Guide To Uncapping Frames

When you’re ready to harvest, it’s a good idea to make sure you have everything you need ready to go. In order to get the honey out of the frames you’ll have to uncap the cells, but which uncapping tools should you use? There are many different kinds of uncapping devices, ranging from scratchers to heated knives.

The easiest way to remove the cappings is with an electric knife. These knives are heated and makes removing the cappings a quick and easy process. If there are any cappings missed by the knife, you can use the uncapping scratcher to open the caps left behind. You can also use the uncapping scratcher to uncap the entire frame, but doing it this way is generally messier and takes more time.

Or, you could use a non-heated option, like a cold knife to remove the cappings. The cold knife works best when you heat it in warm water first to warm up the blade. The uncapping plane is slightly different from the electric knife. It heats up and cuts the cappings off just like the electric knife, but the plane has an adjustable blade to change the depth of your cut and a guide for right-handed and left-handed beekeepers.

Another tool that you can use for uncapping is an uncapping punch which pops open the capping for quick extracting.

Once you have determined which tool you want to use to uncap your frames, you’ll be able to start extracting your honey! Shop Mann Lake for all of your beekeeping needs!