Radial extractor LYSON OPTIMA 30 Langstroth or super frames

01 · WHAT RADIAL GAINS AND COSTS

Fewer hands, a little more left behind

Frames sit fanned out, like the spokes of a wheel, and centrifugal force empties both faces at once. No more stopping, opening and turning every load, which is what eats the day on a tangential.

The price is that a radial works more slowly and strips a little less: thick honey or heavy frames need more time, and even then some residue can stay that a tangential would have taken. For a long day with many supers the trade is worth it; if you extract little and want every drop, it is not.

02 · NEW COMB BLOWS OUT

Start slow, and start with the old frames

A freshly drawn comb, unwired and still pale, will not take the spin: it sags or breaks against the cage. Extract the old dark combs first, the ones with structure already built, and leave the new ones until the wax has worked a couple of seasons.

For the same reason, the soft ramp on the SDD-1 is not a luxury: starting abruptly breaks comb even when it is good. Bring the speed up gradually, let the load balance itself, and only then push.

03 · 230 V OR THE CAR BATTERY

Extracting in the field, off-grid

The 350 W motor takes 230 V and 12 V, and that second figure is what changes the work: you can extract at the apiary itself, off the vehicle battery, without hauling supers to the honey house and back.

The packaging is built for that, and the self-assembly lets you put it together and take it apart on site. The anti-vibration pads matter when the floor is not your own: a loaded radial that goes out of balance walks if it is not seated.

04 · HEAT HELPS, UP TO A POINT

25-30 °C in the room, never 40 in the honey

With the room at 25-30 °C the honey runs better and the extractor strips more: it is standard practice and it does not touch the analysis. A dehumidifier helps as much as the heat.

The limit has to be clear: above 40 °C honey starts paying in HMF, a parameter with a legal ceiling that never comes back down. Warming the room is one thing; warming the honey is another.

05 · THE TAP AND WHAT COMES OUT

Ø40 mm, and it goes to settle

The conical bottom feeds the honey to the tap without leaving a pool, and the stainless tap is Ø40 mm — the standard honey-house size, so it meets the usual fittings and hoses without odd adapters.

What comes out carries wax fragments and air: from the extractor it goes to the settling tank or the filter, never straight into a jar. The double acrylic lid lets you follow the run without opening up.

06 · BEFORE YOU BUY

Measure your supers and check you work Langstroth or Dadant shallow: a radial goes by format, not by brand.