I have been given this honey comb just out of the beehive and loaded with
honey. Question is how do I get the honey out of the wax thingees

--

Moosemeat

"Moosemeat" > wrote in message
...
> I have been given this honey comb just out of the beehive and loaded with
> honey. Question is how do I get the honey out of the wax thingees
>
> --
>
> Moosemeat

VERY gently heat it in a (preferably) stainless saucepan until the wax melts
and rises to the top.
Chill and peel the wax off .
Or run it through a grinder and place in a cheese cloth bag and let the
honey drain off .
Commercial operations use a hot knife to cut the caps off the cells and then
centrifuge to expel the honey.
Ken.

Followup to my original reply - Be prepared to get very sticky.
Ken.

"Moosemeat" > wrote in message
...
> I have been given this honey comb just out of the beehive and loaded with
> honey. Question is how do I get the honey out of the wax thingees
>
> --
>
> Moosemeat
>

Salad spinner......
>

Joy wrote:

> "Moosemeat" > wrote in message
> ...
>
>>I have been given this honey comb just out of the beehive and loaded with
>>honey. Question is how do I get the honey out of the wax thingees
>>
>>--
>>
>>Moosemeat
>>
>
>
> Salad spinner......
>

Potato ricer....

Bob

Moosemeat wrote:

> I have been given this honey comb just out of the beehive and loaded with
> honey. Question is how do I get the honey out of the wax thingees

You don't need to extract it. Cut off a hunk and smear in toast. The comb is
added flavour and texture. It is quite a treat. Some of the honey will ooze
out over time. In an apiary operation they stick the combs in a centrifuge
and spin it until all the honey has been extracted.

On Sun, 23 Nov 2003 13:02:47 -0800, "Moosemeat"
> wrote:

> I have been given this honey comb just out of the beehive and loaded with
> honey. Question is how do I get the honey out of the wax thingees

Why bother? I LOVE comb honey... eat it comb and all.

"Moosemeat" > writes:

>I have been given this honey comb just out of the beehive and loaded with
>honey. Question is how do I get the honey out of the wax thingees

The beeswax is edible, but...

With a strainer transfer the honey to another jar, couldn't be simpler. Any
that sticks to the wax comb can be easily removed by placing the comb back into
its jar with a small bit of water, cover and swish to dissolve honey and use
sweetened water to sweeten tea, coffee, for baking, mixed with schnapps...

Save the beeswax to stiffen your bowstring, good for lots of other things too.

http://www.texasdrone.com/Beeswax-Uses.htm


---= BOYCOTT FRENCH--GERMAN (belgium) =---
---= Move UNITED NATIONS To Paris =---
Sheldon
````````````
"Life would be devoid of all meaning were it without tribulation."

On Sun, 23 Nov 2003 22:02:53 GMT, "Ken Davey" >
wrote:

>Followup to my original reply - Be prepared to get very sticky.
>Ken.

He's been there. This brings back memories of Moosemeat's Peanut
Brittle Adventure...

Sue(tm)
Lead me not into temptation... I can find it myself!

sf wrote:

> > I have been given this honey comb just out of the beehive and loaded with
> > honey. Question is how do I get the honey out of the wax thingees
>
> Why bother? I LOVE comb honey... eat it comb and all.

I agree. I consider it to be a very special treat. It may be one of those things
that some people are funny about. We once took some comb honey to a goof
friend's cottage. They didn't seem very excited about it and it turned out that
no one in the family like honey, never mind comb honey. A lot of local markets
have it for sale but it never seems to be a big seller. It may be the price,
since it is so much more expensive than liquid honey. Having known several
people who have kept their own bees I know that it is a much more expensive
process to get comb honey than the regular stuff, but I hate to imagine how much
more expensive it would be if everyone else knew how good it was

I do not have any knowledge of the 'peanut brittle thing but I can imagine.
Love your sig line.
Ken.
Curly Sue wrote:
> On Sun, 23 Nov 2003 22:02:53 GMT, "Ken Davey" >
> wrote:
>
>> Followup to my original reply - Be prepared to get very sticky.
>> Ken.
>
> He's been there. This brings back memories of Moosemeat's Peanut
> Brittle Adventure...
>
> Sue(tm)
> Lead me not into temptation... I can find it myself!

"Moosemeat" > wrote in
:

> I have been given this honey comb just out of the beehive and loaded with
> honey. Question is how do I get the honey out of the wax thingees
>

I can't answer that. However, I do know that some people cut off small
chucks (including the wax) and eat on hot biscuits. (The wax is edible.)

Wayne

Ken Davey wrote:

> "Moosemeat" > wrote in message
>
>>I have been given this honey comb just out of the beehive and loaded with
>>honey. Question is how do I get the honey out of the wax thingees
>>
>
> VERY gently heat it in a (preferably) stainless saucepan until the wax melts
> and rises to the top.


A double boilers better.


> Chill and peel the wax off .


Or just let it cool.



--

Mark

N.E. Ohio


Never argue with a fool, a bystander can't tell you apart. (S. Clemens,
A.K.A. Mark Twain)

When in doubt hit the throttle. It may not help but it sure ends the
suspense. (Gaz, r.moto)

Honey comb is more of a novelty food item. People often buy honey comb and
eat it like candy. You don't eat the wax but chew it until all of the honey
is extracted. It is more of a kids treat. To actually use the honey in the
comb a commercial apiary would put the honey comb through a centrifuge to
extract the honey. Cut it into small pieces and pop it in your mouth.
Don't forget to spit out the wax.

Doug

cc0112453 wrote:

> Honey comb is more of a novelty food item. People often buy honey comb and
> eat it like candy. You don't eat the wax but chew it until all of the honey
> is extracted. It is more of a kids treat. To actually use the honey in the
> comb a commercial apiary would put the honey comb through a centrifuge to
> extract the honey. Cut it into small pieces and pop it in your mouth.
> Don't forget to spit out the wax.

Spit out the wax? Why? Get a nicely browned piece of toast, cut off a hunk of
the comb, making sure there is lots of honey with it, spread it on the toast and
eat it. It is delicious.

Hark! I heard "Moosemeat" > say:

> I have been given this honey comb just out of the beehive and loaded with
> honey. Question is how do I get the honey out of the wax thingees

Get some friendly bees to dig it out for you.

Happy Turkey Day, Moosie... :-)


--
j.j. ~ mom, gamer, novice cook ~
...fish heads, fish heads, eat them up, yum!

"cc0112453" writes:
>
>Honey comb is more of a novelty food item.

Actually it's called "comb honey", it's a *natural* food.

http://www.honey.com/info/hnyforms.html


---= BOYCOTT FRENCH--GERMAN (belgium) =---
---= Move UNITED NATIONS To Paris =---
Sheldon
````````````
"Life would be devoid of all meaning were it without tribulation."

Moosemeat wrote:
>
> I have been given this honey comb just out of the beehive and loaded with
> honey. Question is how do I get the honey out of the wax thingees
>
> --
>
> Moosemeat

My great uncle used to raise bees for honey on
a small scale. He would often give us honeycomb.
We woud just cut off chunks and chew them up to
get the honey out and then spit out the wax.
Of course if you want honey on your biscuit then
you have to do what another poster suggested.
Kate
--
Kate Connally
“If I were as old as I feel, I’d be dead already.”
Goldfish: “The wholesome snack that smiles back,
Until you bite their heads off.”
What if the hokey pokey really *is* what it's all about?

On Sun, 23 Nov 2003 20:11:27 -0500, Dave Smith
> wrote:

> sf wrote:
>
> > > I have been given this honey comb just out of the beehive and loaded with
> > > honey. Question is how do I get the honey out of the wax thingees
> >
> > Why bother? I LOVE comb honey... eat it comb and all.
>
> I agree. I consider it to be a very special treat. It may be one of those things
> that some people are funny about. We once took some comb honey to a goof
> friend's cottage. They didn't seem very excited about it and it turned out that
> no one in the family like honey, never mind comb honey. A lot of local markets
> have it for sale but it never seems to be a big seller. It may be the price,
> since it is so much more expensive than liquid honey. Having known several
> people who have kept their own bees I know that it is a much more expensive
> process to get comb honey than the regular stuff, but I hate to imagine how much
> more expensive it would be if everyone else knew how good it was

Which of course leads me to ask why the HECK they charge so
much for comb honey? I'd buy more - if it was better
priced.

In ,
Moosemeat > typed:
> I have been given this honey comb just out of the beehive and loaded with
> honey. Question is how do I get the honey out of the wax thingees
>
> --
>
> Moosemeat

Just use the comb to groom your hair.
The honey will remove itself from the comb into your hair.

sf wrote...
> Which of course leads me to ask why the HECK they charge so
> much for comb honey? I'd buy more - if it was better
> priced.

Comb honey requires much more handling. The caps that are removed to
extract the honey from the comb get a lot of traffic from the bees and can
pick up some dust, many combs are not completely filled. It is much easier
to extract honey.

"Moosemeat" > wrote in message
...
> I have been given this honey comb just out of the beehive and loaded with
> honey. Question is how do I get the honey out of the wax thingees
>
> --
>
> Moosemeat

Commercial extractors are centrifuges. Use a salad spinner.

Dimitri

sf wrote:

> Which of course leads me to ask why the HECK they charge so
> much for comb honey? I'd buy more - if it was better
> priced.

That's a good question. It used to be sold in nice little wooden frames, so there may
have been extra cost for those frames and the labour to cut and package them. Nowadays
they just cut a chunk and put it in a plastic tray. Perhaps they still charge more
because fans of comb honey were used to paying more for it.

sf wrote:
>
>Which of course leads me to ask why the HECK they charge so
>much for comb honey? I'd buy more - if it was better priced.

Comb honey requires a lot more care in handling and is rarer in a 'clean'
state, that is without bee debris.

True comb honey is *unadulterated* honey, that is it's raw honeycomb as it
comes directly from the hive, not an emptied chunk of honeycomb from the
centrifuge tucked into a jar and topped off with the centrifuged honey (then
you are merely buying *adulterated* honey and extraneous beeswax - actually a
novelty item). True comb honey will usually be specially packaged, often in a
wooden box, sometimes also encased in plastic, with the comb cells still sealed
and with NO significentd honey on the honeycomb exterior. Centrifuged honey is
also heated during the extraction process and heat destroys lots of the natural
flavor as well as the nutrients in any pollen contained therein. If you are
buying a jar filled with honey and with a chunk of honeycomb floating in the
jar with the cells slice open then you have been defrauded, that it is NOT real
comb honey. True comb honey is not sold in jars and the cells are still
sealed... there may be a little seepage from a few of the cells rupturing but
the vast majority of the cells will be sealed perfectly, exactly as the bees
left them... quality comb honey will exhibit no seepage.




---= BOYCOTT FRENCH--GERMAN (belgium) =---
---= Move UNITED NATIONS To Paris =---
Sheldon
````````````
"Life would be devoid of all meaning were it without tribulation."

On 26 Nov 2003 01:59:12 GMT, (PENMART01)
wrote:

> sf wrote:
> >
> >Which of course leads me to ask why the HECK they charge so
> >much for comb honey? I'd buy more - if it was better priced.
>
> Comb honey requires a lot more care in handling and is rarer in a 'clean'
> state, that is without bee debris.
>

Bee debris? Poop?

I still can't understand what's so hard about putting a
(clean) chunk of honeycomb into a container and selling it.

sf > writes:

>(PENMART01) wrote:
>
>> sf wrote:
>> >
>> >Which of course leads me to ask why the HECK they charge so
>> >much for comb honey? I'd buy more - if it was better priced.
>>
>> Comb honey requires a lot more care in handling and is rarer in a 'clean'
>> state, that is without bee debris.
>>
>
>Bee debris? Poop?

Bee corpses and related body parts.

>I still can't understand what's so hard about putting a
>(clean) chunk of honeycomb into a container and selling it.

The doing is relatively easy, the locating of *clean* *intact* comb is not. As
I previoauly stated, clean intact honeycomb is not plentiful, and locating and
extracting it without damage is far more labor intensive than simply
centifuging the entire mess. There are those who for whatever reason are
willing to pay the premium price associated with comb honey, as there are those
willing to pay premium prices associated with any low volume commodity...
lookit all those who are willing to pay double and even triple for foodstuffs
labled "organic", an absolutely meaningless term. And yet they pay, quite
willingly, and zealously, in fact as the price rises they become ever more
zealous in defending their craziness. And there lies the answer to your
question, not only are people funny (haha), they are also funny (crazy).
Anyway, paying $20 fro a pound of comb honey is not nearly so nutso as say
paying $100 (and up) for a stinkin' bottle of friggin' fermented grape juice.


---= BOYCOTT FRENCH--GERMAN (belgium) =---
---= Move UNITED NATIONS To Paris =---
Sheldon
````````````
"Life would be devoid of all meaning were it without tribulation."

On 26 Nov 2003 15:11:43 GMT, (PENMART01)
wrote:

> sf > writes:
> >
> >Bee debris? Poop?
>
> Bee corpses and related body parts.

Oh, okay -
>
> >I still can't understand what's so hard about putting a
> >(clean) chunk of honeycomb into a container and selling it.
>
> The doing is relatively easy, the locating of *clean* *intact* comb is not.
<snip>
> And there lies the answer to your question, not only are people funny (haha),
> they are also funny (crazy). Anyway, paying $20 fro a pound of comb honey is
> not nearly so nutso as say paying $100 (and up) for a stinkin' bottle of
> friggin' fermented grape juice.

I absolutely LOVE honeycomb honey, but as you said - it's
not easy to find and it's expensive when you do find it.
>

Here I am with another info overload! Sorry ;o} OK, about honeybees and
honey. All of the information in this reply is based upon our experience
and also our geographic location. We are Zone 5, northern Kentucky. Most
of the info can be loosely applied to just about any location that has
seasonal weather changes.

A typical honeybee hive is made from wooden boxes - boxes with sides and no
top or bottom. The inside walls are smooth. There is a wooden rail along 2
opposite sides of the top edge of the box. The bottom of the hive is a
separate bottom board. It has a flat bottom and one inch sides on 2 sides
and the back, this leaves a one inch opening in the front that the bees use
to enter and exit. The top cover is also a flat board, but has 4 sides
about 3 inches tall. This cover is placed on the boxes with the 3-inch
sides fitting down over the top box, to prevent wind, etc. Sometimes, in
the summer, a beekeeper can have 10, or more, boxes stacked upon each other.
Still with only one bottom and one top.

Inside the boxes without top or bottom, the beekeeper places frames.
Imagine a picture frame with the top rail of the frame being 1 inch longer
on each side than the rest of the frame, making a kinda lip on each side.
The frame is put into the hive vertically and the 2 lips rest on that wooden
rail in the box. Before a beekeeper puts the frame into the hive, he may
insert a piece of foundation into the frame. The 'foundation' is actually
made of 100% beeswax and is stamped with the pattern of a bee cell, in the
exact size that the bees naturally make when they make a cell. This
foundation gives the bees a headstart on their home, gives a straight
vertical base so that the frames can be lifted out and inspected without
breaking. The foundation comes in wired or unwired. You use wired if you
extract honey because a centrifuge is used and it exerts tremendous outward
pressure on the wax sheet, and the wire helps to keep the honey frames
intact.

The bees have to 'draw out' the foundation, using beeswax, to actually have
cells on it they can use. The same size cell is used to store nectar and
pollen, and also to raise their young. The cells are about ½ inch deep.
Honeybees can only make wax at a certain age when the wax glands are
functioning. This is between 8 to 17 days old. It is produced in their
gland and comes out like a tiny little fish scale.

IT TAKES ABOUT 10 POUNDS OF HONEY TO MAKE ONE POUND OF WAX.

There are 10 frames to each bee box. When a new beekeeper starts a hive he
will usually have 2 boxes for the bees, the bottom box is called their brood
box (where they raise young) and the 2nd box is called their food box (where
the nectar and pollen are used to feed the hive). In our area, any box
above these two can be taken by the beekeeper, because it typically takes
about 2 boxes for a hive to survive a winter here. Now, it usually takes a
FULL summer for the bees to draw out the foundation in the 2 boxes, and fill
it up with nectar and pollen. This is assuming a strong hive that can have
70,000 to 90,000 bees in it during the strongest nectar flow.

FINALLY, SOME EXPLANATION ABOUT THE COMB HONEY AND ITS COST AND
AVAILABILITY!!

If a beekeeper takes the honey, and extracts it with the centrifuge (called
an extractor), he can reuse the frames to gather more honey without the bees
having to use their energy to make more wax. When making comb honey some
beekeepers will use foundation but some do not. I guess it is evident that
a beekeeper who makes comb honey cannot get as much honey from a hive as one
who extracts that honey.

The extracting of honey is not putting the whole mess in a centrifuge and
getting honey out. The bees store nectar (sweet water from the flowers) in
the cells in the frame (The bees tip the cells to the rear and down slightly
and the nectar does not run out.) When they put the nectar into the cell,
they add enzymes from their glands that start the nectar to becoming honey.
Then they flap their wings and do other stuff (like hanging the nectar from
the top of the cell instead of on the bottom of the cell) to keep an airflow
going over the surface of the cells so that the water in the nectar starts
to evaporate and the nectar starts to thicken like honey. Once the honey
has the right moisture level, the bees CAP the cell to seal the honey at
that moisture level and save it for later use (to feed babies).

When the beekeeper wants to take the honey he first has to get the frames
from the bees! Remember those 90,000 bees? Well, Dave uses a leaf blower.
He has to take each frame (10 per box) and blow off both sides, which are
covered with bees. Then put that frame in another box and then do the next
one. Then after he has all the boxes he has to haul them to the honeyhouse.
Some of the boxes can weigh about a hundred pounds. Then he checks the
moisture content, if there are any cells that haven't been capped. There
are always some not capped because not all nectar is collected at the same
time. If too high, Dave puts the dehumidifier in the honeyhouse with the
boxes. Then he has to check the moisture content about twice a day to watch
for the correct level.

Once the moisture level is right, you have to uncap each cell. The bees
have capped each cell using wax. We use a heated knife ($100) to uncap.
You hold the frame against something that is food safe and lay the knife
flush with the cells. Then slowly, with a sawing motion, remove the caps.
Some caps stick out more and others are pushed in. Gotta pick them with a
honey fork. We only have 12 hives so our extractor is not electric.
(Bought used for $175) (Needed cleaned and treated and then sealed with
food safe sealer) Hand turn only. And it only holds 3 frames. Not boxes,
just frames. And you can only do one side of a frame at a time in ours.
You have to stop, pull the frames up and out and turn them over and put them
back in. Then start turning that handle. Start out slow and then really
fast. Probably only about a minute and a half to 2 minutes per one side tur
ning. Sometimes we can get 3 boxes of honey from each hive. Hmmm, 12 hives
x 3 boxes x 10 frames = 3600 frames. Then drain the honey from the
extractor into a holding tank. Let the bubbles rise (about a day) then fill
the honey jars that you have sterilized with boiling water.

Some more info to address other comments. Some beekeepers, us included, do
not filter, heat, or in any way, do anything to their honey. We do strain
it as it comes from the extractor. Just to catch any large particles.
However, this straining and extracting is not, in any way, considered
adulterating the honey. The term adulterated honey refers to those
beekeepers that add stuff to their honey - to make a larger crop. Like corn
syrup. Some foreign countries have few rules pertaining to what can be in a
beehive at any time, or what can be given to the bees for diseases or pests,
and this, sometimes, results in foreign substances in their honey. This is
considered adulterated honey. The term 'adulterated honey' is fightin'
words, Sheldon.

As for bee poop in the honey - NO, NEVER. Why? Because the bees do not
poop in the hive. They take cleansing flights to go poop. The only time
you will see bee poop on the outside of the hive is when they are sick. And
you would not get honey when they are sick because you have to medicate them
and you can't get honey then. (Sheldon, the male bees - drones - have been
known to poop in the hive. The girl - worker bees - clean up after the
drones. But they take the poop about 10 to 15 feet from the hive before
they drop it.

Good beekeepers keep great records and clean equipment. The boxes we use
for our honey to extract are a different size than the boxes the bees live
in. Therefore, we don't have a problem with bee brood, or babies, or other
gut-type stuff in our honey. Also, the US has regulations concerning which
medications can be used to treat the bees and also when those medications
can be on the hive. Sometimes the medications can leave residue in the wax.
By using specific boxes for honey, we can be sure that the bees are not
making any wax which can have medications in it, because the medications are
off the hive long before the honey boxes are put on.

And last, but not least, there are always a few bad beekeepers out there.
Hopefully, not too many. We are doing our best to change the way they do
business. So if you do find honey that is adulterated, or you think it is,
report it. Have it tested. Get that beekeeper out of business.

Again, sorry for the length. I wish I could learn how to shorten the length
of things I say and write. Haven't yet, probably won't any time soon!

Judy





"Moosemeat" > wrote in message
...
> I have been given this honey comb just out of the beehive and loaded with
> honey. Question is how do I get the honey out of the wax thingees
>
> --
>
> Moosemeat
>
>

Wow - thanks for the awesome report on honey, bees, and how hives
work. I found it incredibly interesting.

<major snip>

>(Sheldon, the male bees - drones - have been
> known to poop in the hive. The girl - worker bees - clean up after the
> drones. But they take the poop about 10 to 15 feet from the hive before
> they drop it.

Somehow, this sounds vaguely familiar...

<major snip>

-L.
(Who would totally dig bee keeping but has way to many other things on
her plate...)

Dave Smith wrote:

> sf wrote:
>
>
>>Which of course leads me to ask why the HECK they charge so
>>much for comb honey? I'd buy more - if it was better
>>priced.
>
>
> That's a good question. It used to be sold in nice little wooden frames, so there may
> have been extra cost for those frames and the labour to cut and package them. Nowadays
> they just cut a chunk and put it in a plastic tray. Perhaps they still charge more
> because fans of comb honey were used to paying more for it.
>

It costs the beekeeper a lot of honey to remove all that wax from the hive.
The bees will have to replace it instead of making honey. With regular
honey, the frames are replaced after the honey is extracted and the bees
just refill them.

Bob

zxcvbob wrote:

>
> It costs the beekeeper a lot of honey to remove all that wax from the
> hive. The bees will have to replace it instead of making honey. With
> regular honey, the frames are replaced after the honey is extracted and
> the bees just refill them.



That's somewhat incorrect.

The beekeeper uses starter boards coated with beeswax. The bees work/
draw the starter wax into combs, produce more wax to make up any
shortfalls, and make wax for capping the cells.

Starter boards come in several configurations. Most are covered with wax
as if they weren't the bees would have to cover them with wax before
they could start drawing the wax into combs, a great waste of energy for
the bee considering the wax is recyclable.

Some starter boards have a comb pattern embossed in the starter wax,
this is as close as the starter board comes to being a comb.




--

Mark

N.E. Ohio


Never argue with a fool, a bystander can't tell you apart. (S. Clemens,
A.K.A. Mark Twain)

When in doubt hit the throttle. It may not help but it sure ends the
suspense. (Gaz, r.moto)

Mark wrote:
>
>
> zxcvbob wrote:
>
>>
>> It costs the beekeeper a lot of honey to remove all that wax from the
>> hive. The bees will have to replace it instead of making honey. With
>> regular honey, the frames are replaced after the honey is extracted
>> and the bees just refill them.
>
>
>
>
> That's somewhat incorrect.
>
> The beekeeper uses starter boards coated with beeswax. The bees work/
> draw the starter wax into combs, produce more wax to make up any
> shortfalls, and make wax for capping the cells.

I don't think there's enough wax for anything but the bottoms of the cells.
The bees might can draw it up a bit, but they have to manufacture wax for
the sides of the cells, and the caps of course.

Best regards,
Bob