Honey comb
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Bee Bumble
House Bee
Freeze it at -18.
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Does that not affect the honey in any way?
Hivemaker.
Queen Bee
Yes, it goes completely solid when frozen, but it also helps to prevent granulation.
- Joined
- Feb 21, 2017
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- 1,081
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- Location
- Pensilva, East Cornwall
- Number of Hives
- None, ex-beekeeper
Honey lasts a long time anyway but would you think that if frozen too it could last for decades? I've never thought of honey being frozen for storage reasons.
Honey is usually greater than 80% sugar solution when produced by the bees. It is stored in the hive, sometimes for years if they did not need it for food - the brood nest rarely extends to the outermost frames - and it was not removed by the beekeeper.
Rarely are the outer frames of stores consumed by the bees (especially by those of new beeks, as they often feed the bees with sugar syrup (or fondant) in hugely excessive amounts). Stored honey can easily granulate (probably due to human intervention of cropping cycles). While the cells are capped and moisture is kept out, the honey will not ferment.
Now, for how long does the OP wish to store this honeycomb? Is it capped or not? Opened cells will ferment at normal room temperature - that is why bees cap them! Reducing the temperature to -5 Celsius is likely sufficient to prevent yeast growth, so -18C, in a freezer, is more than adequate for preservation.
RAB
Rarely are the outer frames of stores consumed by the bees (especially by those of new beeks, as they often feed the bees with sugar syrup (or fondant) in hugely excessive amounts). Stored honey can easily granulate (probably due to human intervention of cropping cycles). While the cells are capped and moisture is kept out, the honey will not ferment.
Now, for how long does the OP wish to store this honeycomb? Is it capped or not? Opened cells will ferment at normal room temperature - that is why bees cap them! Reducing the temperature to -5 Celsius is likely sufficient to prevent yeast growth, so -18C, in a freezer, is more than adequate for preservation.
RAB
i store all my comb honey in the freezer, boxes and are wrapped in bin bags and then take out the odd box or frame as required. A fan on the box helps to dry any water residue. As hive maker says it stops granulation but just as importantly it prevents wax moth...it kills the eggs and obviously the adults cant get at it.........NOTHING LIKE THERES A MAGGOT IN MY COMB HONEY FROM A CUSTOMER
....It does not affect the honey or comb in any way, just make sure comb is up to a nice warm temp before cutting
....It does not affect the honey or comb in any way, just make sure comb is up to a nice warm temp before cutting
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