WV Farm Bureau Magazine July 2015 | Page 12

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