Guilfordbeekeepers.org

My Dad raised me with the idea of buying the right tool for the job and you will not be sorry. Buy a cheap one before buying the right one and you just waste your money and time.

Unfortunately, I have no experience doing extracting and will be making a best guess on what a hobbiest beekeeper should buy to suit his needs. I currently have two hives and I could see my hobby reaching perhaps a total of 12 (give or take).

So, a hand crank extractor seems less desirable than a motor driven one. Not a large concern today, but it might be a real hassle when I get to the point of 12 hives worth of honey. I'm not adverse to work, I just like to focus my efforts where they are best spent. So, I could use some advice from people who've had a crank driven extractor. Did you wish you had a motor? Or was it manageable?

It is a better deal to get the motor with the extractor in the first place, but not amazingly so. So, if feelings are mixed I can certainly take this route.

The next question is size and type. It seems like you get have a few basic sizes that handle a certain number of frames: 2 / 4 / 9 / 20. The 9 frame one seems like the one I will grow into and should get. I see an "Italian" 9 frame extractor as well as just a standard 9 frame. I can't tell the difference between the two.

I would appreciate some thoughts from the group.

If you want to see the links of the things I've been using, they are as follows:

http://www.brushymountainbeefarm.com/pr ... umber=831A


https://www.dadant.com/catalog/product_ ... cts_id=361


http://www.gabees.com/store/product_inf ... 1984939714

Thanks

John

I edited your post to make the links work. Hope you don't mind.

First, My suggestion would be to not buy an extractor at this time. Along with the extractor, you will need an uncapping knife, an uncapping tub, and settling tanks. I have a small two frame extractor, along with the other items, that I loan out regularly to club members and others. There are a couple of others in the club that do the same. Practice with them for a year or two before purchasing.

If you don't take my advice, I have this one......

http://www.brushymountainbeefarm.com/pr ... umber=801A

It is new in the box and my price is the same as Brushy's. I bought it for another person last year and they never picked it up. It will hold twice as many shallow or medium, and 3 times as many deep frames as the one you are looking at, and is only about a hundred dollars more.

Thanks Wally. Fixing the links was a good editorial decision.

I understand the answer, but not the lesson.

If I were going to do some tree trimming, I might borrow a chain saw if I wanted to get started next weekend and couldn't wait for payday to go buy one. However, there is no question I need one tool for this job: a chain saw. The only question lies in which model I should buy and shopping around for a good price.

Extraction seems like an inevitable part of beekeeping and this requires an extractor. I'm not aware of outsourcing this function professionally as an option which leaves me doing it myself. So, what am I supposed to learn by waiting and borrowing some equipment?

I appreciate the candid advice and I do not ask the question of "why" in an attempt to be a wiseacre. I feel like I'm missing something.

Thanks.

John

How many supers will you harvest per hive?

How many hives will you have in 4 years?

How long will it take to run a cycle with the extractor?

How many frames can you uncap during that cycle.

What uncapping system are you going to use.

Those are only a few of the questions you will answer in the next 3 years. Then you will have more of an understanding of what extractor you will need.

It is like buying the chainsaw when you plant the tree.

This would be the one I recommend - https://www.dadant.com/catalog/product_ ... cts_id=364
Versitile and made to last a long time.
I have had Brushy's extractor which I found to be a good value but it had some concerns.
I have owned this one for several seasons and prefer it.
I would however go to Dadant when purchasing and see it in motion before purchasing. These are hand made (or at least they were) and you should check out the balance of the basket before purchasing.

Kurt