Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum

BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => GENERAL BEEKEEPING - MAIN POSTING FORUM. => Topic started by: limyw on December 15, 2007, 09:26:29 AM

Title: Pre-capped honey
Post by: limyw on December 15, 2007, 09:26:29 AM
I observed bees would take few days to rippen honey and cap. But why honey stored in hive does not get fermented before capping? :?
Title: Re: Pre-capped honey
Post by: Understudy on December 15, 2007, 10:51:39 AM
Usually no. The bees work at evaporating the water out of it until it is right. Then cap it.
Honey ferements because if yeast. Yeast likes water. Bees like to remove water from their honey. The lower the water content the less likely to ferment. Honey is one food that does not spoil. So if the water content is low enough the honey is of a good quality and will not ferment.

Sincerely,
Brendhan
Title: Re: Pre-capped honey
Post by: Mici on December 15, 2007, 04:17:28 PM
those few days, bees are ACTIVELY evaporating the moisture out, when they suck it, they also filter it, guess they filter yeasts too
Title: Re: Pre-capped honey
Post by: limyw on December 19, 2007, 06:30:03 AM
Mici, you mean before honey is capped, there is no yeast in the honey? So this makes honey doesnt ferments?
Title: Re: Pre-capped honey
Post by: Michael Bush on December 19, 2007, 07:37:39 AM
There may not be any "in" it but the caps get that white bloom on them and that is sugar tolerant yeast.
Title: Re: Pre-capped honey
Post by: Mici on December 19, 2007, 03:17:59 PM
Quote from: limyw on December 19, 2007, 06:30:03 AM
Mici, you mean before honey is capped, there is no yeast in the honey? So this makes honey doesnt ferments?

not really, but before the honey is cured, bees have to cure it, now this doesn't occur by itself, work it so they probably also filter it-removing the yeast and once it is cured, even though they may not cap it, the water content is too low, or sugar content is too high.