# Ok lets clear this up: Raw vs. Pure - Filtered vs. Strained.



## Solomon Parker

Go with raw and unfiltered. Pure is a bit of a misnomer. Honey is not pure anything. There are so many different things in there it would take an hour to list all the ones we know of [hyperbole].

Raw generally means unheated, not pasteurized, still active enzymes and whatnot in the honey.

Unfiltered generally means it hasn't been forced through a very fine filter. A strainer is okay. The honey will still have tiny particles of pollen, wax, and propolis in it. I'm not sure which strainer you have, the net or the nested strainers. The nested ones go down to 200 microns. Still plenty big to include the above.


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## BugBoy

Thanks for clearing that up, I think I got it now. :thumbsup:
As for the filter, I was gonna use a 600 Micron Coarse Filter. Do you think that's _too_ fine? What do people want more, filtered or unfiltered?


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## BeeCurious

If it's not heated it's "Raw"

Yours is strained, not filtered. Filtering requires heating.

200 micron filtration will most likely require warming/heating the honey. 400 micron works fine. Put the 400 under the 600 micron strained.

If imported honey is labeled "Pure" I would feel free to say the same...


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## beeware10

unless something has been added it is pure honey.


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## sqkcrk

Pure Honey is nothing but honey. 

How much honey are you planning on bottling? How many hives do you have?


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## BugBoy

I have one hive at the moment, maybe another in summer. But I am expecting/aiming to get about 90 lbs.


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## odfrank

You will have a hard time getting it through the smallest screen without heating it.


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## sqkcrk

Are you going to eat it yourself, give it away or sell it?


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## BugBoy

odfrank said:


> You will have a hard time getting it through the smallest screen without heating it.


lol yeah I was affraid of that. Any tips? 



sqkcrk said:


> Are you going to eat it yourself, give it away or sell it?


I will try not to eat most of it. :no: I do plan on selling it though. I already spoken with officials on the laws. I'm all set.


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## KQ6AR

I think my metal triple screen goes down to 200 micron also. The honey goes through it just fine without heating.

Not fast but at 15.5% moisture its still fast enough. Once it gets plugged with the really fine wax particles it becomes a problem.


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## HONEYDEW

the Subaru crowd around here likes it strained as little as possible so I use one of those stainless steel soup strainers that you get at restaurant supply places. I have three and just pull them off when they clog and slip a clean one in its place, you can still see some little floaties in the honey, but they keep calling me back for more...:thumbsup:


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## odfrank

HONEYDEW said:


> the Subaru crowd .:thumbsup:


THE SUBARU CROWD??? I resemble That!!! A Subaru Baja is the best bee truck around. It fits 25 empty supers and will go anywhere.


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## concrete-bees

if you are getting 90 lbs from one hive -- can i put my hives in your yard???

if this is your first year - you will get to taste honey - the bees will have most likey use all of the honey to build wax and just survive - if you leave then enough to over winter or feed them heavy in the fall then next year you should see some honey 

but if you keep track of every dollar you spend before you sell your first jar - you will need to sell that first jar for about $400 in order to make $1 profit 

but trust me - learn the first year - sell honey the 3rd year !!!!!


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## bigeddie

Hey Bugboy,
Its not impossible to get that much honey and still have enough stores for winter. I'm in northern Wisc and last year averaged 81# per hive from 16 packages started mid April and still went into winter with 2 deeps full of stores. Just depends what kind of forage you have and how strong your colonies are.
Don't be fooled by others from different parts of the country. The upper midwest is a great place to make a good honey crop. Who knows, you may have good luck and sell 50#. Thats about 1 super, No problem :thumbsup:


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## Vance G

Most peopel who keep bees are tinkers or become one. Now, honey in the hive chances are has seen at least 95 degrees for a prolonged amount of time and if that temp would hurt it, bees would be long extinct. Take a fridge or freezer and put a thermostatically regulated to under a hundred degrees. Put your bucket with the bottom honey gate or larger gated container in the fridge or cardboard box and let it sit till its ambient temperature has reached your thermostatically controlled temperature. After a day at that temp, it's clarity will be wonderful. All bee lips, ears, wax and wood splinters will have gone to the top and you will decant in your containers Gods greatest gift save one! It will crystalize at whatever rate the flower sources contained sugar, but it will be pure raw honey by anyones realistic standards. You should warm your supers the same way for maximum quantity removed and less wear and tear on the combs. Just make a tent with plastic in the garage and attach a space heater to your thermostat and put your supers in the tent. As you get a bigger operation, every beekeeper needs a hot room that accomplishes the same thing.


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## BugBoy

bigeddie said:


> Hey Bugboy,
> Who knows, you may have good luck and sell 50#. Thats about 1 super, No problem :thumbsup:


Thanks for clearing that up, I guess underestimated it. Well then I guess I'll aim for that 50 lbs. lol. I'm not worried about forage, though, plenty of that here in the countryside.  My hives will be located on a huge garden. 



Vance G said:


> Take a fridge or freezer and put a thermostatically regulated to under a hundred degrees. Put your bucket with the bottom honey gate or larger gated container in the fridge or cardboard box and let it sit till its ambient temperature has reached your thermostatically controlled temperature. After a day at that temp, it's clarity will be wonderful. All bee lips, ears, wax and wood splinters will have gone to the top and you will decant in your containers


And hey awesome tip. I will consider that! I heard extracting honey soon after harvesting it is best because it's still warm. Is it true?


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## HONEYDEW

> THE SUBARU CROWD??? I resemble That!!! A Subaru Baja is the best bee truck around. It fits 25 empty supers and will go anywhere.


 :lpf: odfrank that is far to nice a rig for our crowd around here


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## RiodeLobo

HONEYDEW said:


> :lpf: odfrank that is far to nice a rig for our crowd around here


 :lpf:

Truer words were never spoken. 

I grew up in the valley.


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## BGhoney

How many full supers will that hold, probably not the same.....


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## Riskybizz

Bug Boy

Put RAW Unfiltered honey. And feel free to put "pure honey" if you don't adulturate it with anything its certainly pure; as it would be all honey lol. Just don't put ORGANIC on the label like some people have done. We've already had that discusion on here once. That opens up an entirely different can of worms.


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## Wisnewbee

Just don't make the rookie mistake of continuing to feed while your honey supers are on. That changes what you are getting. That's not honey.


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## max2

"Once it gets plugged with the really fine wax particles it becomes a problem. "
If you place some plasic strips ( pieces cut from a plastic icecream lid will do) at 3 points around the edge of the strainer air can enter and it will solve your problem.


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