**** honey removal

Rod Dawson · May 19, 2015

My hive is right next to a field of ****. I made an inspection yesterday and I have a super with each frame well filled with uncapped honey.
The **** is in full flower and will continue flowering well into next week. Unfortunately I am away for two weeks from 28th May.
So the question is will the honey still be OK when I get back on the 11 June?

Jonathan · May 19, 2015

I have always extracted **** during the first week in June and got away with it until last year. Last year I had as much already set as was liquid so personally I wouldn't risk it. if you have no alternative then you are in the lap of the Gods but I think it may well be setting by the 11th June

einsteinagogo · May 19, 2015

Rod Dawson said:
My hive is right next to a field of ****. I made an inspection yesterday and I have a super with each frame well filled with uncapped honey.
The **** is in full flower and will continue flowering well into next week. Unfortunately I am away for two weeks from 28th May.
So the question is will the honey still be OK when I get back on the 11 June?

I remove OSR (****) supers, and extract the very same day, to ensure I get all the honey out of the supers. The moment its' not "warmed" by the bees, and comes off the hive, the danger it starts to granulate.

The longer it's left when capped, the quicker it will granulate, and the cooler it gets outside the quicker it starts to granulate.

I don't mind, when it sets hard in the honey buckets...

I've also purchased a refractomer, this year, rather than the "shake test".

Firefly · May 19, 2015

Jonathan said:
I have always extracted **** during the first week in June and got away with it until last year. Last year I had as much already set as was liquid so personally I wouldn't risk it. if you have no alternative then you are in the lap of the Gods but I think it may well be setting by the 11th June

Some of mine was crystal in May last year. See the comments in the parallel thread about setting in cold empty supers

Finman · May 19, 2015

.
I am glad that for long time no one has adviced to crush and melt combs because of crystallized honey.

Water treatment seems to well enough.

Amari · May 19, 2015

Rod Dawson said:
My hive is right next to a field of ****. I made an inspection yesterday and I have a super with each frame well filled with uncapped honey.
The **** is in full flower and will continue flowering well into next week. Unfortunately I am away for two weeks from 28th May.
So the question is will the honey still be OK when I get back on the 11 June?

I strongly advise extracting before 28 May. As I said in my recent post: many of my combs were uncapped, shake test negative, and the honey so viscous that the wet combs were returned heavy to the apiary. I wish I'd warmed the combs before extracting. On repeat tasting SWMBO and I think the taste is OK
http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=33599