GGGRRRR - Fermenting and not in a good way

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witchcraft

House Bee
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Suffolk
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National
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Took off my two full supers this year (rubbish crop) sat down and spread this year's honey onto some bread at lunchtime to find its bl00dy fermenting as seemingly is the rest of the crop. Rats! I'm sure it was all capped (in fact I was so sure I didn't bother with the reflectometer).

Looks like I might be pouring my rather meagre crop down the sink...

:-(
 
Last edited:
http://blog.mbbka.org.uk/category/education/bbka-module-2/

p25

Hooper describes three types of fermentation and how to treat them
Symptoms Treatment
Wet, dilute layer on surface, smell Skim layer off and use rest of honey normally
Dry lumpy surface, smell Skim layer off and use rest of honey normally
Module 2 Honey Products and Forage
Page 26
Nothing visible but smells when disturbed Heat to 94°C and feed to bees of same colony/apiary


Or you could see if it'll make mead.
 
Thanks! How about still runny dark honey now full of minuscule bubbles with light froth on surface ring. Tastes (and smell) changed from fantastic to (sadly) fermenting honey, none of the above seem to cover that?
 
I don't have any brewing kit and I assume 40 pounds would make rather a lot of mead?

If you have a Wilkinsons near you, they do really cheap brewing kit, I picked up 4 demijons from there and the other stuff for very little. Most mead recipes i've seen have used between 3 and 4 pounds of honey so you could maybe get some use out of some of it? Its quite easy to put a batch on and once underway can be left somewhere cool for 4 months to finish.

worth a thought.
 
First thing. Freeze it in bags. It will stop whatever it's doing while you organise your brewery and do it in batches over the year?
 
Just out of interest have you tested the water content since it started fermenting? It would be interesting to see what the water level is with a refractometer. I have two jars that show no signs of fermentation but taste badly of it. Tested them and they were far too high in water content. The jars were a couple of years old and were jarred up before I owned a refractometer. I might use them as a winter feed if necessary instead of fondant as they are soft set.
E
 
I don't have any brewing kit and I assume 40 pounds would make rather a lot of mead?


I think it depends how much you drink whether you'd call it a lot.

You'd be best with making some honey beer too I think and then inviting people round to sample it. :)

If you have bees need feeding then that's an option to not waste it.
Freezing will take lots of space.
 
All

Thanks for the help - I have just tested it - its around 18.5% water (rats, note to self to check everything in future not just OSR) its in jars and I think it will soon be in feeders :)
 
All

Thanks for the help - I have just tested it - its around 18.5% water (rats, note to self to check everything in future not just OSR) its in jars and I think it will soon be in feeders :)

Well ... it's at the top end of 'safe' ... Most people I know look for 16/17% as ideal as that's usually where the bees would cap it. But I'm surprised it's fermenting at that level - are you sure there has not been any contamination ?
 
They'll cap it at 18% and higher, 18.5% should have been OK. I have 10 lbs stored in a small plastic container and kept for feeding because it showed up at 23% at the end of last season, it hasn't fermented and it tastes fine.
 
They'll cap it at 18% and higher, 18.5% should have been OK. I have 10 lbs stored in a small plastic container and kept for feeding because it showed up at 23% at the end of last season, it hasn't fermented and it tastes fine.

I'd have thought so too - it was beginning to crystallise which releases some water if I remember my O'level chemistry correctly which may have been the cause. It was certainly on the turn. Anyway ~35 jars emptied into feeders and a lot of very happy bees were seen. I'm on a major ivy flow too so hopefully I'll have heavy hives for the winter all on BBs with Supers under.
 
There is a risk of fermenting honey to cause dysentery.

One could always add some of Hivemaker's recipe syrup thymol mix...
however at the great risk of the wrath of .... name escapes me.... use Lecethin as the emulsifying agent and not your fermenting honey!:hairpull:

Nos da
 
it was beginning to crystallise which releases some water if I remember my O'level chemistry correctly which may have been the cause.

Yes this can happen. (Part of Module 2 I recall).
 
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