How to Harvest Honey From Wild Bees

Harvest honey when the season, time of day and climate conditions are ideal. Harvesting in early spring allows you to avoid taking honey that bees need for food during the winter. Additionally, the Honey Processing Toolkit website recommends harvesting during the middle of dry, sunny days to prevent air humidity from increasing the honey's moisture index.

Don a beekeeping suit and helmet before approaching the wild beehive. Remember that the closer you get to the hive, the more aggressive bees become.

Fill a bee smoker with dry and damp, burnable material like twigs, grass, wood chips and newspaper and light it with matches or a cigarette lighter. Pump the accordion valve on the back of the smoker to produce more smoke. Close the lid of the smoker and continue to pump, throwing the smoke out the tiny hole at the top of the smoker. Continue to pump the smoker as you approach the hive, throwing smoke near the hive but not directly on it.

Approach the hive slowly to avoid alerting the bees to your presence. For hives built in hollowed trees, you may need to bring along a ladder or prepare to climb a tree carrying a bag of collection items.

Remove only the outer sections of honeycomb that have a wax cap covering the ends of the honey comb cells. These sections of honeycomb offer the best-tasting honey, according to professional beekeepers. To harvest these sections of honeycomb, you may need a serrated knife to cut the comb loose. Professional beekeeping tools are also available but cost significantly more than simply using a serrated knife from your kitchen.

Brush any live bees off the section of honeycomb, place the honeycomb in a plastic container and cover it with a lid to prevent attracting bees to the honey. Avoid placing honey in a steel or aluminum container, as the acidic properties of honey reacts with such containers.

Remove any debris from the area and take all your equipment with you as you slowly leave the area. Ensure you have walked a safe distance away from the hive before you start removing your beekeeping suit.