warming cabinet

[eatmorebeans]

Guys, I'm about to build a warming cabinet, thermostatically controlled with a digital readout. Heating element prob going to be light bulbs with a couple of axial fans to blow it around.

Initially it was going to be dual purpose, i.e. honey buckets or jars, but now I'm thinking to size it such that 4 super frames will fit in it.

Anyone warmed frames up in order to spin off hard honey? I know wax melts at above 62'C but wondered how hot it can be before being unable to maintain it's structure. In other words what is the max temp one would dare to heat the supers to?

 

[VEG]

You need to look at what heat honey can be warmed to without ruining it

 

[oliver90owner]

I daresay it could be done but the frames would need individual support when hot enough to liquify OSR honey per eg. Wax may not melt until around 62 Celsius but wax in hives collapses at a much lower temperature than that if the colony is 'overheated' due to poor ventilation when in transit per eg. Good reference bee books should have this info, if not on the net. I don't have my books to hand at this moment in time.

RAB

 

[beebreeder]

Don't bother with the frames idea, now you can have a good laugh at my expense, I use an old upright freezer with a bulb in and had some crystalised OSR so I put some frames in the freezer drawers and tured on the bulb, a few hours later honey was running over the floor, its not the wax melting thats the problem but as RAB says as it gets warm its ability to hold the weight of honey breaks down until the lot collapses. In short don't bother the earache and the cleanup is just not worth it.

 

[Bee-Key-Pur]

I have played with these temperatures myself, while extracting partly crystalised oil seed rape and ivy honey.
I found that if I heated the comb over 23 degrees C, they blow apart in the extractor. So I only warm them to 20 degrees C, then extract, but it won't remove the set honey, I give the frames back to the bees to remove that.

When not using the warming cabinet for honey, I also use it to make beer and wine, it will hold the right temperature for fermenting.

Brian.

 

[eatmorebeans]

fermenting.... now that IS a good idea!

Tony

 

[m100]

I have played with these temperatures myself, while extracting partly crystalised oil seed rape and ivy honey.
I found that if I heated the comb over 23 degrees C, they blow apart in the extractor. So I only warm them to 20 degrees C, then extract, but it won't remove the set honey, I give the frames back to the bees to remove that.

I don't know how you are doing your extracting but combs simply don't hold together at 20 deg C and fall apart at 23 deg C. An initial full tangential extraction on one side does that kind of thing, as does spinning too fast and expecting extraction of concrete like honey.

Our association warming room is a walk in heavily insulated room (you could fit a few hundred supers in there) and is heated by oil filled radiators. The aroma when opening the door after an overnight soak is more than you get when opening a hive on a really hot summers day during a flow. So *more than occupied hive temperature* The boxes and frames are also warm to the touch

I've extracted combs at home where I turned the stack on its side and blown air from a fan heater through them, as I was uncapping and loading the extractor the woodwork was noticeably warm to touch ok they had cooled a bit before extracting and were filled with balsam but I'm sure they were way more than 23 deg C, maybe nearer 30.

 

[Bees Plus]

Honey does not like to be heated to high or too long.
I keep my cabinet set to 100f and only leave the honey in there for 24 hours.

Too much heat and the honey will take on a bitter taste - I think the issue is called DMT

 

[Box]

another approach :" put an empty box at the bottom with a 25 or 40watt bulb in. It lies just on the floor so the bulb does not touch the floor (for that it should not "blow up") and a piece of aluminum foil over the bulb so it does not drip with honey on it, places crates with combs on top and a lid on top. I have not saved combs long, but it's to warm boards are easier to extract.
Thorkild Fransen"
have translated this thread from the Danish beekeeping forum, it is a simple way to do it

 

[Hombre]

Ah yes, electric bees . . .