Worldwide Beekeeping
Beekeeping => General Beekeeping => Topic started by: brooksbeefarm on August 31, 2015, 11:46:09 pm
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When curing honey in 5 gal. buckets (in air conditioning with fan blowing over the top) the moisture (water) comes to the top, because the honey is heavier than water, Right?/ I have 3 buckets that checked 20 and is now down to 18.5 and is starting to crystallize :o, so to the heat box it goes (set at 100 deg.) it will take 2 five gal. buckets at a time. This will also take moisture out and makes for easy bottling. Jack
PS.With all the rain several of us have got, is your honey checking high also???
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The hygroscopy property's of honey actually keeps the moisture content fairly uniform through out the bucket of honey. As the moisture evaporates, any honey next to the top layer will share its higher moisture to lower moisture honey. this causes the honey in the pail to all lower its moisture.
Granulation on the other hand is caused by the crystallization of the glucose sugars. But in doing this they release their extra moisture that is absorbed by the fructose sugars.
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So running a dehumidifier with open buckets will work without having to constantly stir? I always try to bring it down while still in the comb but sometimes it isn't possible.
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apis,so the honey i check from the top of the bucket will be higher, or the same through out the bucket from top to bottom.? Jack
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the top will be lower while the honey is drying but put the lid on and in a week it will be the same top to bottom. it will equalize quite quickly. if the relative humidity is high the honey will absorb moisture out of the air also.
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A couple of days at 100 deg. in the heat box with the lid cracked will do wonders for it. Right? Other wise i would be taking a chance of it starting to ferment? Jack
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Once again, you have left a newbee scratching her head. Why do you have to remove additional moisture out of the honey? Don't the bees do this before it is capped?
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The bees don't have a Refractometer. :laugh: Good question Les,for 40+ years if the honey was capped and i couldn't shake any that wasn't out of the frames, i bottled it. Don't ever remember having a problem with it? Now if your honey test over 18 you shouldn't bottle it or it could, and will ferment. Maybe the old time bees were smarter back then. ??? Jack
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my honey is runny ( intended ) this year too. I have a refractor on the way. in an air conditioned basement how quickly can honey ferment?
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I just put 7 five gallon pails into an enclosure with a dehumidifier. I had to finally extract it and sure enough it runs between 18.8 and 20 %. I am hoping it will bring it all down to an acceptable moisture content. I wonder if heating would help?
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It does for me perry, i have a heat box that will hold 2 five gallon buckets and is heated with two 100 watt. light bulbs. It has a thermostat that i set at 100 F., i crack the lids on the buckets to let the moisture out and leave it for 24 or 48 hrs. does wonders lowering moisture and pours good into quart jars while still warm. JMHO. Jack
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What Jack said. Heat dries the air, lowering the moisture content in the area.
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I have jarred honey that is 18% and so far it is fine... but I also sold about 4, 5 gal buckets.. In order to bring the moisture content down, I put it in a sealed room with a dehumidifier, with a fan blowing to circulate the air in the room... In two weeks THAT honey went from 19.5 to around 17% moisture using the refractometer.. it worked well.. it didnt crystalize so I didnt have to heat it.
I had the honey in the bottling tank and two 5 gal buckets. So about ten gal was in the bottling tank. All had the tops off with screens over them.