How to Separate Honeycomb

Natural honeycomb is as lovely as it is sweet.

If you're struggling to remove honey from a comb, you're certainly not the first; the earliest records of beekeeping appear in an Egyptian temple, circa 2400 BC. Once you manage to extract the honey, you can enjoy one of history's most storied foodstuffs -- and one of nature's most delightful treats.

Things You'll Need

• Honeycomb
• Knife
• Glass baking dish
• Stove (or other heating implement)
• 600-micron filter (if necessary)
• Funnel
• Sterile glass jar with tight-fitting lid

Instructions

Extract The Honey

1. Check to see if the honey is capped. Capping, or overlaying an open comb with fresh wax, is how bees contain the liquid honey. If you've purchased a comb of honey, it's almost certainly uncapped. If your comb is fresh, you'll need to scrape the cap off the comb with a hot knife.

2. Set or hang the comb upside-down over a glass baking dish. This will allow you to clearly see the volume of honey that you have extracted from the comb.

3. Warm the room to about 80 degrees Fahrenheit to allow the honey to flow more freely out of the comb.

Filter The Honey

1. If you think it is necessary, strain the honey with a 600-micron filter. Your local hardware store might carry these filters, or you might need to check with a laboratory equipment supplier.

2. To speed up the filtration process, gently warm the honey to a runny consistency before you strain it.

3. Use a funnel to direct the honey from its current receptacle to a suitably sized glass jar with a tight-fitting lid.

Tips & Warnings

• There's no actual need to separate the comb from the honey -- it's perfectly edible and nutritious. The comb contains bee propolis, a flavonoid-rich antioxidant source. To reap the benefits, chew on the comb until the flavor is gone, then spit it out. In fact, honey is so antibacterial and antifungal that you don't have to refrigerate it once you extract it.

References

• American Honey Producers: Honey Tips
• The National Honey Board: Filtration Procedures
• Chowhound: How Do You Separate Honeycomb?
• The Honey Association: The History of Honey