Bee keeping

[wyoDreamer]

I sealed them all. I do lots of canning so, this was a breeze

Nice haul on the honey! Color is beautiful.

Did you waterbath honey the honey and how long?
Does canning it help keep it from crystalizing?

 

[tmoore8595]

Nice haul on the honey! Color is beautiful.

Did you waterbath honey the honey and how long?
Does canning it help keep it from crystalizing?

Canning will not keep honey from crystalizing, heating, (over 100 deg.) is not recommended , and sealing is not necessary. Honey will ferment if the moisture content is too high, but it will not spoil unless the moisture content is above 17%. If crystals form, heat it to 98 - 100 deg. and they will go away.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Quote: How can you identify spoiled honey? I know that if it is marginally spoiled it might be impossible to tell, but does it start smelling bad? I have never seen spoiled honey. I pour mine into glass jars as soon as I get that plastic jug home for ease of heating after crystallization.

I do my own canning of jam, and I would assume that it does the same thing jam does, gets a little mold (haven't seen that with my jam but read about it)???

 

[tmoore8595]

How can you identify spoiled honey? I know that if it is marginally spoiled it might be impossible to tell, but does it start smelling bad? I have never seen spoiled honey. I pour mine into glass jars as soon as I get that plastic jug home for ease of heating after crystallization.

I do my own canning of jam, and I would assume that it does the same thing jam does, gets a little mold (haven't seen that with my jam but read about it)???

Honey will not spoil and it will not mold. It will however, ferment ( turn into alcohol), that's how mead is made.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Quote:
Oooh! Thanks. Will have to watch for that.

 

[tmoore8595]

Oooh! Thanks. Will have to watch for that.

If the honey is capped, (sealed in the comb), before it is extracted, the moisture content will be below 17%, and it will not ferment. Bees will not cap honey until the moisture content is below 17%. If the honey is harvested on a humid day, or moisture is added by some other means this could cause it to ferment.

 

[empire]

i am a beekeeper also. i have about 60 full size langsroth hives and around 100 mating nucleus colonies for raising and selling queen bees. its a great hobby and sideline income, plus the honey is delicious!

 

[tmoore8595]

Hello empire, and welcome to the forum.

I have had chickens for about 6 years, but I just started bee keeping this year. I have 17 hives now and plan to get more. It has been a real learning experience.

 

[empire]

17 hives your first year is very ambitious! is it tough in AL with the comb laws about not bringing in existing combs? i send bees to GA in the winter, as it is hard to build bees up in the winter up here in the north. good luck with your bees!

 

[tmoore8595]

I don't know about any laws that regulate bringing in existing comb, guess I need to check on that. Most of my hives are from cut-outs. Some of them were done late in the year and I have had to feed them heavily. I have gone through about 300 pounds of sugar. I had 18 hives but one was queenless and I lost it. I am still feeding two hives and I may lose them. Winters are not too cold here, the temp. was in the sixties today and the bees were out flying around. I plan to do more cut-outs next year, but I hope to do them earlier in the year so I don't have to feed them so much. I have six nucleus boxes and I want to learn how to raise queens next year. I also plan to do some splits. How long have you been a beeper?