Author Topic: Fermented honey being robbed?  (Read 931 times)

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Offline Zweefer

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Fermented honey being robbed?
« on: August 10, 2022, 05:41:21 pm »
I did some bee lining today as the girls were not working any of the usual flowers, but streaming out in one direction.   I followed them through the woods and found an old hive box I had out out for a swarm trap and forgot about.   Apparently a swarm did reside in it either last year, or the beginning of this year, because the frames were full of honey, albeit a bit fermented.   
My question - will the bees robbing this “hive” and bringing it back ruin my (their) honey there, or will the process of ingesting it through their honey stomach and then reprocessing it clean up that which they are stealing?
I can’t extract until next weekend as my schedule is booked until then.  By then all the bad honey will be transferred I’m sure…  :o
Keeping of bees is like the direction of sunbeams.
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Offline Zweefer

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Re: Fermented honey being robbed?
« Reply #1 on: August 10, 2022, 05:42:14 pm »
I’m claiming fermentation based on smell of said honey, haven’t actually gotten up the guts to taste it. :no:
Keeping of bees is like the direction of sunbeams.
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Offline The15thMember

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Re: Fermented honey being robbed?
« Reply #2 on: August 11, 2022, 10:08:01 am »
I've been thinking about this, and I don't know the answer, but since no one else seems to know either, here are my thoughts on it.  Maybe it'll help, Zweef.  I have no idea if I'm actually right or not, this is just my brainstorming on it.  :)

Honey occasionally ferments in the hive, due to the bees not being able to cap it for some reason or pests like hive beetles opening up the cells.  From my experience and what I've read, capped honey is pretty safe from fermentation.  But in this situation we are asking what happens when bees attempt to process already fermented honey.  Yeasts are always present in small amounts in honey, but they can't reproduce in low moisture, and some can't reproduce without air, which is one reason why the bees get the moisture content of the nectar down to ~18% and then cap it.  When active, the yeasts ingest water and sugar and produce alcohols and carbon dioxide.  Both of these product substances are volatile, so they should evaporate just like water when the bees fan and work the honey.  As the bees process the fermented honey, my assumption is that, depending on all sorts of factors, if the bees can get the fermented honey down to ~18% and cap it, and if they have plenty of non-fermented honey in the hive to eat as well, it shouldn't be that big of a problem.           
I come from under the hill, and under the hills and over the hills my paths led.  And through the air, I am she that walks unseen.