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A honey extractor is a drum that spins honey out of the comb by centrifugal force, so the frames come out intact and go straight back on the hive. We stock manual and electric models in 2, 3, 4 and 6 frame sizes, in stainless steel and food grade plastic, from first-harvest hobby units up to sideliner capacity.

Manual or electric?

A manual extractor is hand cranked and costs less. It is the right choice up to roughly ten hives, where a batch takes minutes rather than hours. An electric extractor pays for itself once you are turning frames all day, because the limiting factor stops being your arm and starts being how fast you can uncap. If you are between the two, buy on hive count rather than on frame count.

How many frames do I need?

The frame number is how many frames the basket holds per spin, not how many you own. Two and three frame units suit a handful of hives. Four and six frame units are worth it from about fifteen hives up. All our extractors take deep and medium frames.

What else do I need to extract?

An extractor on its own does not finish the job. You will want uncapping tools to open the cells first, a filter or strainer to catch wax as the honey runs out, and a settling tank or bucket with a honey gate to bottle from. A honey press recovers the honey left in your cappings.

Frequently asked questions

Is a plastic honey extractor good enough?

For a few hives, yes. Food grade plastic drums are lighter, cheaper and easier to carry. Stainless steel is worth the money once you are extracting often, because it cleans faster and lasts decades.

Do extractors come assembled?

Ours arrive ready to use apart from fitting the legs and the gate. Nothing needs tools beyond what is in the box.

Tangential or radial?

Tangential baskets hold frames side on and need turning halfway through, which is fine at small scale. Radial baskets spin both sides at once and are faster, which is why the larger units use them.

All extractors are stocked in Texas and ship within the US.