How to Separate Raw Honey From Wax

Set a 5-gallon, clean, plastic pail on a low work table. Lay a sheet of new plastic screen door screening over the lip of the pail. Push it halfway down inside the pail.

Secure the screening to the side of the pail using a bungee cord that fits tightly all the way around the outside perimeter of the pail. It's important that the screen not slump any deeper into the pail.

Make a wood frame out of 2-by-2 inch boards 18-by-18 inches square. Staple 1/2-inch mesh hardware cloth (ridged metal screening) to the frame. Wash the metal hardware cloth well before stapling it to the frame. Set the frame on the top of the pail.

Set some honey laden honeycomb on top of the screen. Use a wood paddle to force the honeycomb through the wire mesh. The mashed honeycomb will drop into the slumped screening in the pail. Continue mashing honeycomb until the slumped screening is 2/3 full.

Remove the wood frame from the pail. Clamp the clothespins to the edge of the pail to insure the window screening won't be pulled into the pail from the weight of the mashed honeycombs.

Place cheesecloth over the pail to keep bugs and debris out. Set the pail in a warm location for the next two or three days. The honey will drip through the screening leaving the wax caught, unable to pass through it. After the honey is done draining, lift the screening out of the pail and bottle the honey.