How to borrow the honey extractors.
Do you have honey bees, but no way to extract the honey? BCBA membership allows members the ability to borrow one set of the club's extracting equipment (extractor, decapping tank, and bottling bucket) to take home and extract your honey.
How do I borrow one of the club's extractors?
- After reading this entire page, contact one of our Extractor Managers. Their contact information will appear at the bottom of this page IF you are a BCBA member and are logged in to this website.
- Please choose weekdays if possible to accommodate folks working Mon-Fri.
- Equipment can be borrowed for a maximum of one (1) week but in the interest of the other members please be expedient.
- You are responsible for picking up and returning the equipment. Bring a helper to load the equipment into your vehicle as it is large and bulky.
- Users are responsible for thoroughly cleaning the equipment after use so that the next member borrowing the equipment has nice clean tools.
- A $50.00 deposit (ask specific Extractor Manager what they accept: cash or check) will be collected before or upon pick-up. It will be returned to you when you bring it back in the same condition.
How do I clean the equipment?
Please do not use soap or chemicals. The easiest way is the 'bees-then-water' method. First set the equipment outside so the bees can recover any leftover honey, then hose it down with cold water. The hot water from your tap isn't hot enough to melt any wax flakes; it just makes them sticky and harder to remove.