# is it ok to feed uncapped honey back to bees



## Sweet Bees (Sep 25, 2013)

I had a hive die off this winter that still had quite a bit of capped and uncapped honey in it. Some combs where 90% uncapped and I can see that it has crystallized in the cells. Is this honey still good to leave in the hive for the next package of bees I get this spring?


Thanks in advance


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## ccar2000 (Aug 9, 2009)

As long as you can be sure the hive you got it from was not carrying a disease, yes. You could harvest it for yourself too. Feed your package sugar syrup to build from, it is less expensive than honey.


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## Sweet Bees (Sep 25, 2013)

ccar2000 said:


> As long as you can be sure the hive you got it from was not carrying a disease, yes. You could harvest it for yourself too. Feed your package sugar syrup to build from, it is less expensive than honey.


How long will the uncapped honey keep for? I would like to use it instead of sugar water for the bees to get them going again but I am worried that it may ferment or go bad somehow in the next 3 months or so before I get a new package. Can you tell if the uncapped honey has fermented in the comb or if it has gone bad? The hive that died had a leaky roof and too much moisture was in the hive. I am pretty sure that is what killed them as I saw no other cause for their demise. I have repaired the lid and am ready to give it another go I just don't want to make the bees sick and I was under the impression that you should not harvest uncapped honey for yourself. I have only been keeping bees for a couple of years now, this will be my third summer and I am still learning the do's and don'ts. So thank you for any advice!


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## mathesonequip (Jul 9, 2012)

you are fine till spring, as long as you had no American foul brood. if every thing is real rotten , i would not use it. the bees will deal with a little fermentation, mold and mess. in your climate it has frozen by now and killed everything [except the possible AFB].


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## ccar2000 (Aug 9, 2009)

Sweet Bees said: I was under the impression that you should not harvest uncapped honey for yourself.

I am a beginner as well. I am fairly certain that if you shake the frame and the uncapped liquid remains it has cured and it will be okay to mix with the capped honey. It certainly would be good for short term use.


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## Eduardo Gomes (Nov 10, 2014)

ccar2000 said:


> I am fairly certain that if you shake the frame and the uncapped liquid remains it has cured and it will be okay to mix with the capped honey.


Much of honey from my second harvest in late August is not capped. In this time of year my bees don't produce wax. I do like ccar2000 and I never had fermentation problems so far.


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## Sweet Bees (Sep 25, 2013)

Eduardo Gomes said:


> Much of honey from my second harvest in late August is not capped. In this time of year my bees don't produce wax. I do like ccar2000 and I never had fermentation problems so far.


That is interesting Eduardo. I did notice that my bees had not capped a lot of the late honey flow in their hive last fall when I was harvesting. I just figured that is was not ripe yet so I left it for them to finish. The idea that they were not making any wax never occurred to me. Could this be due to dropping temperatures or to conserve energy?


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## Eduardo Gomes (Nov 10, 2014)

Sweet Bees the reasons why the bees did not produce wax in late August in my country are others:
- This time of year we are already at the time of shortage of nectar and pollen; and
- Very high temperatures with very little moisture in the air and the bees should not feel the need to protect the honey against moisture that does not exist. 

Furthermore this time the dehydration of honey by almost brutal heat that is felt in my country, with days hovering around the 40°C is pretty much a given, and gives me the assurance that honey has less than 18 % water content.

I think this link http://www.bee-hexagon.net/files/file/fileE/Wax/WaxBook2.pdf is very informative about the wax. You can then find the reasons for your bees not produce wax more suitable for your local.


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