Basic Honey Harvesting Equipment Kit
Everything a first-time honey harvester needs to bring honey from comb to bucket — packaged as one buy instead of five separate decisions. Strain, uncap, store, pour. The basic kit covers the workflow without the upgrades; perfect for your first season or a small backyard operation.
What's in the kit
- 5-Gallon Honey Bucket with Gate — food-grade bucket with pre-installed gate for controlled honey transfer
- Stainless Steel Honey Strainer w/Handle — single-stage fine-mesh filter, sits on the bucket rim
- Serrated Uncapping Knife — removes wax cappings from comb frames
- Capping Scratcher Deluxe (Plastic) — gets into the spots a knife can't reach
- Portable Uncapping Bench — fits on a standard 5-gallon bucket, gives you a workspace for uncapping
How it works in real life
Set the Portable Uncapping Bench across the top of the bucket. Hold a capped frame over the bench and run the Serrated Knife along each side to slice off the wax cappings — the cappings fall onto the bench, the frame is ready to extract. For the spots the knife missed (around the wood, in corners), the Capping Scratcher punches through the remaining cappings. Once all your frames are uncapped, extract them in a honey extractor (sold separately), then pour the raw honey from the extractor through the Stainless Steel Strainer on top of the 5-Gallon Bucket. The fine mesh catches wax flakes and debris. When you're ready to bottle, open the bucket's gate and fill jars.
Before you order
This kit is everything you need EXCEPT a honey extractor — you'll need to extract the uncapped frames somewhere (a friend's extractor, a club extractor, or our extractor rental program if you're local). The Basic Kit is sized for hobby and small-scale beekeepers; if you bottle for retail or process a high volume, look at the Deluxe Kit, which adds an electric uncapping knife, a second bucket (food-grade storage), the Pail Perch, and the EZ Strainer System for multi-stage filtering.
Pairs Well With
- Honey extractor (rental or purchase) — the missing piece between uncapping and straining
- 1 lb Muth Honey Jars — bottle into something customers will recognize
- Orange Honey Gate — replacement gate if your kit's gate ever needs it
- Deluxe Honey Harvesting Kit — the production-tier upgrade for larger operations
Specifications
- Kit contents: 5 items (bucket-with-gate, strainer, knife, scratcher, bench)
- Vendor: Blythewood Bee Company
- Bucket capacity: 5 gallons
- Strainer: single-stage stainless mesh with ergonomic handle
- Knife: serrated, fixed blade
- Bench: portable, fits standard 5-gallon bucket
- Kit weight: 8 lbs (approximate, varies slightly with component lot)
- Kit dimensions: 13 × 13 × 16 in
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this everything I need to harvest honey?
This kit covers uncapping, straining, and bottling. You'll still need a honey extractor to spin honey out of the frames after uncapping. If you don't have one, ask your local beekeeping club — most clubs have an extractor available for member use, or we offer extractor rentals.
What's the difference between this and the Deluxe Kit?
The Deluxe Kit adds a second bucket (food-grade sealed storage), the Pail Perch (tilts the bucket for full drain), an electric uncapping knife with thermostat (faster uncapping, no sticky honey on the blade), and the EZ Strainer System (200/400/600 micron progressive filtering for retail-quality clarity). The Basic Kit handles small-volume hobby harvesting; the Deluxe handles production volume.
Why is there a bench in a basic kit?
The Portable Uncapping Bench fits across the top of the 5-gallon bucket and gives you a working surface where the wax cappings can fall while you uncap frames. Without one, cappings drop into your honey or onto the floor — both bad. The bench is one of those tools that seems unnecessary until your first uncapping session without one.
How long will the kit last?
Decades, with proper care. The stainless and food-grade plastic components don't wear out under normal use; the wood handles on the knife and scratcher may need replacing eventually. Wash with warm water after each use, dry completely, and store in a clean dry space.
Is this kit assembled by hand?
Yes. Each kit is built fresh from component inventory at our warehouse — that's why kit stock can move independently of individual product stock. If you're ordering during peak harvest season, kits ship the next business day after order.
