A honey extractor is a machine that is used to extract honey from the honeycomb without destroying it. Honey is extracted by using centrifugal force. Honeycomb frame is placed inside a drum or container that spins fast and fling the honey out, keeping the wax comb intact within the frame. This is one of the distinguished advantages of the extractors that the wax comb doesn’t damage and can be reused.
History of the Honey Extractors
Franz Hruschka invented honey extractor in 1865 in Italy. Although the exact date is not known, he announced his invention at Brno Beekeeper Conference in September 1865. The initial invention was a simple tin box attached to a wired cord and a funnel at the bottom. A glass was fastened to the funnel to collect honey.
This extractor was to be spun by the beekeeper by spinning his arm and required a lot more effort. Then the second addition can with an attached arm at a tripod. This version was easier to spin over the tripod. Finally, the final model came out that resembled today’s extractor with a round tub. This idea went got popularity and various vendors came to the scene to manufacture the honey extractor on a large scale.
Types of Honey Extractors
There is not much variety in the honey extractors. As the only principle behind them is the centrifugal force. There are only two types based on frame orientation in the basket.
One is a tangential extractor in which one side of the comb faces outward and the other is radial extractor in which the frame is placed vertically with the top bar of the frame facing outward.
Working Principle
Before starting centrifugation, the wax cap is removed manually. And then the frames are placed inside the basket of the extractor. Extractor spins with sufficient speed to force the honey out of the uncapped wax cells. The honey runs down the extractor’s walls and collects at the bottom. Honey should not be accumulated at the bottom up to the level where it touches the rotating basket, so a tap is placed at the bottom to fetch it out.
Best Honey Extractor in the Market
There are multiple versions of the honey extractors available in the market. They feature different sizes with different capacities to extract honey, i.e. from a single honeycomb to up to 60 honeycombs. They are also divided on the basis of input power they use to operate. The smaller ones can be operated manually but for the industrial extractors, electric motor. So, you can search the market to get the one that suits your needs. We have figured out one exceptional honey extractor for an average beekeeper to give you an idea about the feature to look for.
VIVO BEE-V004E 4 Frame Electric Honey Extractor
This honey extractor is made of 304 stainless steel material and can hold 8 shallow, 8medium or 4 deep frames at once. The extractor has a clear Plexiglas lid so you can easily observe the progress. A five-gallon bucket can be fastened underneath to collect honey. It uses 120V AC motor and has an auto on/off feature. This extractor is easy to assemble and among the best-rated honey extractors available in the market.