Honey Ripening

[RogueDrone]

When is honey classified as Ripe ?

Just a thought

Colin

 

[Nose Ma]

The FSA requires a moisture content on no more than 20%, 23% for bakers, and 25% for bakers heather honey. See "The Honey Regulations 2003" on the FSA website, Scehdule 2.

 

[Erichalfbee]

When is honey classified as Ripe ?

When it's capped

 

[Finman]

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Yes, when capped.

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[Somerford]

When is honey classified as Ripe ?

Just a thought

Colin

When it's fully capped, although if 75% capped, its common to do the shake test......and if any falls out, best not extract that frame !

 

[RogueDrone]

so when we harvest generally its al ready ripe

Just termimology

Happy days
Colin

 

[MuswellMetro]

When is honey classified as Ripe ?

Just a thought

Colin

I take honey to be Ripe when it has stood for 24 to 48hrs, so the air bubble rise and the bits of dead bee settle below the honey gate valve

skim off the floating scum of small wax particles and air bubbles and don't disturb the sediment and it is ready to jar

As Nose Ma says it has to be honey which to most is the shake test but i test anything uncapped with a refractometer ( todays extraction showed most of the uncapped below 20%, some was gloopy dark honey uncapped at 17%

 

[mbc]

When it's fully capped, although if 75% capped, its common to do the shake test......and if any falls out, best not extract that frame !

The rough and ready shake test has never failed me yet :
hold frame horizontal, give it a good up/down shake, and if no drops fly out its good to go.
If your bees are anything like mine at the mo Colin, theres little coming in and they are on the look out for anything to rob, when conditions are like this any nectar is consumed fairly immediately and its unlikely to find any being stored "upstairs".

 

[sandysman]

When it's capped

I would add however that with this year being so warm I took honey off uncapped and it read 18 % using the refractometer.
Andy

 

[RogueDrone]

Done my extraction and first batch bottled after short 48hr settleing (get the cash in keep SWMBO happy) just reading thread mention ripe Honey so thought ask question.

looks like there will be a small second extration (Balsam possibly) as they have 25% filled suppers, 1weeek, that were left on Prior to them cleaning ectracted frames.

Colin

 

[Erichalfbee]

I would add however that with this year being so warm I took honey off uncapped and it read 18 % using the refractometer.
Andy

I have just extracted a super with three frames part capped and it's reading 15.5% ....nice pale honey, probably bramble.
Earlier honey is dark, maybe some Hawthorne/Sycamore but probably quite a bit of honeydew and that is 18%

 

[user 6228]

On the refractometer reading below 18% capping is an indication not a requirement. Ripening and capping is very energy intensive, why wait and have the bees expend energy that you are not utilising, better they have it, to do other things.

 

[oliver90owner]

The rough and ready shake test has never failed me yet :

Quite right. Refractometers were not generally available only ten years ago - and were megabucks compared to the cheapo devices available from Hong Kong these days. I was pleased, at the time, that mine cost considerably less than half the big T price (of around eighty pounds delivered) when I got mine.

RAB

 

[user 6228]

The rough and ready shake test has never failed me yet :

Quite right. Refractometers were not generally available only ten years ago - and were megabucks compared to the cheapo devices available from Hong Kong these days. I was pleased, at the time, that mine cost considerably less than half the big T price (of around eighty pounds delivered) when I got mine.

RAB

Nice to be able to correlate the two methods.


Tried Filling a comb with tap water and then seeing how much comes out when you gently invert. Nothing comes out until you shake it vigorously And it's quite enlightening to see the volume it holds.

 

[psafloyd]

I would add however that with this year being so warm I took honey off uncapped and it read 18 % using the refractometer.
Andy

Yes, mine was under 18.5%, too.