# Poor Man's Extractor



## fjblair (May 11, 2008)

I have five frames of honey to extract. I do not want to crush or cut the comb. I do not have an extractor. Is there any hope? 

Can I lay the frames over with a heat lamp on them or something?

Thanks, I searched the forums with no luck.


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## Sundance (Sep 9, 2004)

Short of finding a friend with an extractor........ I'd go
with crush and strain. What kind of foundation behind
it??

Heating (IMO) is touchy............. Plausible if you can
heat it to 100F or so and invert the frames.


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## alpha6 (May 12, 2008)

You can go in the shower, plug up the drain and spin around as fast as you can for ten minutes...and maybe you could get some honey out. 

From what I have heard you need some kind of an extractor. Just warming them up won't be enough to get the wax out.

See if there is someone in your area who has one and will let you extract with their machine.

Thinking out of the box, you could buy a paint mixer for a drill (one of the long ones) tie a frame onto it place in a 5 gallon bucket and let it rip. It should work if you secure the frame to the drill well enough.


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## Jeffzhear (Dec 2, 2006)

alpha6 said:


> You can go in the shower, plug up the drain and spin around as fast as you can for ten minutes...and maybe you could get some honey out.
> 
> From what I have heard you need some kind of an extractor. Just warming them up won't be enough to get the wax out.
> 
> ...


Alpha, if you could secure two frames to balance it out, maybe it would work...

My advice would be to put an add in your local newpaper "Wanted - Used honey extractor" and use it. The old galvanized ones are fairly easy to pick up at a reasonable price.


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## Hobie (Jun 1, 2006)

My first year I did "gravity extraction"... cut off cappings, and lay the frame on a wire rack (I used a new queen excluder) over a large pan. It drips out slowly, and then you have to flip the frame and wait again. Time consuming, but it works. I did this in fall when it was cold and put the assembly in the oven at 100F to speed it along. But I only had 2 frames, so no big deal.

Someone in a class I took said they do the same thing but set the frames on end in a 5 gal bucket. I didn't try it.


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## Hambone (Mar 17, 2008)

I plan on making something like these to start out with. 

http://www.voiceofthehive.com/VotH/15_1_Voice_of_the_Hive-Roll_Your_own_Extractor.htm

http://www.scienceinafrica.co.za/2005/september/honeyextractor.htm


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## BeekeeperBill (Mar 7, 2007)

Hmmm...I was thinking these exact same thoughts about 2 weeks ago. After careful deliberation....I placed an order for one from ML.


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## xC0000005 (Nov 17, 2004)

Find a friend and borrow his. Rent one from a club, build your own (see links above) or buy new. Buy new doesn't really qualify as a poor man's extractor, unless you are referring to the beekeeper after paying for the extractor.


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## Maine_Beekeeper (Mar 19, 2006)

*Rent an extractor.*

My club owns an extractor that all members can borrow for "free" just by being members $4.00/year
Also, our local bee supplier rents a 4 frame extractor for $25.00/day - you return dirty! (what a steal)
check with your local beek organizations


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## papa bear (Nov 1, 2005)

i am a cheapskate. i ordered a basket.20$, because i didn't think i could make one. bought a 33 gal. trash can 13$. bought a pvc floor flange 8$, j.b. welded it to the bottom. used a 2x4 as a cross bar (already had scrap 0$), with a hole in the center. put in the basket, slid on the cross bar, put screws through side (screws so i could clean it). extracted 6 med supers of honey "priceless". started off with a handle, but soon switch to cordless drill. the lid makes a good storage cover


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## Hambone (Mar 17, 2008)

BeekeeperBill said:


> Hmmm...I was thinking these exact same thoughts about 2 weeks ago. After careful deliberation....I placed an order for one from ML.


lol

How good it works is still yet to come. I will probably do the crush and strain next year. But do plan to build one of those. Just to post experiance if nothing else. It looks like a good plan at a good price. If you don't have access to a club member or rental, seems to be a good cheap way to go.


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## tecumseh (Apr 26, 2005)

perhaps a mulligan extractor might fit your pocketbook?

what is a mulligan extractor (I though you would never ask)? a mulligan extactor is a box the size of the frame to be extracted, two eyelets attached to the side of the box and a rob with a stop (typically a simple washer welded half way down the rod).

how does it work... uncap frame of honey and place in box , thread eyelets thru bar, use one foot to anchor bottom end of rod and set the box a spinning via circular hand motion at other end of rod, flip frame for removing honey from other side. pour liquid contents from box. repeat.

and why is this extractor call a mulligan... cause the fellow that invented it was named mulligan.


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## Hobie (Jun 1, 2006)

I'm waiting for someone to ask if this poor guy has a ceiling fan....  

I bought a used 2-frame SS extractor from someone at a club in the next state, by looking at online beekeeper group newsletter classified ads. $50, can't beat it. It was a homemade deal, and his plastic frames did not fit right. I had to make a few modifications, because the centrifugal force made the frame ear hit the honey gate, but I'm happy!

I just read the "voice of the hive" extractor story. Funny! But a few serious notes: Avoid pickle containers. I don't know if pickles come in 55 gallon plastic barrels, but it is nearly impossible to remove the smell from the 5 gal buckets. Second, try toothpaste. I've read that toothpaste will remove odors where no other substance known to man will touch it. Think of a good reason to explain to your wife/husband why you need to order toothpaste by the gross.


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## greenismycolor (Jun 3, 2008)

LOL Derek 

Your link to building the extractor is a GREAT read...I think there is a book somewhere in the future. I laughed so much, my husband sitting way across the room from me said "what is it that is soooo funny?" Please give my best regards to your wife. It's a great idea and seems you did a great job, let us know how it works.

green


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## fjblair (May 11, 2008)

Looks like poor man is going to have to buy an extractor.  My local club doesn't have one and doesn't plan on getting one for disease spreading reasons I believe. It is wireless foundation by the way. 

Guess I'll drag out the catalogs.

Thanks...


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## honeyshack (Jan 6, 2008)

while reading the posts all i could think about was the spread of disease with a shared extractor.
If you are going to be in beekeeping for any length of time then get one, just a small one. If you are going to buy a used one, get the bee keepers health info. Make sure no AFB.
Someting we have done over night is a white plastic sink with a queen excluder in it. Place the frames in the sink. My husband screwes some wood on the sink for a frame rest. Let it sit overnight in about a 30 C room. Most of it drips out. 
Works well if the honey is runny.

If you use a drill, you need to watch out for the fine shavings of metal that come from the drill motor. Some drills give off very little and some give off alot.


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## kyfarmer (Feb 4, 2008)

I just built my own extractor (not finished, lacking a motor and control) My total cost was about $30. The paint cost me the most. I used the beesource plans, and some scrap wood from a cabinet shop. I have a friend that is getting me a treadmill motor.

This morning I was looking thru Dadant's Cat and saw an imported plastic extractor $115.95 42lbs., pg. 65. I don't know how well it would hold up.


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## xC0000005 (Nov 17, 2004)

Hobie said:


> But a few serious notes: Avoid pickle containers. I don't know if pickles come in 55 gallon plastic barrels, but it is nearly impossible to remove the smell from the 5 gal buckets.
> 
> 
> > Pickels do come in 55 gallon plastic barrels and it is extremely hard to get the stench out. Steak sauce is no picnic either. Camcote would deal with both.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

You have five drawn frames. A strong hive in a flow will draw that in a day or two. You're working too hard at this.

http://www.bushfarms.com/beesharvest.htm


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## dcross (Jan 20, 2003)

kyfarmer said:


> This morning I was looking thru Dadant's Cat and saw an imported plastic extractor $115.95 42lbs., pg. 65. I don't know how well it would hold up.


They hold up really well, since very few people are willing to use them more than once.


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## gun4hire (May 24, 2008)

Dadant is out of the cheap plastic one..I would bet it's biggest problem is..it is cheap and it is plastic

I am in the same boat...I will have 2 hive body size supers that need extracting..I want to keep the comb for brood use since I will be expanding to more hives next year. I can ONLY get what I want by using an extractor

I may buy a local used one if it is in good shape..or I am looking at the mann lake 18/9 radial.. it is 450$ for a cranker that can be updated to power for about 450$ more  (seems a liitle high)

I hope I can get my bees to survive the winter or I may have an extractor for sale next year 

gun--who loves to get involved in expensive hobbies--


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## TeJay (Feb 5, 2008)

We just purchased a plastic extractor from Glory Bee for $113.00, the only problem we see with it, besides the fact that they tend to travel alot, is that the gears are plastic, we plan on replacing those with something that will last longer....Oh, another issue is the postion of the screws holding the top assembly...they were put in backwards. Taking apart and putting back together after cleaning will be a bear.

As firsttime beekeepers many lessons have been learned.


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## Troutsqueezer (May 17, 2005)

I go with the notion that once the bees decide they need more comb they can build it in very little time with little or no impact on their resources. Unless one has a major bee operation and wishes to maximize harvest in the shortest possible time, you'll do just fine using a pocket knife, as has been brought up here before.


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## fjblair (May 11, 2008)

Troutsqueezer said:


> I go with the notion that once the bees decide they need more comb they can build it in very little time with little or no impact on their resources. Unless one has a major bee operation and wishes to maximize harvest in the shortest possible time, you'll do just fine using a pocket knife, as has been brought up here before.



Interesting. I thought having using drawn comb in the honey supers was preferred. I also thought it was handy to have some frames with drawn comb available for general purposes(splits, swarms etc), but these need to be mediums/deeps and my honey supers are shallows.


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## wraithwynd (Aug 19, 2008)

I know why you want to save the comb, when bees make wax, their honey production goes down. The bees must eat 10 kg of honey to produce 1 kg of beeswax. 

You can use a spoon - its time consuming the more combs you have the more work it is. It is far more efficient then crushing and straining honey comb.

How Much of a DYIer are you?

A hand crank extractor is basically a drum with a rod inserted through it with a crank at one end. Two comb frames are used on either side as a counter balance and you crank the crank spinning the combs.

It is, in theory, a relatively simple process. 

Dairies sell used 55 gallon plastic milk barrels, a few years ago I bought 5 at $10.00 each. They are easy to cut. Frame work and crank could be out of galvanized or copper piping. Galvanized is better because you can make it out of joints and threads - allowing you to easily take it apart so you can boil the bits for sterilization.

I would assume that if you seek to make something simple and relatively slow (not wanting to spin it fast) that it would be cheaper than buying one of the pretty extractors


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## J-Bees (Jul 12, 2008)

kyfarmer said:


> I just built my own extractor (not finished, lacking a motor and control) My total cost was about $30. The paint cost me the most. I used the beesource plans, and some scrap wood from a cabinet shop. I have a friend that is getting me a treadmill motor.
> 
> This morning I was looking thru Dadant's Cat and saw an imported plastic extractor $115.95 42lbs., pg. 65. I don't know how well it would hold up.


*It works quite nicely unless you have small frames like I do, they fell thru the bottom while cranking. 

DID U C the look on my face at the time:0}​*


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## Troutsqueezer (May 17, 2005)

I suppose I should have posted this link to Michael's web site in my first response. This concerns the production of wax versus honey and using an extractor. 

http://www.bushfarms.com/beesharvest.htm


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## BeeRay (Apr 12, 2006)

Figure 3. of this page must be one of the Mulligan extractors Tecumseh mentioned: http://extension.missouri.edu/xplor/agguides/pests/g07600.htm

I love the simplicity. But one frame at a time would be very slow.


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## dcross (Jan 20, 2003)

I can practically feel it slamming into my kneecap...


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## The Honey House (May 10, 2000)

and the blisters on my hands......


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## fjblair (May 11, 2008)

><I know why you want to save the comb, when bees make wax, their honey production goes down. The bees must eat 10 kg of honey to produce 1 kg of beeswax.>>

That's what I thought but the Bushfarms link makes me wonder

<<You can use a spoon - its time consuming the more combs you have the more work it is. It is far more efficient then crushing and straining honey comb.>>

A spoon?


Thanks for the input


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## 'Light' (Aug 17, 2008)

*Salad Spinner*

I can sympathise, and was struck with this belter of a idea when I first was gathering the much needed Bee Equipement. The Thrift store where I work have a treasure load of bits and just the magic of imagination transform the ordinary into the extraudinary! 

Honey comb, I was told needs to be frozen first, in order to make it easier to be removed from the frame. Kills of all the mites and bugs etc as well. Once frozen, it comes away from the comb in a easy chunk - so I am told. You can then break the chunks into managable sizes, and here is where the going gets good. 
Found one of these in the store - and grabbed it. 
http://www.buzzillions.com/dz_189836_stacks_salad_spinner_bottom_colander_reviews

All that is needed is a large bowl underneath with a lip, that the Spinner can sit comforatbly on. Break the comb in pieces that will fit inside, and spin the Salad spinner fast. It has the same effect as a expensive honey spinner...but a LOT cheaper - and the honey drains into the bowl below. 

I am also told that if you wet down the strainers first with water, the wet surface allows the honey to smooth glide over easier.

Have to admit, I still have to get too this stage first, but so far the idea is sound and on que to the physics of spinning etc. 

'Light'


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## Troutsqueezer (May 17, 2005)

>I am also told that if you wet down the strainers first with water, the wet surface allows the honey to smooth glide over easier.

The bees do a lot of fanning to reduce the water content of honey. You don't want to add it back in unless you want to see it ferment.


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## 'Light' (Aug 17, 2008)

*Water*

Thanks, I appreciate that, however it is not to make the area sopping wet, just to have some light spray of water on the seive part/strainer is what was advised.

I appreciate the dynamics of watered Honey - make Meade three times a year...but always had to buy the stuff by the Galleons to get going. Now I can have some of mine own hopefully next year.

'Light'


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## MichelinMan (Feb 18, 2008)

sorry mistake


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## tedstruk (Jul 18, 2008)

*Build it myself.*

I am building mine with "expensive" pieces of scrap food grade plastic countertop left over from a job I did. I cut 3, 4" lengths with 120 degree angles on the ends to hold wire racks I bought at the kitchen connection store down town in an triangle cone. 
The racks are just the right size to hold 1 brood frame each. They are made to hold large cake pans off the counter when they are hot and have these ears that stick out on the sides for the legs the rack sits on.
I plan on mounting 3 of these on the outside of the triangle with the top tipped out about an inch from the bottom. 
I salvaged an old refrigerator door pin for the bottom centering mechanism, and I am looking for a suitable round or triangular bottom for the cage. The frames will hang on the outside of the cage, via a string that slips through the rack legs and ties down the frames to the racks.
I found a greek storage container that has been converted to water barrel but it kind of smells of peppers, I think it was a greek pepper barrel. I am planning on using it for the barrel, but I will have to cut it off, and build some kind of a cover and power it with an electric typewriter motor...or a treadmill motor(the treadmill motor is large and heavy...I wanted something not so heavy) HMM wonder if its gonna work!!!!!


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