Honey fermenting in the comb

[efmesch]

This afternoon my grandson invited me to give him a hand taking summer honey off his (25) hives located about 1 km away from my house. Couldn't say "No" and I enjoyed the quality time spent together with him.
The supers we were removing were deeps that have been on the hives since late June/early July.  The bees are still collecting (mostly from cotton fields nearby) and several frames had to be left behind because the honey was not yet ripe for extraction.
But there was one problem we agreed, would best be put to the forum:  A goodly number of frames, filled pretty much with nice ripe honey, had areas with sealed cells that were puffed out.  Opening these cells gave a smell of fermentation and tasting the honey only strengthened our conviction that the honey was feremnting.  In one cell that I opened, I could even see small bubbles in the sealed honey.
So the questions are: Has anyone here had a similar experience? and what can be done, if anything, to prevent this from happening?

In the first picture the areas of puffed cells are clearly visible at the top and in the middle of the frame.


In the second picture, many, less distinctly puffed cells can be seen when looking carefully at the picture when enlarged .

[Perry]

Fermenting in the comb is something I have never experienced. I'm stumped.

[rcannon]

Any sign of small hive beetles,Efmesch?

[efmesch]

Any sign of small hive beetles,Efmesch?

That's one pest we don't have in Israel...I hope we don't get it either. 

Other than the fermenting honey, the frames were totally normal with no signs of any damage of any sort. 

[rwlaw]

Maybe capped too early and has a higher moisture content than usual? You'd think your neck of the woods it wouldn't be the case. A refractometer would tell you that I'm thinking.
 

[efmesch]

Taking a refractometer out to the apiary is an idea that never crossed my mind.  I too thought that the sealed honey might not have been fully ripened before the sealing, and I agree, that shouldn't be likely here, especially with the heat of summer still upon us.  But even if the sealed honey would prove to have been with a high water content, it still doesn't explain to me why the bees would seal the honey  before it's ready.
More important is the question how can this be prevented?

[apisbees]

I know why the bees capped honey that was not yet ripe so that it fermented.

[rwlaw]

The fanning bees staged a walkout and the capper bees were told by the head office to keep to the scheduled finish date?

[efmesch]

I know why the bees capped honey that was not yet ripe so that it fermented.

Please don't keep it a secret---tell me why they cap unripe honey.

[apisbees]

I need the chart that is in my "Book of Honey by Eva Crane" to prove my post post. the fair ends on Sunday so I should get to it by Tuesday.

[apisbees]

just kidding.

I looked at the weather in your location yesterday the relative humidity was at 59% today the relative humidity is at 74% bees trying to ripen honey in that humidity is like you trying to dry yourself off while standing under the flowing shower.
Don't Quote me on this but going from memory, honey at around the 17% moisture need a relative humidity of about 50% to be stable in moisture. Higher humidity and the honey will absorb moisture. The bees can move the air thru the hive but if the air has a higher humidity the bees have no way of drying the air so they will only be able to dehydrate the honey to the humidity saturation point.

This is my theory on why they would cap the honey before it was dehydrated to saturated stable sugars. The bee will have dried the honey to what the humility in the air would permit at the time. The honey not ripe because of the higher humility is not letting it get lower than the 17.8% to be stable. Next the humidity rises even higher causing the the honey to absorb moisture. I think the bees would cap it to protect the honey from absorbing extra moisture from the air.

There is a chart that lists the equalization of relative humidity and the moisture content of honey when left exposed for an extended time. I will look it up and post after the fair.

[efmesch]

Apis, I knew   could count on you for a logical explanation.  If I carry your words on to a solution, I guess the best thing is to set up a dehumidifier for the hives  .  or to just live with it and continue to set aside those frames with fermenting honey.
Maybe I should go into competition with the firm that makes its' mead from Perry's honey    I'd even have a head start. 

[apisbees]

The warm temps you receive will also hasten the fermentation process. You have a point about setting up a bee dehumidifier. pull the honey early not worrying if it is fully caped and ripen it the last bit in a room with dry heat and a dehumidifier.

[tbonekel]

So that explains why sometimes, there appears to be a LOT of uncapped honey in a hive and it's not capped. The outside humidity is just too high for them to evaporate the moisture and it's just a waiting game. Maybe?

[apisbees]

Not always. If a flow abruptly ends the bees are reluctant to eat stored honey to produce wax. they much prefure to excreat wax from the nectar that is being brought into the hive. whether it be nectar or sugar syrup. Which explains why bees only draw comb during an nectar flow or when syrup is being fed.

[Barbarian]

I am in a damp climate. I don't totally buy the idea of the bees not being able to reduce the moisture content before capping.

I am wondering about the crops the bees have been working.

I feel that I have read of problems regarding the proportions of sugars in honey from some plants. "Borage" came to mind but I haven't been able to find any posts about the sugar percentages in borage honey.