Fermenting capped stores?

[Woodland bees]

I've only just managed to take some supers off, due in part to the stormy weather we've had for the last month.

Processing one and it was 17.5% water and tasted fine. 2nd frame was completely capped and as soon as I uncapped it it smelt slightly fermented. Checking with my refractometer and it is 20% water.

Can capped stores ferment? If so can I feed these stores back to the bees or should I find another use for them?

 

[The Poot in Somerset]

Oops I just”Liked” your post in error.
It’s unusual for capped honey to be at 20%. Check the calibration of your refractometer first, then if it is at 20% you can choose to keep it and use it yourself as it won’t ferment immediately.
Or you could give it back to the bees.
Or you could sell it to people you don’t like.
Or you could make mead with it.
I would favour options 1 and 4

 

[Woodland bees]

Refractometer is fine as the 17.5% reading matches up with last years harvest and I checked it then.

Even ignoring the reading I noticed a slightly fermenting smell and taste.

Mead is an option for some of it and I'll happily return most of the rest to the bees if it's not likely to harm them.

 

[GuyNir]

Oops I just”Liked” your post in error.
It’s unusual for capped honey to be at 20%. Check the calibration of your refractometer first, then if it is at 20% you can choose to keep it and use it yourself as it won’t ferment immediately.
Or you could give it back to the bees.
Or you could sell it to people you don’t like.
Or you could make mead with it.
I would favour options 1 and 4

Option 3 sounds tempting

 

[Erichalfbee]

The bees will be fine with it.
It’s only one frame.

 

[Woodland bees]

The bees will be fine with it.
It’s only one frame.

Thank you.

I think it might be a whole super though.

It's been very, very wet here. Before the last couple of weeks where we've had high winds and rain we had a lot of fog when most of the UK had 30°C temps.

 

[enrico]

I had a similar problem last year. I blamed it on loads of things including storing wet frames which I know now was not the problem. I made mead with it and the smell and taste remained in the mead. It was like drinking petrol or cough medicine. Poured it all down the sink! Best guess feed it back to the bees!

 

[Erichalfbee]

I had some soft set that fermented. I melted it and heated it just enough to kill the yeast. It’s in vacuum bags in a cupboard ( to save space) and its great in porridge and in cakes

 

[GuyNir]

Last year I had some honey that started fermenting. Used it in tea. Like the taste actually.

 

[Woodland bees]

The taste is fine for me, but we already have loads of honey. It's just a hint of something. Frames were stored dry last winter by the way.

Funnily enough, as someone who likes an aged bottle of German Riesling, I'd quite like a sweet petrolly sweet mead.

I do have a hive I can feed it to so I'd rather use it for that if it'll not cause problems.

 

[enrico]

The taste is fine for me, but we already have loads of honey. It's just a hint of something. Frames were stored dry last winter by the way.

Funnily enough, as someone who likes an aged bottle of German Riesling, I'd quite like a sweet petrolly sweet mead.

I do have a hive I can feed it to so I'd rather use it for that if it'll not cause problems.

It was so dry it made my cheeks pucker!

 

[tonyofarr]

[QUOTE

It's been very, very wet here. Before the last couple of weeks where we've had high winds and rain we had a lot of fog when most of the UK had 30°C temps.
[/QUOTE]
Snap! You don't live near Holsworthy do you? I am fed up with it and will be glad when the bees are ready for Winter. I still have supers to take off and have had to leave loads on for the bees because the honey was never finished. I think I would rather forget 2020.

 

[Woodland bees]

Snap! You don't live near Holsworthy do you? I am fed up with it and will be glad when the bees are ready for Winter. I still have supers to take off and have had to leave loads on for the bees because the honey was never finished. I think I would rather forget 2020.

Not that far, further to the north and west (so more windy and foggy). I think our bees are related to yours.

It's not all bad, no swarms this year (I hope it's safe to say that). Splits done and all but one hive running with a young queens mated in the distant past early summer when it was warm and sunny.

Just need to remember next year to extract some supers after the long dry spring we seem to get now.

 

[beeno]

Last year I had some honey that started fermenting. Used it in tea. Like the taste actually.

Saves on the vodka!

 

[The Poot in Somerset]

It was so dry it made my cheeks pucker!

Which ones?