Honey processing equipment

Categories: Bee hive keeping, Bee kits, How to keep bees |



The contemporary equipment for honey processing is based on the repeated use of the wax combs.  Beekeepers take combs from the nests of bee colonies after filling and sealing them, make preparatory operations, centrifuge, and returned to the hives. These processes are the most time-consuming, so the implementation significantly affects the cost of production. The main objective of using different types of equipment (Fig. 7) is to facilitate the work and increase productivity. It is also important to keep the technology, which ensures preservation of the treatment, taste and nutritional properties of honey.  Contact with materials and the air should not  significantly affect the quality of products.

Honey processing equipment (1)
Fig. 7 Set of equipment for honey processing

Equipment and supplies for extraction of bees from honeycombs: brushes, removers, wood frames with evaporative pads (for repellents – carbolic acid and propionic anhydride), pneumatic devices that provide air flow.

Equipment and machinery for opening cells. Beekeepers cut wax lids, destroy them on the surface of cell with needle devices and melt with hot air. They use for cutting the usual bee knives, steam-heated knives, electric-heated knives, vibrating knives and more complex assemblies. One of the basic conditions for high-quality and productive opening of honeycomb without deformation with blades is heating of honey (to reduce viscosity) that is in contact with the cutting surface.

A knife with a narrow blade is better than an ordinary knife and differs from it by narrowed to 15-20 mm (0.8”) blade, having a trough shape with a radius of 15 mm (0.6”). The knife touches very small area of a cell, and does not deform cells.

Vibrating knife (Fig. 8) has a vertical arrangement of the blade, driven by electric motor of 0.08 kW. Heated with steam coming out of the tank through a rubber hose. Applied in the apiaries, producing a large number of commercial products.

Honey processing equipment (2)
Fig. 8. Vibronozh to print honey combs

Machine to open the comb frees cells from zabrus from 2 sides with horizontally mounted vibrating knives, heated by steam. Frame is fixed to the slides, while moving down passes between running blades, and then moves up already opened. Electric motor power is 0.6 kW.

In some countries they use machines with 2 horizontal knives, heated by steam. They are equipped with conveyor belts, which  automatically put frames, keep them in passing between the blades and remove to the storage.

A unit of Garrison is designed to open the combs directly in bodies. Vertically positioned blades are lowered into frames, cut the lids on permanently fixed cells. They can process about 70 bodies per hour and are used in combination with a powerful honey-extractor.

Needle machines process honeycombs with two sides with thickly lined with needles brushes that pierce the lid. Wax particles  remain on the surface.

Equipment for storing combs. During pumping of honey they use tables for opening of comb, carousel and other types of holders of frames, drive-belt, taking processed cells, thermal cameras, preheated to improve the opening of honey combs, taken in advance from the hives.

The extractor extracts honey from the honeycomb cells. Regardless of the design features they are based on the use of the rotor, the rotation of which provides the force to splash drops of honey from the printed cells. They fall on the tank wall and then to the collection point. In the rotor frames are installed in a special mesh cassettes or sockets (in tapeless extractor). There are following types of extractors: 1) Chord – cells occupy a position that combines the chord line and the plane of the mediastinum 2) Radial – plane of the cell and of the radius is the same 3) radial-chord – cells can be placed in one and the other position 4) semi-radial – cells are placed between the chord and the radius (usually at an angle of 45 °).

Productivity of extractors depends largely on the number of hold framework. In the small amateur apiaries they use chord extractors for 2 – 4 frames. In large bee farms they use powerful radial-electric extractors for 20-50 frameworks that will ensure the significant amount of honey. For example, in Australia, extractor with a horizontal axis rotor is used to treat 180 frames simultaneously with automatic feeding of 30 frames in 6 sections. Extractor of Garrison holds 72 stores with tightly fixed cells.

Mobile units are equipped with the electrified extractors with small dimensions, which are constructed with a radial, radial-chord or semi-radial placement of combs. 

Equipment for the processing and storage of honey should be used in accordance with the requirements. So pumping points must have filters that separate the wax and other solids; honey-storages, centrifuge for separating honey from zabrus; melting machines; tanks for transportation and storage of honey (wooden barrels, 50 kg stainless steel tanks, aluminum tanks); pumps and tubes, devices for partial dehydration of immature products.
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Honey processing equipment

  1. Oscar Hamudikuwanda says:

    I am involved in processing honey and require an in depth understanding of this process.

  2. Fantu Kidane says:

    I am just starting with five hives & needs better understanding??

  3. kabiraj adhikari says:

    I need honey processing plant (Capacity 500kg per day per time) ,comb foundation roller mill ,refactomitter

  4. FUTURE HARVEST SPECIAL ENTERPRISES says:

    I need a manual honey pressing machine and a refactomitter.iam involved in buying or raw honey (un processed),process the same to produce pure liquid honey and bees wax for marketing.

  5. shaban mataula says:

    i need to known the price of honey processing plant

  6. yasin chowdhury says:

    hello, im looking for buy a small honey refining machine. the honey is collected from forest in bangladesh. thanks

  7. Abdulrasaki Saka says:

    I would like to go into bee farming production. Please do supply me all the necessary details I need as a starter, and basic equipments I would need.

    I look forward to hearing from you.

    Thank you.

  8. Benny Kimisive says:

    Hi,

    I am Benny from PNG. I would like to some information on a complete plant to produce honey.
    Can you send me some information.

    Kind regards
    Benny Kimisive

  9. REQUISITION FOR QUOTATION
    HONEY PROCESSING EQUIPMENT & PACKAGING MATERIAL
    THANKS

    KELLY
    CONTACT NO: 072 9898 084

  10. Dear Sir , Madam
    We are the small company know as SG Inter Trading based in Tanzania ,dealing with Bees and its production .
    We Kindly request to send two of our employee to visit you are company as sturdy tour on honey Production and how to use modern equipment and have gain technical on how to use them on honey packaging .
    Hope to hear from you soon
    Kindly regards
    Samweli Stephen Gwambasa
    Operation Manger

    SG Inter Trading Company ltd
    P.O.Box 9574 Dar es salaam
    Tanzania.

    Main Office
    Kinondoni Dc,Ward Kijitonyama,Al Maua Street -Mama Salima Kikwete RD
    Block/Plot number 522 Postal code 14113

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