# Frame In Honey Super Extractor?



## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

Looks like a regular, but large, extractor. I've never seen anyone extract that way, but I can see that it would mean handling frames fewer times by hand. Which is an imprtant labor/cost savings when you have as much honey to handle as Captain Cook must have.

I have some friends who have lived in Hawaii and worked for Kona Queens. Mayb e I will ask them if they had any experience w/ Captain Cook's.


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## Beecharmed (May 19, 2010)

That would be great! I am not sure if they purchased it or built it. I have a hackler honey punch on order. My thought was, I could set up a super holder, pull up the frame, pop the cappings open and toss the whole box into the extractor. When one considers the one in this video holds 120 frames, making one might be the way to go compared to spending 30,000 dollars on a 120 extractor.

I'd love to know what you find out.


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## Almondralf (Jun 20, 2011)

For me that might be a food safety issue – think about all that crap that is on the outside of those boxes you get into the honey!?


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## Beecharmed (May 19, 2010)

LOL! Here in Idaho, we have clean bees  But perhaps you have a point, although Captain Cook Honey sells their honey at a premium price. I love the idea and if I can't find one, I'll be making one.


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## Beecharmed (May 19, 2010)

Funny! I just discovered Jim Powers from Idaho made these in the 70's! I talked to an ownere of one of these. He loves the extractor and recently tried one of the big 30,000 plus thousand dollar extractors and sent it back as it didn't work as well. He did mention that the frames are special frames design to not collapse in on the others when extracting.


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## beeware10 (Jul 25, 2010)

I was just going to post that powers used this system back in the 70's. their biggest concern was lead paint flakes from the supers getting into the honey. the end bars of the frames were one width. (just a rectangle block of wood. they were running about 30,000 hives at the time so it may not be very practical for a small beekeeper.


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## Beecharmed (May 19, 2010)

Great info! I plan to dip my hives, or I suppose somone could use a food grade paint would work.


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## MrHappy (Feb 10, 2012)

if you coated the hive in Linseed oil or something like that(like I do) then it would solve that. Interesting using the open bottoms like that. Does look like a good commercial way to do things. And when you're done you just have the bees clean things up and recycle the honey leftover.


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## beeware10 (Jul 25, 2010)

I have never heard but seems like it could start a robbing nightmare putting on wet supers as some honey mist would coat the supers.


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

I bet the supers come out dry being as the honey is flung out towards the tank and away from the frames and supers.


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## Beecharmed (May 19, 2010)

MrHappy said:


> if you coated the hive in Linseed oil or something like that(like I do) then it would solve that. Interesting using the open bottoms like that. Does look like a good commercial way to do things. And when you're done you just have the bees clean things up and recycle the honey leftover.


Great idea MrHappy! I did notice they actually put the tops toward the outside. I laughed when I caught it, but the young gal picks up a super that had already been extracted. She asks, "This way". He responds, "that will work". I worked because they weren't extracting her box just making a video. The box he put in, was placed in proper. It makes sense to have the top of the frames toward the outside due to the slant of the honey comb. I noticed they have bars on the extractor to hold the frames in the box. I figure even building one the material costs might be 1,000-1,500 dollars. That's much better the 30-40 thousand. I only have 40 hives so far, but hope to have 100 soon and 400 in a couple years. When I figured out the time of extracting all my honey from just 100 boxes, I knew I'd best be figuring out something. I don't mind hard work, but I don't like to waste time and have know desire to use a small extractor to process 6-10 thousand lbs of honey. 

Glad we all have a place to pass ideas around.


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## Beecharmed (May 19, 2010)

sqkcrk said:


> I bet the supers come out dry being as the honey is flung out towards the tank and away from the frames and supers.


I bet you are right!


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

I also bet that buying an extractor and using it the way it is designed to be used, putting individual frames into slots in the reel, will prove easier on your back over time than lifting a full deep or medium super of honey and placing it inside of a tank. One hundred hives wouldn't justify extracting in the manner illustrated in the video.


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## odfrank (May 13, 2002)

They are still taking out each individual frame. They need an inbox uncapper also.


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## Beecharmed (May 19, 2010)

odfrank said:


> They are still taking out each individual frame. They need an inbox uncapper also.


I was thinking a hackler honey punch might work well. True we'd need to pull the frame, but only as far as needed to run the punch.


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## McGuire's (Mar 16, 2013)

It has been awhile since this thread has been posted on. I was just wondering if anybody found any plans or new where an extractor like this could be bought.


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

Nope.


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## Cleo C. Hogan Jr (Feb 27, 2010)

sqkcrk said:


> I also bet that buying an extractor and using it the way it is designed to be used, putting individual frames into slots in the reel, will prove easier on your back over time than lifting a full deep or medium super of honey and placing it inside of a tank. One hundred hives wouldn't justify extracting in the manner illustrated in the video.


I am with Mark and odfrank on this one. They are still removing the frames for uncapping. There has to be some honey on the outside of the supers, and placing them back into the apiary would set off a frenzy. 

One additional point.... What about possibility of lead based paint on the older hives, what about bird poop, What about where skunks, *****, other animals that climb on the hives trying to get to the honey, what about dirt and dust from the trip from the apiary to the honey house, what about insecticides and pesticides, that may have been sprayed near the hives??? All of this is on the outside of hives. We are going to be eating that too. Frames inside a hive are close to sterile. The outside of supers ARE NOT.

cchoganjr


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## snl (Nov 20, 2009)

Cleo C. Hogan Jr said:


> One additional point.... What about possibility of lead based paint on the older hives, what about bird poop, What about where skunks, *****, other animals that climb on the hives trying to get to the honey, what about dirt and dust from the trip from the apiary to the honey house, what about insecticides and pesticides, that may have been sprayed near the hives??? All of this is on the outside of hives. We are going to be eating that too. Frames inside a hive are close to sterile. The outside of supers ARE NOT. choganjr


It mentioned in the video that it was premium honey........... maybe that's why? :no:


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

I believe that there is an extractor, built like a Ferris wheel, in which one uncaps deep frames, puts them back into the supers, slides the super into the extractor and fills the extractor that way before extracting. Seems like one would have to slide the supers in at the top of the arc and do so in a manner whereby you slide in the 12 o'clock slot, rotate the whole carriage to the 6 o'clock slot and so on. It would be too heavy to do the slot next door until full, unless it were really well balanced.


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## Slow Modem (Oct 6, 2011)

Cleo C. Hogan Jr said:


> One additional point.... What about possibility of lead based paint on the older hives, what about bird poop, What about where skunks, *****, other animals that climb on the hives trying to get to the honey, what about dirt and dust from the trip from the apiary to the honey house, what about insecticides and pesticides, that may have been sprayed near the hives??? All of this is on the outside of hives. We are going to be eating that too. Frames inside a hive are close to sterile. The outside of supers ARE NOT.


You'd think that if there was something wrong, the state inspectors or the FDA would be involved. You'd think they'd be aware of an operation this large and inspect it regularly. But, maybe they don't.

:s


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

Now if they just had a way to uncap it while still in the box...


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