# Honey moisture content



## indypartridge (Nov 18, 2004)

monrovi said:


> I assume there is no worries extracting honey from capped comb?


Generally. We had an exceptionally humid summer a couple years ago and some beeks were finding capped honey with high moisture content.



> When pulling a super is it best to extract it immediately? Or to let it sit for a day or so?


There's no benefit to letting it sit. Since the arrival of small hive beetle, extracting sooner is better than later.


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## Beetrucker74 (Oct 10, 2010)

I mix the uncapped with the capped and keep checking the moisture anything higher than 18% gets low moisture honey blended with it till below 18% but rarely do I have to worry about it. I like to extract as soon as I get it back it is still hive temp and will flow nicly if it sits it will cool and you let more in the comb unless you use a heat room, plus the SHB are a problem if there is any pollen or a little brood in the honey in 3 days you will start to get SHB larva and slime.


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## dfortune (Aug 10, 2012)

If the majority of the comb is capped its ready. In the fall it might be ready but still uncapped because there wasnt enough nectar to cap it. Just shake it to see if any nectar comes out. It can sit for a couple of days but much longer it might start to ferment. Just depends on the honey and humidity.


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## TokerM (Jul 31, 2012)

Hypo scenario:

I extract all of my supers at the end of the season. I end up with, lets say, 3 buckets of strained honey. I check moisture and read it at 21% in all 3 buckets.

How is this fixed? Do you just leave the buckets open in a low-humidity room until they read under 18%? Does the honey 'cure' based on position in the bucket, meaning they need frequent stirring to keep bringing the 'low moisture' honey up to be exposed to the air? How quickly does fermentation set in, as in, if it needs to set longer than a couple days, there's a chance I will lose the whole batch?


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## dfortune (Aug 10, 2012)

21% is probably safe but borderline. Leaving honey exposed to air for extended periods of time isnt advised and more than likely not going to reduce moisture. They make honey dehumidifiers but very expensive. As far as leaving boxes out i dont know the exact time frame for honey to spoil but mine have been out 4 days now and still fine but hive beetle larvae starting to hatch. Extractors runnin right now


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## TokerM (Jul 31, 2012)

OK... 25% moisture... I'm just setting up a hypothetical scenario as to what one would do with a whole lot of extracted honey that is too moist and they don't have an option to blend in low moisture honey..


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## dfortune (Aug 10, 2012)

Ok in that case unless your commercial and can afford commercial equipment i would say the most feasible action would be to feed it back to the bees and let them do all the work. If theres another way id like to know too.


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## dfortune (Aug 10, 2012)

The best thing to do is only extract when frames are nearly completely capped


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## monrovi (Jan 22, 2012)

dfortune said:


> The best thing to do is only extract when frames are nearly completely capped


So there is no worry to worry about the percentage of moisture as long as you extract capped frames?


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## dfortune (Aug 10, 2012)

That is correct


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## mgolden (Oct 26, 2011)

Don't know the quantity of honey you have at 21%, but it stores very well frozen in a deep freeze.


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## BeekeepingIsGood (Aug 12, 2012)

I've been thinking about moisture levels myself the past few days. You might want to check this thread out: http://www.beesource.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-244710.html


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## danmcm (May 23, 2012)

I have frozen whole supers before when they were only partly capped... had to clean deep freeze in spring as deer and turkey bumped the suppers a few times. If i had a few buckets today that were to wet I would try to make some mead it is on my list of things to try. I also bake with honey so a gallon or two in the frig would be used over the fall and winter holidays with candy and pumpkin pies and honey soda pop hmmm makeing myself hungry.


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## mgolden (Oct 26, 2011)

"Wet" honey was extracted and put in plastic honey containers and then put in the deep freeze. Supers in a deep freeze would take a lot of space ad make some mess.

It does not crystalize and is like fresh honey when it thaws.


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## monrovi (Jan 22, 2012)

So of I extracted uncapped honey that I was insure of moisture content, I can freeze that honey, seperate it from my capped, and then just pull it out for baking when needed? Does putting it in the fridge stop fermentation or just slow it?


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## JRG13 (May 11, 2012)

Just because it is not capped does not necessarily mean it's unfit to extract. You need to check the moisture.


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## grozzie2 (Jun 3, 2011)

There was another thread last week, where one poster mentioned, after extracting capped frames, they measured 22% moisture (it was a humid summer), which would have been a big problem if shipped, the packer wouldn't accept, and probably wouldn't take future crops if you shipped them a batch of bad honey.

Based on that, i went shopping on ebay, and found a refractometer for not a lot of money, think it was roughly 30 bucks. It arrived yesterday. We had spun a super last month, which had been measured by a friend at 16%. When we spun 3 more last week, we separated it into 'what was capped' and what was 'not capped', separate buckets, then put a lid on them to wait for the refractometer to arrive. I measured them last nite, and was quite surprised.

The bucket of 'all capped frames' measured in at 18%. The bucket of honey from the uncapped frames, measured in at 16%, exactly opposite of what I expected.

Good lesson taken from this, 'capped != good', and 'uncapped != bad' is my conclusion. Now that we have a refractometer, the point is moot, we wont be guessing about moisture content in the honey anymore.

As far as what is acceptable, and what isn't, I've read many differing opinions on that (surprise, I asked a dozen beekeepers got 13 answers). But, my wife wants to enter honey into the fair this fall, and, from that I got some very specific answers. Measuring 17 or lower, full marks. Between 17 and 18, partial marks, and over 18 the honey will get a zero mark. That pretty much answers my question definitively, and for us, anything over 18 will be considered 'bee food', 18 and under, honey.


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## monrovi (Jan 22, 2012)

That's pretty interesting. I guess I will need to purchase a refractometer. Sounds like the only way to be certain of the honey. I was just avoiding spending the money. But it's cheaper than having a batch go to waste


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## monrovi (Jan 22, 2012)

grozzie2 said:


> anything over 18 will be considered 'bee food', 18 and under, honey.


How can high moisture honey be fed back to the bees just out of curiosity? The same way sugar water would be fed?


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