So this is our first year and I had to wait a couple weeks to get our bee escapes and extractor, but it finally got here and we pulled our supers last night. We have 2 "full" deeps per each hive for winter time and I'm going to start feeding them 2:1 for the next week or two (per a local bee keeper). The supers were 50-75% caped honey, but had some uncapped "Green Honey" on the same frames. We were amazed at the amount that came from the frames!! I'm letting the honey filter overnight, but have a 101 questions...
1. I read that the "Green Honey" will have too much yeast, but they were on the frames that we had to extract, so is there a health concern or a measure I need to do to "cure" it or ??
2. Should we place the scrapped off comb and still sticky frame back out by the hives for the bees?
3. I'm waiting for the "refractor tool" to arrive, but read the moisture needs or should be below 13%?
4. How should the supers be cleaned or stored over the winter?
5. What other concerns should I have or need to have concerning our first batch of honey?
Thanks
Brent in Ohio
Hello. Glade you did so well your first year. Please consider changing your profile to show your town and state or country. This will help us to help you better.
Now for your questions.
Uncapped honey will have a high moisture content. Thus the bees fan it to remove some of the moisture. It is OK to have capped honey in with uncapped honey, it just means you will have to let it 'dry out'.
I use an extractor to spin off the honey, then put the wet frames back in the hive for two to three days so the bees can clean them. If it is cold where you are and the bees are clustering at night, it might take the full three days for the to clean the foundations.
I do not know where the 13% came from. My books all say 18%
On storing the used suppers: I put mine on a sheet on aluminum foil stacked 6-8 high. Then on the top super I put a paper plate with about 4-6 tablespoons of moth crystals (not moth balls) and another piece of foil. Top that all off with a small sheet of plywood to seal the top. All of this is to keep the wax moths out and other things. I end it all with some pepper sprinkled on the outside of the bottom super on the foil. This is to stop the aunts.
Other concerns: I always put a sheet on cheep plastic (drop cloth) on the floor. Do not walk in the house if you have stepped in honey or the aunts will have a field day. [I have cheep boots I wear while extracting so I can hose them down afterwards.] Unlike some I do not heat my honey and super filter it. I heat it just enough to I can put it in jars and my filter is the double mesh filter I use with the extractor. If you have children, only let them have a little raw honey at first as they may need some time getting use to the raw honey which is a lot better for you then supermarket honey.
-Mike
Quote from: bthomas67wagon on October 07, 2014, 10:16:10 AM
We have 2 "full" deeps per each hive for winter time and I'm going to start feeding them 2:1 for the next week or two (per a local bee keeper).
Ideally, you leave them enough honey for winter, and only feed if they don't have sufficient stores.
Quote1. I read that the "Green Honey" will have too much yeast...
It's not a matter of yeast, it's moisture content. If % is too high, it will ferment. I usually don't extract a frame unless it's at least 75-80% capped.
Quote2. Should we place the scrapped off comb and still sticky frame back out by the hives for the bees?
I place my extracted supers with frames on the hives, on TOP of the inner cover for a few days. The bees will clean them up. I put the cappings on trays/tubs about 50 yards from my colonies. Too close may incite robbing.
Quote[3. I'm waiting for the "refractor tool" to arrive, but read the moisture needs or should be below 13%?
I believe most beekeepers look for honey with moisture content below 17-18%
Quote4. How should the supers be cleaned or stored over the winter?
I've left mine on hives over winter. I've stacked them on the back porch.
So the refract tool is on back order for a week or two, so should i start bottling it or leave it in the 5 gal straining bucket?
Is there any way of finding the moisture content w/o the tool?
If it is very thin or runny at room temperature, chances are very good it needs to dry down.
Fwiw, its thick like honey from store, but then again its 50-60's here in ohio.
I guess my question is, should i...
1. Leave it in the 5 gal strainer bucket w lid cracked till tool comes?
2. Leave it in the 5 gal strainer bucket w lid sealed till tool comes?
3. Go a head and fill jars/containers?
Would it help to put it into a room of our barn w a running dehumidifier?
(I thought i saw people had done that with mixed results)
...maybe w a large cardboard box around it to allow focus of the dehumidifier?
I just want to make sure its safe and healthy for the family to eat, since they are all excited about it. ;)
Tia!!
-Brent
Welcome to the forum. This is my first year pulling honey. I can only say for certain that I stayed on the 75 to 80 percent capped rule and I can't find a bad mouthful anywhere. It's all good.
Right or wrong, I didn't use a refractor meter. If it's capped the bees says it's ready. We'll see next spring - if I have any left.
I use the 3/4 rule for harvesting and prefer it if its all capped. Never use a refractometer and it does not go off.
We put our wets back on the hives and the bees clean them.
We leave honey for the bees to over winter on but we are not pros and still get plenty of honey to keep us and our friends going.
As for bottling, if its about the consistency of "normal" supermarket honey its probably OK to bottle, especially over winter when its cold. Use it generously and enjoy before the hot weather.
>1. I read that the "Green Honey" will have too much yeast, but they were on the frames that we had to extract, so is there a health concern or a measure I need to do to "cure" it or ??
There is the same amount of yeast in the green honey as the cured honey. At least at first. As others said, it's the moisture that causes the yeast to ferment it. But that yeast is on the combs of capped honey. It is a white powdery residue and you can rub it off with your finger. It's sugar tolerant yeast.
>2. Should we place the scrapped off comb and still sticky frame back out by the hives for the bees?
I would put it in the super on the hives. Out in the open it tends to set off a robbing frenzy. It the hive it's viewed more like a cleanup.
>3. I'm waiting for the "refractor tool" to arrive, but read the moisture needs or should be below 13%?
18%
>4. How should the supers be cleaned or stored over the winter?
If they are where they will freeze and you keep the mice out they will keep fine anywhere.
>5. What other concerns should I have or need to have concerning our first batch of honey?
If you keep it clean and sealed so it doesn't get moisture or ants and it's at or below 18% moisture it should keep for a few millennia...
Thanks all for the feedback.
So back to the moisture content concern, so I can snap the lid on the bucket until my refractor tool shows up?
If I do hook a dehumidifier up to the bucket (maybe with the cardboard box idea), could I accidently take out too much moisture?
How would I know?
Thanks
Brent
>could I accidently take out too much moisture?
No.
Quote from: bthomas67wagon on October 07, 2014, 10:30:53 PM
Would it help to put it into a room of our barn w a running dehumidifier?
Tia!!
-Brent
First question is that room sealed off with no bugs in it? If I left a container of honey open down here in my workshop the roaches and ants would empty the pail in a couple of days. :) Bee sure to have a fine screen over it.
Second question, what is your normal humidity at this time of year? If it is pretty low, you may not need the dehumidifier. Here I turn the AC on full blast and try to keep the humidity below 50% if I am drying out the honey. I drip the honey, 1/8" stream or less, 3'drop, from one pail to another, sometimes twice, with the AC going to dry it out.
Jim
Right now the honey is in a 5 gal bucket (came in an extractor kit from Brushy Mountain Bees) that has a strainer insert on the top that the honey went through. (IDK the Microns...)
After a couple of days, I took the filter out and snapped the lid on. While "air tight" it's not going to let any moisture out, but shouldn't allow any pests in.
(I really just didn't want our "barn cats" to knock the lid off and ruin the entire thing!!)
Once I get the tool and think it's below 18%, I'll go ahead and bottle it up, but just don't want to create problems for myself if it's high moisture content...
You can go ahead and bottle a couple bottles of that honey for your own personal use. Enjoy you have put in a lot of hard work to get your first honey. I just would not sell any until your sure its dry enough. If the moisture is only a little bit too high it could take close to a year for you honey to ferment. You will likely have it ate up by then.
For drying out and heating the honey, I have an old refrigerator with a 60W light bulb connected to a low temperature thermostat used to keep the heat down. NOTE: since mine is a refrigerator I removed the locking mechanism (for chile safety) and put an external latch on the door that stays locked at all times. I could have made a simple box but I had the firdg so I used it. -Mike
Sooo, I got tired of waiting on the company to get my Refractometer and didn't want to have anything happen to our first couple gallons of honey.
So it was sealed up for 3-4 weeks in the 5 gal bucket, but decided to go ahead and bottle it...
It's thick like applesauce and grainy, not the clear and thick fluid like, like it was.
Did I trap the moisture in and it fermented?
Is it still okay?
Should I be concerned about it?
Thanks!!
Brent
Brent,
Sounds like it is crystallizing, not fermenting. 3 weeks is really fast. Take a spoonful and see if it is gritty, that would be crystallized. If it is smooth, you may want to let it totally crystallize and make creamed honey. When you try to make creamed honey you add 10% creamed honey so that it has a very small crystal which makes it feel smooth on your tongue.
Let us know what you do.
Jim