Processing Bee Products for the Show Table
A talk by Liz Westcott from Torbay Branch, 5th March 2026
Liz was introduced as former President of Devon Beekeepers’ Association and many East Devon members will know her from her presence at Honiton Show, selling products of the hive.
Honey extraction
The first thing Liz pointed out was that honey for sale is a food product and therefore is governed by food hygiene regulation. Never put supers on the ground, where they will be contaminated by contact with soil. Use an up turned roof or your hive stand.
Removing honey supers from your hives should be done with covers to prevent moisture being absorbed from the atmosphere and also to stop bees getting back into the honey. It is recommended to extract honey the same day that it is removed from the hive because, if left in a cool place, it will thicken and be more difficult to put through your sieve system.
Sieving to remove wax particles and other debris is essential for food products. A course sieve is often used immediately after spinning to remove larger particles which would otherwise clog the finer filters. This could be as cheap and simple as a stainless-steel wire kitchen sieve. Liz uses a 400 micron plastic sieve for honey destined for sale, as this leaves much of the pollen in the honey, making the product suitable for customers who believe the pollen helps with their hay fever.
For show bench honey a 200 micron filter will make the honey sparkle. (Note that the reserved word ‘honey’ on a label means the product MUST contain some pollen.)
Alternatively, the coarse filtered honey from the spinner could be run into 15 or 30lb tubs and stored until needed.
Honey for the Show bench
The key to success is abiding by the Show Schedule. If it says 2 x 454g light honey, your entry will only be considered if it complies. Liz gave us a few hints and tips to enhance our chances of winning prizes.
- Jars should be from the same batch. Check the code on the bottom of the jar. Some people like to use identically numbered jars. No chips, cracks or defects.
- The lids should be from the same batch. There should be no dents, rust or scratches.
- Jars and lids should be clean. Lids seals sometimes have a powder residue from manufacture. This must be cleaned off.
- The honey should have a flawless surface, with no debris, specks, insipient granulation or bubbles. You can easily check this by holding a torch behind the jars. The slightest imperfection will be revealed!
- Aroma is important. Ideally, do not unscrew the lids for several days before the show to conserve aroma. This means you will need to ensure no honey contaminates the lids by transporting the jars with great care to the show venue.
- Polish the exterior of lids and jars when placing on the show bench.
If all these factors are correct, the judge’s choice comes down to factors such as viscosity, aroma, and colour.
Processing Wax for the Show Table
Uncapping comb: Liz uses an uncapping fork as there is less honey wastage. Liz showed some cappings that had been removed from combs of honey and allowed to drain before placing the wax in a container with a small quantity of clean water. Ideally, soft water should be used. Avoid chlorinated water. In most cases, rain water works well. The drained honey can be processed as usual. Cappings need to be washed because if there are sugar crystals in the cappings the wax makes tiny balls around them.
Sort your wax into light and dark, the lightest to be used for show exhibits. The darker wax can be used for polish.
There are numerous ways of cleaning your wax and it is best to experiment and find a method that works for you. For example, some people use a Bain Marie to warm the water/wax mix, whereas others have a warming cabinet that does the same job. You could also use an oven, though the thermostat controls are not that precise. What ever you choose, the upper limit for temperature is 85°C, otherwise the wax is inclined to degrade and turn dark. Optimum temperature range is 75°C to 80°C. These limits enable you to maintain the wax melted for a couple of days during the cleaning process. Pour the mix through filters, starting with nylon stockings. Allow the wax to set and remove as a block, then re-melt and add more clean water.
It may take several filtrations to thoroughly clean the wax. Pouring through wet wipes or paper towels are also viable options.
Finally, the clean wax can be poured into moulds or used for dipping candles. Liz stated that there is a hierarchy for candle making in that judges consider dipped candles rank higher than moulded candles, with rolled candles at the bottom of the list. If the schedule says ‘bees wax candles made by any method’, you are more likely to win a prize with dipped candles.
Mead
Show schedules vary, so it is important to comply with the class description. The Honiton Show Bees and Honey competition schedule says:
‘One bottle of mead labelled “sweet” or “dry”, in a clear punted Sauterne-type bottle of approximately 75cl capacity. White plastic flanged stoppers only must be used.’
This allows some flexibility for the competitor to make a mead of their choice.
Mead should be free of sediment at the time of showing. Therefore, Liz recommended racking off a few weeks before the show to avoid problems with sediment re-forming over time. Rack into clean bottles.
References
Michael Badger. Mead and Honey Wines – A Comprehensive Guide (2017)
A copy of this book is available to members from the Branch Library.
Nick thanked Liz for a fascinating talk with lots of practical hints and tips to help produce top quality exhibits for the Show Bench. A copy of Liz’s notes is available for downloading HERE. The notes include extracts from the Labelling Regulations and the Honey Regulations that control sales of honey to the public.