What is the process called when a beekeeper collects honey from a managed bee colony?

The process is called honey harvesting. Beekeepers remove honey-filled combs or frames from managed colonies, separate the honey from the wax, and return suitable equipment to the hive.

Honey bees store nectar after workers collect it from flowers. Inside the colony, the nectar is processed and concentrated, then placed in wax cells and sealed when sufficiently mature. Beekeepers commonly use an extractor that spins frames so honey flows out without destroying the comb.

Harvesting must be managed carefully because honey is the colony’s food reserve. Beekeepers leave enough stores for the bees, especially where flowers are scarce or winters are severe. Honey harvesting differs from milking, which removes milk from mammals, and shearing, which removes fiber from animals such as sheep.