Ojeda Honey

The first step in the extraction process is to remove the honey supers from the beehive. Honey supers are the boxes placed on top of the brood boxes where bees store their surplus honey. It's important to note that honey should only be extracted from supers that are at least 80% capped, meaning the bees have sealed the cells with wax. 

Once the honey supers are removed, it's time to uncap the combs. Uncapping involves removing the thin layer of beeswax that seals the honey cells. This can be done using a hot knife, an uncapping fork, or an electric uncapping tool. By uncapping the combs, we expose the honey for extraction.

After uncapping the combs, it's time to extract the honey. There are various methods of honey extraction, including using a honey extractor or a crush and strain method. A honey extractor is a machine that uses centrifugal force to spin the frames and extract the honey. The crush and strain method involves crushing the combs and straining the honey through a mesh or cheesecloth.

Once the honey is extracted, it's important to filter it to remove any impurities, such as wax particles or bee parts. This can be done by pouring the honey through a fine mesh or using a honey filter. Filtering ensures that the honey is clean and ready for consumption.

Finally, the extracted and filtered honey can be stored in clean, airtight containers. It's recommended to store honey in glass jars or food-grade plastic containers. Keep the containers in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight to maintain the quality and freshness of the honey. Now that you know the process of extracting honey from combs, you can appreciate the effort and skill that goes into producing this sweet and nutritious treat.