# Fermented Honey?



## Southern nectar (Sep 24, 2015)

Hello to all:
Late this summer, I did a bee hive removal from a shed in Little Havana, Miami, FL. I noticed that the honey was dark and runny. I extracted about three gallons from the hive and later stored it in my garage. Today, about a month/30 days later, I opened up the bucket in which the honey was being kept in, and I noticed that the top layer of the honey looked as if it was fermenting. I tried sieving it into another bucket and closed it. Three hours later, I returned, and about an inch of the top layer had become foamy. Has anyone ever experienced this before? I do live in South Florida, so maybe the heat and humidity in my garage could have effected it. What can I do with the honey? Is it salvageable? Can I feed it back to the bees? Any suggestions would be appreciated. 
Thank you.


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## wvbeeguy (Feb 20, 2011)

was it capped prior to extracting, if so and you didnt strain it a couple of times the impurities come to top, thats why all bottling tanks open at bottom. If it wasnt capped it may have fermented from too high moisture content. if that is the case may be trash


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## Maddy (Jan 20, 2014)

can't it be made into mead? I thought that is how mead was invented...
~M


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## Eduardo Gomes (Nov 10, 2014)

Southern nectar said:


> Any suggestions would be appreciated.


I'm not sure if it answers to your questions but I leave this link about the fermentation of honey: http://www.kimesapiary.com/Fermentation.html#fermentation


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## Tenbears (May 15, 2012)

Honey wit a moisture content above 18.5% will ferment due to wild yeasts that are all around us. Hive extractions usually encompass lots of broken comb, and it is imposable to know weather the honey was actually capped. Using a refractometer to determine the moisture content is a good way to be sure. Once the fermentation has started the honey is pretty much done for as honey. Lowering the temperatures will suspend the fermentation, but not kill the yeast so when the honey is returned to warmer temperatures the fermentation will resume. Potassium sorbate can suspend the ferment permanently but will damage the honey for resale. it will be edible, but may have off flavor, and if great quantities of sorbate are needed to stop the ferment the honey will have a bubblegum flavor. 
At this point I would get out the carboys and Make some mead. you can fine some great recipes in the brewing section of this forum. Salute!


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## odfrank (May 13, 2002)

I have a customer who buys all of my solar and fermented honey to feed to chickens.


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## RayMarler (Jun 18, 2008)

Are you sure it's not just slumgum? Very fine wax particles suspended in the honey that floats to the top of the extracted barrel and looks similar to a fine thick foam in a way. Stored in a heated room or a warm area, the honey gets warm and the slumgum floats to the top more easily.


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## Southern nectar (Sep 24, 2015)

wvbeeguy, the honey was capped. I did only strained it one time but that's about all I have to do for my regular honey. Last night I strained the honey one more time and left the dirty bucket outside. This morning there was a swarm of bees all over it. I did notice that lots of the bees were perched on near by branches and some on the ground as if they were drunk. Lol. So maybe I'll give it to this one person who had bought a gallon and half from me to make mead. odfrank, I too have thought about mixing it with chicken feed and feeding it to the chicks. Thank you all for your replies.


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## radallo (Oct 28, 2015)

Honey is highly hygroscopic, so of course high RH in your garage can be absorbed from the honey.
Do not fully trust the bees, since capped cells do not necessary mean correct water content.

The use of a refractometer is a good suggestion from other user.

You can use fermented honey to feed animals, get mead, or even to bake your own cakes/biscuits.


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