Baskets are placed under the frames
to catch the wax and the honey runs into
containers under the machine. The frames
are also hand scraped to remove any honey
residue. The frames, 20 at a time, are then
put into a stainless steel tub that spins.
“Centrifugal force pushes the remaining
honey out of the frames,” Annette said.
All the collected honey is strained through
cheesecloth before it is bottled into quarts,
pints and 12-ounce Honey Bear containers.
Getting to this point is the task of the
bees. The queen bee, only one per hive, is
the only bee with fully developed ovaries.
She can live for 3-5 years, mating only
once with several male or drone bees, and
will remain fertile for life, laying up to 2,000
eggs per day.
Above, combs are cut into
12-ounce squares. Right:
Harvesting honey from
supers, a large machine at
the Patterson Creek Apiary is
used to remove honey from
the frames.
12 West Virginia Farm Bureau News