What is a Honey Extractor
A honey extractor is a piece of equipment used by beekeepers in the extraction of honey from honeycombs. A honey extractor works by using centrifugal force to flick the honey from the honeycomb without destroying the comb. Sometimes called a honey spinner, honey centrifuge or centrifugal honey extractor, all describe the same essential tool.
A large plastic or stainless steel drum or container holds a frame basket, which spins and forces the honey out onto the inside of the drum. The honey then hits the drum wall and drains to the bottom of the drum ready for filtering and pouring. With this method the wax comb is not damaged within the frame and it can be reused by the bees.
Before a honey frame is ready to be spun out in a honey extractor, the wax capping must first be uncapped before frames are placed in a honey extractor. The bees cap the cells of honey with a thin layer of beeswax when honey is ready for storage inside the hive.
There are a number of different types of honey extractors on the market, lets take a look at some of the different options:
Manual or Electric Extractor
Manual — Manual honey extractors have a built-in hand crank that is used to spin your frames. The benefits of manual extractors are that they are cheaper and you can extract honey without needing a power source. They suit hobby beekeepers with one to a dozen hives and remain the most popular choice for backyard apiaries.
Electric — Electric honey extractors use an electric motor to spin the frames hands-free — set the speed and let the motor work while you uncap the next batch of frames. Once reserved for commercial beekeepers, hobby-priced electric models are now available too — see our 2 Frame Electric and 4 Frame Electric for hobbyist-friendly options with variable speed dial and safety switch.
Radial or Tangential
Tangential baskets — Tangential honey extractors are the most common small-scale hobby extractors available. They are designed to have the frames held in the basket with the honeycomb facing outwards. Tangential extractors only extract the honey from the outside facing side of the frame so you will then need to flip the frame and repeat the process.
Radial baskets — Radial honey extractors have their basket designed so that beehive frames sit with the top bar facing outwards. With the frames perpendicular to the outside wall, honey is forced from both sides at once — no need to flip the frames, which speeds up extraction significantly.
Tangential vs Radial — which to choose? Tangential is the default for hobby beekeepers (cheaper, simpler, works fine for small harvests). Radial is faster and easier (both sides spun at once) and worth the upgrade if you're harvesting from 6+ hives. Our 6 Frame Radial is our radial option.
Size of Extractor
What size honey extractor you should choose depends on a number of factors:
Cost — larger extractors are more expensive
Space — larger extractors take up more room
Time — larger extractors fit more frames so extract honey faster.
As a rough guide, an extractor can reasonably handle double the number of hives given its frame capacity. Our full range:
Manual extractors:
2 Frame Plastic — entry-level, budget option for 1–2 hives.
2 Frame Stainless Steel Manual — durable choice for up to 4 hives.
3 Frame Manual — step up for growing hobbyists, up to 6 hives.
4 Frame Manual — small apiary workhorse, up to 8 hives.
6 Frame Radial — fastest, both sides at once, up to 12 hives.
Electric extractors (hands-free):
2 Frame Electric — hands-free, variable speed, up to 4 hives.
4 Frame Electric — emergency stop, height-adjustable legs (fits 20L bucket under tap), up to 8 hives.
What You'll Also Need
A honey extractor handles the spinning, but you'll also need a few accessories to complete the harvest:
To uncap your frames before spinning:
Uncapping Tools — 4 Combo Pack — a starter set of hand uncapping tools (fork, knife and roller).
Plastic Uncapping Tray / Tub / Station — catches cappings and drips while you work.
Double Roller Slit (DRS) Manual Uncapper — faster than hand uncapping for higher volumes.
To filter and store your honey after extraction:
Honey Bucket Settling Tank + Double Stainless Filter Strainer — 20L bucket with built-in tap plus a double-layer mesh filter for catching wax and debris.
The tastiest part of beekeeping is without a doubt harvesting the honey. Investing in a good honey extractor will save you time and allow you to harvest as much honey as possible. Whether commercial or hobbyist, The Bee Store has a range of honey extractors to suit your needs.
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Author: Peter
Published: 14th August 2019
I’m after 4 frame honey extractor only for home use electric
great seller highly recommended.