Extraction Services
Are you a hobbyist or small-scale beekeeper without the time, equipment, or desire to extract your honey? Whether you’re new to beekeeping or simply want to skip the mess of a sticky kitchen, Carolina Honey Exchange is here to help. We offer professional honey extraction and optional bottling services, with flexible payment options to suit your needs.
Many beekeepers get into beekeeping because of the bees, and get out of it because of the honey
Service Overview
- Minimum of 10 frames required per extraction
- By appointment only — our equipment is cleaned and sanitized betweeneach customer
- $50 deposit required to reserve your time
- Applied to your balance if paying with cash/card
- Refunded if paying with honey (see below)
- No hive boxes, garbage bags, coolers, or damaged containers allowed— see prep guidelines below
Payment Options
1. Pay with Honey (See Become a Member Page)
(Available for 20 frames or more)
• Leave 1/3 of the extracted honey by weight as payment
• $50 deposit will be refunded
2. Pay with Cash, Check, CashApp, or Venmo
• $5.00 per frame for mediums or shallows
• $6.00 per frame for deeps
• $80 minimum charge
• $50 deposit applied toward your total
Optional Add-Ons
• Reserve Your Wax Cappings: $25 per 10 frames
• Must provide separate food-grade buckets with lids, or purchase from us at current retail price
• Bottling in Our Jars: Retail jar price + $1.00 per jar and lid
• 5-Gallon Food-Grade Buckets: With or without honey gate/lid available
for purchase at current retail pricing
Filtering Options
Filtering honey is a slow, gravity-based process. By default, honey flows directly
from the extractor into your container. This natural method leaves fine bits of
wax and pollen in the honey, which many customers enjoy — but if you prefer a
cleaner result, we offer optional filtering:
• No Filtering (included) – Direct from extractor to pail
• Light Filtering (+$8 per pail) – Screens out larger wax pieces and debris
• Light + Fine Filtering (+$10 per pail) – Uses coarse and fine mesh to remove most visible particles
Note: Filtering adds time to the process and may affect your pickup schedule.
How to Prepare Your Frames
To ensure a smooth and efficient extraction, please follow these important guidelines:
Accepted Frames
• Must be fully capped on both sides
• Must use plastic foundation or solid plastic frames
• No wire-and-wax foundation (not compatible with our equipment) We Cannot Accept Frames With:
• Capped or open brood
• Mold, wax moth damage, dirt, grass, or crystallized honey
• Frozen frames (must be completely thawed before drop-off)
• Live bees — $20 fee applies for removal
Packaging Requirements
• Use heavy-duty plastic totes with secure, undamaged lids
• Each tote must not exceed 50 lbs
• Clearly label all buckets, tubs, and lids with your last name
• Do not bring frames in hive boxes, garbage bags, ice chests, or coolers
Bucket Requirements
• Must be 5-gallon round food-grade buckets, 90 mil or greater, and no taller than 14.5″
• You may bring your own, or purchase from us
• Buckets must be clean and undamaged — replacements due to cracks or leaks will be charged
Additional Details
• We do not heat your honey — allowing it to settle overnight for better yield
• Extraction times vary depending on honey viscosity — no guaranteed completion time
• We offer refractometer readings and final weights as a courtesy
• Once your honey leaves our facility, we are not responsible for spills, leaks, or fermentation