extractor as a one step process for extracting honey & melting wax.

I thought I would do that this time, too.

Someone suggested I'd be overheating the honey.

Is this true? We had no problems with the honey back then. What am I losing?

Has anyone else used this method to harvest their honey?"

lol wandering man, this is 2016.......not the 80's................. BUT hey, whatever works for you and how much work/time.  as jen and apis pointed out, yes, you can overheat honey.  and no i don't use this method.  i have an electric radial extractor, (makes life easier) and to process my wax, i built and use a solar unit for processing my wax.  works for me!

[Zweefer]

A bit off topic, but I am curious if the solar melter you use works year round up here in the frozen tundra, or if you only render wax during the warm season?

[Wandering Man]

We average one or two days a year below freezing.  This year, I think it hit 31 the times, probably for less than a few hours in early morning.

So, basically, I could use the wax melter year round.

We're in the upper 70's and lower 80's this week.  Some of the wildflowers have started blooming ...

And my bees are two months away. :(

[Wandering Man]

A bit off topic, but I am curious if the solar melter you use works year round up here in the frozen tundra, or if you only render wax during the warm season?

I'm sorry, I seem to have answered the question I wanted to be asked, rather than the one you actually asked!

I don't know how cold it would need to be outside the box to keep the wax from melting inside.  The idea is that the box is sealed and exposed to the sunlight sufficiently long for the inside to heat up.  My box was painted white on the inside and black on the outside to help with the heating.  The sun did an excellent job of melting the wax even on cool days (70's for us).  I don't recall if I ever using it on a day that was near 65 or below.

I had two trays.  The upper tray held the frame with comb stuffed inside the leg of a used (but clean) pair of panty hose.  It was big enough to hold two, maybe three frames.

The lower tray was more like a trough, and collected the honey and wax.  The hose filtered all of the impurities.  I was left with a trough of honey and a layer of wax on top.

[Wandering Man]

lol wandering man, this is 2016.......not the 80's................. BUT hey, whatever works for you and how much work/time.  as jen and apis pointed out, yes, you can overheat honey.  and no i don't use this method.  i have an electric radial extractor, (makes life easier) and to process my wax, i built and use a solar unit for processing my wax.  works for me!

So, time to cut my mullet and get rid of my parachute britches?

The solar wax extractor was something I could afford, and it worked for me back then.  I wasn't aware that I was "cooking" my honey.  So, 30 years later, I was wondering why no one seemed to be talking about using a solar honey extractor.  I think I saw the word "extractor," and assumed it was for Honey.

Fortunately, today I can afford a real extractor.  I don't think I want to go with the crush and grind method.

But I will probably rebuild a solar wax extractor for the wax. 

Problem is, Wife no longer wears panty hose, and I don't feel like I should go up to strange women asking if I may have their hose when they are through with them.  That might put me in inside out of the sun for a long time.

[Zweefer]

No worries!

[Perry]

So, time to cut my mullet and get rid of my parachute britches
Problem is, Wife no longer wears panty hose, and I don't feel like I should go up to strange women asking if I may have their hose when they are through with them.  That might put in inside out of the sun for a long time.

 

"2 lbs of wax is used by the bees to draw a deep super. The bees will consume 20 lbs of honey to make the 2 Lbs of wax with honey at $5.00 a pound. Every deep super of combs destroyed with the extraction process has a value of $100.00 It doesn't take many reused supers to cover the cost of an extractor."

Every time you post something Apis, I learn something (2 lbs of wax per deep super). Thanks.

[riverbee]

"So, time to cut my mullet and get rid of my parachute britches?"

...................    heck no!!!..........

panty hose...........lot's of materials you can use other than this, paint strainer bags work well.