Crush and Strain. (For honey, you perverts.)

Imgur seems to enjoy honey, and bees. I saw a post with a honey thing, thought I should post about my cheap ass version of honey harvesting, using a method of "crush and strain" that cost me about $2 to do. (Rather than renting an extractor for $150, and I got the beeswax as well as the honey.)

I did this years ago, at the start of beekeeping when I was dirt poor, have kept all the same materials for years now. There are other methods for harvesting honey, but I just love the entire process of crush and strain for some reason.

That fifth of honey (old scotch bottle) is still in my kitchen. I use that honey so sparingly, because it was my very first harvest ever.

I got 2 buckets, same size/shape, with lids.

Drilled lots of holes in the bottom of bucket.

Note my precise patterning. I recommend if you're gonna try this, you print this out and use it as a guide for your drilling.

Secured screen on the second bucket,

I cut a hole in the lid and it worked like a charm. (The $2 spent was for this screen.) I'm 90% sure it'll work like a charm.

Maybe 80%.

They stack!

I suppose I'll address this now in case it comes up in comments: yup, cat litter buckets. Damn things are so useful. I cleaned these with bleach and boiling water, they only ever had clean litter in them.

Don't judge me.

I acquired frames of honey. However you want to do this is up to you.

I harvested by taking the honey super off the hive and moving it a little ways away from the hive, turning it sideways, and letting it sit until night. All the workers that were in the super made their way back to the hive by nightfall, so I could just grab the honey.

Pretty much zero stress on the bees, and no stings for me. I didn't even wear a veil, and I was in a skirt and barefoot like a proper hippie.

Close up of the honey frame.

Honey is "capped" by the bees. Small cells of wax are filled with honey-in-process. Once it's finished, and has turned from nectar to honey, the bees cap it with wax to store it for winter.

Or until some greedy human comes and takes it all away.

(Not really, supers are excess my ladies produce in a good year, so I can safely take it from them. They are left with over 100lbs of honey for themselves for winter.)

Artsy-fartsy close up shot.

I said don't judge.

Some uncapped honey, so this wasn't quite ready for harvest.

Such a small amount mixed in with the amount I had was fine and would not affect the quality, consistency or stability of my honey.

Honey harvested too soon is not...honey yet. It has much too high a water content and can start to ferment, go bad, crystallize WAY to fast, it's just not a good idea.

Bonus 'bees are fucking awesome' tidbit: honey maker bees will stand on these uncapped cells when it's nearly done, constantly fanning their wings, to move air across the cells and evaporate out the water.

I grabbed a heated knife and cut that comb right off the frame.

The heated knife cut through wax like...a hot knife...through...wax.

This is my sophisticated, and completely safe, method of obtaining a heated knife.

Yet another recommendation for those of you trying this at home.

(You'll notice that knife has a full tang. I left that knife there for about half an hour at first, before I grabbed it, barehanded. I am not a smart woman sometimes.)

I WANT TO PUT IT IN MY MOUTH.

Oh, hey, I just discovered my "100% beeswax" discount foundations were not, in fact, 100% beeswax.

Some things, you need to just pay full price for.

(I'm glad I didn't put it in my mouth.)

I sliced and mushed and crushed and obliterated those honey comb chunks. Hence the "crush" part.

Now I have...mush. Hah, all y'all thinking honey is soooo pretty. Face the truth!

Honestly, not only is it ugly at this stage, but there's also a fair amount of legs, wings, other body parts, maybe some bits of leaves or twigs.

It's all good though, it's all good.

Because what is this when I lift the top bucket? (And hope fervently that my screen really is secure...)

Oh yeah, baby. Oh yeah.

Bigger holes are the first strain, for large chunks. The screen is the 2nd strain, for the bee parts and such. Hence the "strain" part.

I'd give the mush in the top bucket a stir or two every now and then to keep things flowing, and let it sit for 3 days.

This was the top bucket after those 3 days. This honey coated wax, I melted slowly on VERY low heat and let it cool completely. Wax to the top, honey to the bottom, just lifted off this fantastic sheet of beautiful beeswax.

That I did not take a picture of and I will forever regret that. Would have been such an artsy fartsy shot, man.

Freshly poured! It will clear up over a couple of days. If you look up at the first picture again, the stuff on the left had been done a couple days prior, it's clearing up.

Also, those square buckets made pouring 3 gallons of honey into jars so much easier and cleaner than a round bucket would have been.

My last recommendation for those following along at home. Square buckets forever.