Extractor Rental & For Sale/Wanted

EXTRACTOR RENTAL INFORMATION

One of the most exciting parts of keeping bees is extracting your honey. The PPBA has three extractors for use by its members: 3-Frame Manual Extractors. All three are tangential extractors and come with stands. A tangential extractor means you extract the honey from your frames one side at a time.

The fee is $10 for 3 days for the manual extractors. (Three days gives you time to pick up the extractor, use it and clean it, and return it.) A $100 deposit will be held during use and returned as long as the extractor is brought back undamaged and clean.

To set up a rental, call Tim Urbany, 719 - 963 - 8892 or email him at:  tjudtb [at] gmail.com.  Rental reservations are first come, first served.

NOTE: To rent an extractor, you must be a current member of PPBA.

Extractors are one of the most expensive pieces of equipment for a beekeeper, and these club extractors are a great asset for our members. Let's do everything we can to keep them in good shape. Remember the extractor will be clean when you pick it up and it will need to be cleaned prior to return or your deposit may not be returned. Hot water and soap at the coin operated car wash is the quickest and easiest method for initial cleaning. Then, thoroughly rinse with clean water at home. See the video on cleaning below. Also, you must have a vehicle so you can transport the extractor standing up and strapped in or secured as to prevent any rolling or damage.

Make sure you are ready to extract. Frames should be 90% capped on average to avoid having your honey ferment. Make sure you have adequate containers to transfer your honey to. Your frames should be warm and the honey flowable. Honey that is cold or crystallized in the cells is difficult or impossible to extract. Lowe's has food grade 5-gallon buckets for sale in the paint department. You may also get them at a local bee supplier along with gate valves you can install.

We do have some additional items you may wish to use that are available: Hot knife, uncapping fork, uncapping tank, 5-gallon bucket with gate valve, metal strainer.

Haven't extracted before? Not sure what you are getting into? Here are links to some excellent videos with tips to make your extraction a fun and successful event:

Simple video on extracting (6:30)
Typical manual (hand-crank) and powered extractors (6:28)
Straining the honey (5:26)
Cleaning the extractor (3:25)
A very in-depth lecture on harvesting honey (1:43:20)

FOR SALE AND WANTED!

If you have beekeeping items for sale or want items, contact mandshalby [at] comcast.net to post here.