Nowoczesne ule bezramkowe
CZĘŚĆ II
CZĘŚĆ II
WIRNIK / SPINNER (Honey extractor)
This is abbreviated translation of the original in Polish, by Wojciech Właźliński.
One of things which surprise a novice in beekeeping is weight of comb full of honey, particularly from hives I present. These combs are larger and thicker than framed combs. Also surprises them the amount of honey collected by these fascinating insects. This amount differs and depends on many things but almost always is much more than novices anticipated.
There are many ways of extracting a honey from combs, and I think that everything was already thought up to make it practical and effective, from more or less simple press, two frames hand powered honey extractor, to highly complex machinery designed to handle hundreds of frames. Even simplest honey extractor is expensive and rather beyond ability to pay for by average retiree.
Back yard or garden beekeeping, this are from two to several or even ...teens of hives in my definition. Several or ...teens of hives this are rather many combs to handle, so it would be good to be prepared for simple press in the case of one or two hives or something more practical and effective in a case of more then two hives.
For framed combs everything is ready. This is just a matter of money. For combs from hives I present there are no adequate device on the market. In such situation I was left on my own, but it stimulated brain and in the result appeared something I called “Wirnik” in Polish. (Letter "W" is prounced as letter "V"). In English it could be called “Spinner”. It is not as simple as some press, but also simple enough and not expensive to be made at home.
Construction
Plastic bucket (5 gal.) It is standardized, inexpensive and easy to find.
Perforated or mashed container fitted to this bucket.
Hand drill with speed regulator, preferably with side ball bearing.
Four or two small ball bearing.
Frame for filtering cloth.
Technique
1. Positioning the wirnik on another bucket with a filter. Entire structure has to be steady and very well leveled.
2. Plugging in the opening in the bottom of wirnik, and pouring in fragmented combs.
3. Opening the plug or rather recommended living it for some time plugged. If left alone plugged, the honey under its gravity will accumulate on the bottom and bubbles of air with particles of wax migrate upward. This way when opening a plug the first thing which flow to filter will be almost quite clear honey, so it will flow through the filter fast and not plugging it with particles of wax. When flow slows, turning on wirnik progressively with intervals to let extracted honey to flow down. When reaching final stage with maximal speed of rotation great carefulness is advised. Progressiveness is the key word. Any signs of eccentricity are a signal to reduce the speed of rotation. Eccentricity of rotated fluid will accumulate and it will be unpleasant view to see our precious device in pieces in the corners of room and honey on all walls and nearby objects. Operating this device in high speed always has to be attended. Since a flow of honey trough a filter is much slower then ability of wirnik to spin out honey from wax, higher speed needs to be used only at the final stage of extraction and relatively short time will be necessary for this.
Having more then 5 gallons of honey to process, this wirnik should be put on another bucket with new filter, and more honey/wax mass purred to wirnik.
Techniques may vary. Better filtration but slower, or faster and just sufficient. Good practice could be to use 2 filters in one flow, more dense filter the first and less dense above it.
Extracted honey in any case and with any kind of extractor requires filtration. This and flow of honey is what is slow. Function of wirnik is fast. Combining extraction with wirnik with filtering in one process seems to me reasonable.
4. If someone don’t wont to louse any drop of honey, after final stage of extraction with maximal safe speed the bottom should be plugged, some worm water purred to the remaining wax . This should be left for some time. Later, after short spin remaining honey (not much) also on walls will be flushed to different bucket. This very light syrup could be use to flash filters, kept in refrigerator to prevent fermentation and fortified with sugar use to feed bees when necessary.
I find this device very practical. Utilization is simple, clean, unmessy and relatively fast (depending on kind of filter.)
Wojciech Właźliński
1.X.2008