# Crush??....Crush and drain???????



## dave85 (Feb 26, 2005)

This sounds like a method of extracting honey without an extractor in small applications?
tried to search and couldn't find it.
It just sounds inefficient, but I'm only planning on enough honey for home use.
Thanks,
Dave


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## Ol'Reb (Apr 21, 2006)

This works only with whole comb foundation, no plastic foundation... You simply remove the comb from the frame and crush and squeeze all of the honey out of it and strain it...


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## twind59 (Jan 6, 2005)

Dave,
Crush and strain is the way to go if you are just doing a few hives. It's what I've been doing...and it's really easy. 
Just get yourself 2 four or five gallon plastic food buckets. I got my last 2 at the deli department at the supermarket. Drill holes in the bottom of one bucket...3/4" or so. cut a circle out of the center of the other bucket, leaving enough of a rim that the bucket with the holes in the bottom can sit on top of it. Place the bucket on the floor...put the lid with the big hole on it. Put the other bucket(with the holes) on top of the first bucket. Place some cheesecloth in that top bucket...big enough to hang out over the edges and hold that on place by tying a string around the rim of that bucket. Now cut your comb from the frames and mash it all up in a big dishpan....scrape all that into the top bucket. It will strain through the cheesecloth and down through the holes you drilled, then through that big hole in the lid that supports the top bucket and will fill the bottom bucket. Let it set a day or so after straining and you should be ready to bottle.
I really like this method and stopped borrowing my friends extractor.
Barry
Indianapolis


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## twind59 (Jan 6, 2005)

Dave,
Yikes...sorry....I got typing so fast that I left some words out. The big hole is cut in the lid of the second bucket.
Barry


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## KSALguy (Feb 14, 2006)

will the bees clean up and reuse the crushed wax? would they put it back upinto the frames to make their comb out of or no?


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## btai (Mar 3, 2006)

nope, they'll just clean it up sparkling white

it'll go from a totally disastrous sticky mess to a perfectly clean white dry crumbly wax


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## Mountaineer (Jan 1, 2006)

I did it with plastic foundation and had no troubles. It was messy, but I'm sure any extracting will be messy.


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## Hovey Hollow (Apr 25, 2005)

Take it as an opportunity to play with the wax. Make candles, body lotion, lip balm, furniture polish, etc. Or if you don't want to get into those things sell the wax to a crafter that does.


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## dcross (Aug 12, 2005)

If you use plastic foundation, you can melt the wax and paint it back on.


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## Hee Haw (Mar 23, 2006)

Hey Farmer Joe,
Who did you get your plastic foundation from? Did your bees take to it right away?
I have heard of some having to melt extra wax and roll more on the plastic to get the bees to take to it. Did you have that problem? Thanks


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