Bee bread is a valuable component for the manufacture of many drugs. Together with pollen, it is increasingly used in apitherapy to treat various diseases. However, obtaining this substance is difficult. The task is complicated by the fact that it is very difficult to remove it from the frame without the use of auxiliary means. Based on this, a logical question arises: how to extract beebread from honeycombs yourself at home.
Framed bee bread and peeled bee bread: pros and cons
Bee bread can be stored in a frame, but most beekeepers prefer to clean it and then package it.
Each of these methods has its own advantages and disadvantages.
Advantages of unrefined bee products:
- lower cost;
- The frame is the main confirmation of the naturalness of the raw materials.
Minuses:
- more space is required to store such beekeeping products;
- The frame may not be completely filled.
Advantages of purified raw materials:
- readiness for consumption or use for other purposes;
- ease of calculating the optimal dose;
- the opportunity to purchase in bulk.
Disadvantages of this type of product:
- spending a lot of time and effort to remove the substance from the frames;
- higher cost compared to framed beebread.
If we compare both forms, it should be mentioned that the packaged product is used in the manufacture of medicines. And the substance in the frame cannot be used for this purpose until it is removed from the honeycomb.
Industrial methods for extracting beebread
There are different options for the industrial extraction of beebread from honeycombs. But they are all based on one principle - drying. Each procedure has its own characteristics.
Vacuum drying
Bee bread is extracted using special equipment. This procedure allows you to clean the honeycombs as quickly and easily as possible, removing all granules from them. This process is carried out as follows:
- The honeycombs are cooled and then cut into pieces of equal size.
- Frame particles are placed in a special drying device, where the optimal temperature is set.
- The device turns on and the process of evaporating moisture from the cells starts.
- At the end of the time allotted for drying, the beebread is removed from the frame without difficulty.
On a note.The vacuum method is the most labor-intensive and expensive process. But at the same time, it is the fastest: it takes only 8-10 hours to process one batch of bee bread.
Convective drying
This technique allows you to remove beebread from hives that are stacked on top of each other. The method is expensive, so it is not practical to use it in private small apiaries. Compared to vacuum drying, convective drying has higher productivity.
Special equipment is used for the procedure. It has special chambers for placing honeycombs, which must first be cleared of honey. The chamber door is closed tightly, then the fan and heater are turned on. Under the influence of hot air, the water actively evaporates, and the beebread is dried and easily removed.
Natural drying
The simplest method that allows you to get bee bread without much difficulty. Its advantage lies in the fact that during this process large volumes of raw materials are processed. The honeycombs are placed under a canopy in the fresh air, or they are placed in a room with good ventilation.
How to get beebread from honeycombs at home
If you have your own apiary, you just need to know the methods that you can use to independently remove beebread from the frames. The following activities have worked well.
Freezing
There are several ways to freeze honeycombs for further production of bee bread. To extract raw materials using the first method, follow these steps:
- wrap each frame in a separate plastic bag;
- place the product in the freezer and close it tightly;
- set the temperature to no higher than -10 °C;
- leave the honeycombs for 3 hours.
After the specified time has passed, remove the frame from the freezer and then immediately crush it using a wooden rod or other similar object. All you have to do is separate the granules from the wax by hand and then package them for further storage.
The second freezing option requires the following steps:
- Heat the knife over the fire, cut the honeycomb, then mash it with your fingers.
- Fill the pan with cold water and place the raw materials in it.
- After a certain time, the wax will begin to sink to the bottom of the container, and the beebread, on the contrary, will rise to the surface of the liquid.
- Decant the water and place the resulting granules on a dry, clean cloth for further drying. It takes about a day.
The disadvantage of the procedure under consideration, regardless of the option of its implementation, is the loss of many nutrients and health benefits from the product. In addition, manipulation is characterized by low labor productivity, so only you can decide whether it is worth removing beebread from the honeycomb using this technique.
Soak
To obtain bee bread using this method, you must first prepare a deep container. This is where you will put the frames with beebread, and it is important that they fit into the container entirely.
Next, fill the honeycomb with cold water to a level at which all the cells are soaked. Leave the raw material in this form for several hours, then remove it and allow the liquid to drain a little. Now all you have to do is remove the pellets from the frames by hand.
Perform the procedure carefully, slowly, so as not to damage the structure of the structures.It is also important that you can collect all the bee product particles without losing them. At the very end, you have to subject the resulting raw material to thorough drying.
Soaking honeycomb has its disadvantages. The main one is that while in water, beebread loses a lot of nutrients and beneficial substances.
Natural drying
You can remove bee bread by hand without a machine using the simplest, but at the same time popular and effective method. But keep in mind right away that you shouldn’t count on quick results. The honeycombs will have to dry for 2-3 months.
To do this, you first need to decide where you will place the frames. It’s good if you can allocate a separate room for this, where direct sunlight does not penetrate. The air temperature should not be lower than +20…+25 °C.
On a note. Experts recommend collecting honeycombs from bees and then immediately sending them for drying. This process should not be delayed, otherwise the product may lose its beneficial qualities.
Further storage
Bee bread can be used immediately in home medicine or prepared so that it retains its beneficial properties for a long time. Your main task is to protect the product from the appearance of mold on its surface. To do this, raw materials should be stored at air humidity not exceeding 75%. The optimal temperature in the room where beebread granules will be located ranges between 0 °C and 15 °C.
Remember that the substance should not be exposed to direct sunlight.Also, do not allow the room where the raw materials are located to become too stuffy. Excessive heat, like light, is a factor that makes beekeeping products unusable much faster.
Bee bread can be mixed with honey. With this combination of substances, the storage features change. Firstly, this mixture must be kept in a glass jar, which is tightly closed with a lid. Secondly, in order for the mixture to preserve its nutritional and beneficial properties for a long time, it must be placed in the refrigerator or cellar.
Bee bread is a valuable substance with a rich and varied composition. It is used in folk and official medicine due to its wide range of beneficial properties. But the process of its extraction itself is complex, labor-intensive and time-consuming. It should be approached scrupulously and responsibly, otherwise the product will lose its properties for which it is so highly valued.
