In 1838, Johann Dzierzon, a Polish Roman Catholic priest and beekeeper devised the first practical movable-comb beehive, allowing for the manipulation of individual honeycombs without destroying the structure of the hive.

This idea was further developed by L. L. Langstroth, an American pastor and beekeeper in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, who patented his beehive design in 1852.

The exact date of the invention is not known but on July 1, 1865, he explained in an article in the Eichstraett Beekeeping News his old crushing method to extract honey.

[2] The first version was a simple tin box attached to a wire cord with a funnel at the bottom to which a glass was fastened to collect the honey.

During the extraction process the honey is forced out of the uncapped wax cells, runs down the walls of the extractor and pools at the bottom.

Honey must be removed in time and always stay below the rotating frames as otherwise it prevents extractor from spinning with sufficient speed.

Diesel-powered extractors are harder to start, especially in winter due to increased fuel viscosity under the ice and snow conditions.