Do you know what processes honey, one of the most valuable foods in the world, goes through before reaching your table? Details about honey harvesting await you on the rest of this page!
Honey, one of the most beloved foods on tables, is a miraculous product of nature's awe-inspiring workings. With the patience and diligence of bees, the stages of hive construction, honeycomb building, and then honey production occur in a perfect order. The meticulous and error-free work of bees is one of the unchanging aspects from the beginning to the end of these stages.
Considering that a bee can produce only about 1/12th of a teaspoon of honey in its entire lifetime, both bees and the honey they produce gain an even greater value for all living creatures. For this reason, the same care must be shown during the process of removing honey from the hive and delivering it to humanity. In this process, called honey harvesting, certain conditions must definitely be taken into consideration. You must be very curious about what these are. So, it's time to learn more about honey harvesting!
1. WHAT IS HONEY HARVEST?
Honey harvest is the process of collecting honey produced by bees from the hive within a certain time frame. After the capped honeycombs are removed from the hive, their cappings are removed, and they are passed through honey extracting machines. This process, also known as "honey extraction," is done after the bees have capped the honey. Because capped honey is considered mature as the water content inside the honey is approximately below 20% after sealing. This prevents the possibility of the honey spoiling.
2. HOW IS HONEY HARVEST DONE?
Honey harvesting is carried out with great care, similar to the meticulous work bees put into honey production. There are some points to consider before, during, and after the harvest. In particular, an appropriate plan must be drawn up before extracting honey! It is necessary to decide on which day and time interval the operation will be performed, to determine and procure the necessary tools and equipment, and finally, to clarify which hives will be harvested. After all these are clarified, it is time to determine the method by which the honey-filled and capped frames will be removed from the hives. There are a total of four methods for removing honey-filled frames. So, what are they?
2.1. Shaking and Brushing Method
This method is commonly preferred by beekeepers who do not have large hives. To harvest honey with this method, a stand is first placed next to the hive. The smoker is lit before starting the operation. The smoke from the smoker, which helps calm the bees, is puffed into the hive several times from the edges of the inner cover. Then, the super from the hive is separated from the brood box and placed on the prepared stand.
Without delay, both the super and the brood box are covered. After this, it's time for the shaking process. For this, the beekeeper holds the honey frame by both ends and shakes it downwards with quick movements. This removes the bees from the frame. The honey frame is then carefully placed into specially prepared boxes and covered with a damp cloth. In this way, the collection of honey-filled frames for harvest is carried out quickly and cleanly.
2.2. Bee Escaper Method
In this method, a bee escaper device is mounted on the inner cover used to protect the hive from heat and cold. This device is then placed between the brood box and the super. This device, which prevents bees from moving up from the brood box, is considered one of the most useful methods for easily performing honey harvesting. Because with this device, bees completely vacate the super within two or three days. Thus, the frames from which the bees have moved can be easily removed.
2.3. Air Blowing Method
This method involves blowing pressurized air into the hive to remove bees from the frames. The air blowing method, like the shaking method, requires a stand. After a large cloth is placed between the stand and the hive entrance, the super is placed on the stand. By spraying pressurized air onto the frames, the bees fall onto the cloth. They are then encouraged to enter the hive with the help of smoke. In this way, the honey-filled frames can be easily and quickly removed from the hive along with the super.
2.4. Chemical Substance Method
This method involves applying a foul-smelling substance under the hive cover to drive the bees away from the super. This substance, which poses a risk to the health of both humans and bees, allows the bees to descend to the brood box and the super to be emptied. Then the super is removed and honey extraction is carried out. This method is generally used abroad and in large commercial beekeeping operations.
3. WHEN IS HONEY HARVESTED?
The timing of honey harvesting can vary from region to region. In some regions, this process is carried out from mid to late August, in some regions in May-June, and in others in September-October; it distinctly occurs after the bees have capped the honey. Because harvesting before the honey is capped can lead to spoilage due to insufficient reduction of water content. Therefore, at least two-thirds or half of the honeycombs to be extracted must be capped.
As for the time of day, honey extraction is generally recommended in the early morning or late afternoon/evening hours. This is because, during these times, robbing, which occurs when bees attack honey sources or hives that do not belong to them, can be prevented.
4. HOW MANY DAYS DOES HONEY HARVEST LAST?
Honey can be harvested two or three times a year. However, the total duration of the harvest can vary depending on the number of hives, whether the beekeeper works alone, and weather conditions. Honey harvesting can take two days, two weeks, or even longer, depending on the number of hives. Unfavorable weather conditions and lack of equipment can significantly prolong the harvesting period. Honey harvesting is generally carried out as a team effort, based on cooperation, involving more than one person.
5. WHAT HAPPENS AFTER HONEY HARVEST?
We mentioned that honey harvesting is a meticulous process. Accordingly, it is possible to say that there are points that need to be fulfilled after honey extraction. So, what are these?
5.1. Honey Extraction
After the honey-filled frames are removed from the hives, it's time to extract the honey. First, the cappings on the frames to be extracted are removed with a capping knife. Then, the honeycombs are extracted by hand or with a centrifugal (honey extractor) machine. At this stage, for the extraction process to be fluid and easy, the room temperature should ideally be between 25-30 degrees Celsius.
5.2. Evaluation of Extracted Honeycombs
Extracted honeycombs can sometimes be reused. In the stage after harvest, it is assessed whether the honeycombs are suitable for reuse. Honeycombs that are unusable can be melted down to make beeswax. Those that are solid and not too dark are stored for reuse in the next spring. Honeycombs should be stored in cold environments, such as cold storage, to protect them from wax moth damage.
5.3. Resting of Extracted Honey
After extraction, honey is passed through multi-layer sieves. This cleans it of pieces of beeswax used by bees in building the comb and other foreign matter. Despite this detailed process, some unwanted particles can sometimes remain in the honey. Consequently, the color of the honey might also be a different shade than it should be. To eliminate this situation, the extracted honey is rested in settling tanks. At the end of the resting process, air bubbles and beeswax particles rise to the top of the honey. This allows for complete cleaning of the honey. After the honey has settled and naturally attained its ideal color, the packaging stage begins.
5.4. Storage and Preservation of Extracted Honey
One of the most important details in storing honey is the ambient temperature. Honey needs to be kept in storage areas with ideal temperatures to prevent crystallization and souring. However, honey, as one of the unique foods formed by the combination of many valuable components, can undergo some changes until it reaches consumers.
These can include changes in color, crystallization, and increases/decreases in sugar content. For this reason, it is very important to avoid storage methods that would harm the honey, and especially to keep honey away from heat – to prevent increasing the hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) value in the honey. In summary; it is recommended to store packaged honey in airy and clean environments that are not exposed to direct sunlight. On the other hand, it is also important to know that the crystallization of honey over time is a natural phenomenon and this condition does not affect the quality of the honey in any way.
Balparmak analyzes honey samples sourced from different regions of Anatolia in its laboratories with at least 100 parameters for naturalness and quality tests. For genuine, clean, and reliable honey consumption, you can choose Balparmak honey varieties!
