Development of Locally Fabricated Honey Extracting Machine

An indigenous honey extracting machine was designed, fabricated and evaluated at the workshop of the department of Agricultural Technology, Federal Polytechnic, Ile-Oluji, Nigeria using locally available materials. It has the extraction unit, the presser, the honey collector and the frame. The harvested honeycomb is placed inside the cylindrical extraction unit with perforated holes. The press plate is then positioned on the honeycomb while the hydraulic press of 3 ton was placed on it and supported by the frame. The hydraulic press which is manually operated forces the oil out of the extraction chamber through the perforated holes into the honey collector positioned at the lowest part of the extraction chamber. The honey extracting machine has an average throughput of 2.59 kg/min and efficiency of about 91%. The cost of producing the honey extracting machine is NGN 31, 700: 00, thirty-one thousand, and seven hundred naira only or $70 at NGN 452.8 to a dollar. This cost is affordable to beekeepers and would-be honey entrepreneurs. The honey extracting machine is easy to operate and maintained without any complex technical know-how. This simple technology solves the challenge of honey extraction among our peasant farmers in Nigeria.