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BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => GENERAL BEEKEEPING - MAIN POSTING FORUM. => Topic started by: beehappy1950 on September 04, 2015, 10:58:48 PM

Title: Thin honey?
Post by: beehappy1950 on September 04, 2015, 10:58:48 PM
I have noticed that my honey is thinner this year. Not sure because it is warmer out or that it is just thinner honey. I havent had any that ran out of the comb when shook over the uncapper tray so I always figured it was good that way. Even the capped ones are that way. It is mostly basswood and clover. Just curious if anybody has noticed this. Harold
Title: Re: Thin honey?
Post by: mikecva on September 05, 2015, 12:17:20 PM
Have you tried using a Refractometer. It will let you know if your honey is above 18% and by how much. If to high you can dry it out in order to get it down to 18%. Heat, as I am sure you are aware of will make honey runny.  Very thin honey will be hard to sell but it is still good on/in foods.  -Mike
Title: Re: Thin honey?
Post by: Michael Bush on September 05, 2015, 12:19:27 PM
I've never owned one, but refractometers have gotten very affordable in recent years.  It's probably high in water content.
Title: Re: Thin honey?
Post by: richter1978 on September 05, 2015, 01:42:19 PM
Down here in FL, I  get a lot of thin honey.  I don't know the % moisture, but I haven't had any fermentation problems. Fully capped frames will be thin. The earliest and latest honey seems to be the thickest.  We have lots of humidity!
Title: Re: Thin honey?
Post by: Apis629 on September 07, 2015, 05:48:15 PM
I just about always find myself pulling a the crop in the first week of July. If we have a wet May or June, it's just about always an excess of palm honey thinning it out. Such a shame that black mangrove and cabbage palm have a definitive overlap in season, as I strongly prefer mangrove.

But if it's capped and not fermenting, I generally call it good. That said, my crop this year was the lightest and thinnest I've ever pulled.