Raising honey bees can be a fun and rewarding activity. Honey bees are raised in bee boxes and require very little care. The benefit to raising bees is that they will cross-pollinate any surrounding plants. In addition, the bees also produce delicious honey that can be harvested and eaten. Collecting honey from a bee box can be performed twice per year and is not a difficult task as long as the proper protective clothing is worn.
Instructions
1
Harvest the honey in mid-summer or late fall. These times correspond to the end of the nectar production by plants that bees use to create honey. Wait until a sunny day with no wind to collect the honey as the bees will be most calm during these conditions.
2
Put on a light-colored long-sleeve shirt and pants. The light color is so that you can easily see when bees land on you. It's best to also wear boots with the pants legs tucked into them to prevent bees from flying up the leg of the pants.
3
Light the smoker and hold it very close to the bee box entrance to calm the bees. Blow two to three puffs of smoke into the hive. Wait for approximately five minutes to allow the smoke to take effect.
4
Pull the lid off the bee box by inserting a hive tool underneath the lid and prying it up. Place hands on either side of the lid and gently lift it off. Set the lid aside.
5
Blow more smoke into the top of the bee box and then lift off the inner cover with your hands. Set the inner cover aside.
6
Blow more smoke into the hive to force the bees to move to the bottom of the bee box.
7
Remove one of the supers from the bee box by grasping it with your hands and gently pulling upward. Brush off any bees from the super with your hands. A super is one of the square frames inserted into the bee box onto which bees deposit their honey.
8
Examine the honeycomb on the super. If 80 percent of the honeycomb sections have a wax seal on the top, the honey is ready to be harvested.
9
Move the super to an indoor location and use a knife that has been heated in warm water to slice off the wax caps from the honeycombs. Place the super over a container to catch the honey as it drains out.
10
Reinsert the super back into the bee box and repeat the process until all of the honey has been harvested from the bee box.
11
Place the inner and outer covers back on top of the bee box.
Tips & Warnings
Do not wear cologne, deodorant, lotion or anything scented before collecting the honey as the bees will be attracted to it. If necessary, take a shower with unscented soap before collecting honey.
