How long would it take for honey to ferment

[roo]

Hello folks,
Was wondering if anyone has had the misfortune to have some honey ferment, and if so, how long did it take from extraction. I have a small batch of honey that is 21 %, it seems fine to eat right now. It has set due to it being mostly oil seed rape. And yes, lesson has been learned, not to be too eager to remove next time.
Thanks for any replys.

 

[beesleybees]

Hello folks,
Was wondering if anyone has had the misfortune to have some honey ferment, and if so, how long did it take from extraction. I have a small batch of honey that is 21 %, it seems fine to eat right now. It has set due to it being mostly oil seed rape. And yes, lesson has been learned, not to be too eager to remove next time.
Thanks for any replys.

you need to remove oil rape seed honey from frames as soon as!! otherwise, as you have witnessed, it sets like concrete and if not removed from frames its makes the whole frame un-usable

 

[oliver90owner]

It has set due to it being mostly oil seed rape

Right, OK, it has swt.

Look at the surface of the honey. If it is dry and almost looks powdery, it is OK.

I at all wet, slimy or 'slippery', it will likely ferment.

Time? How long is a piece of string? In the 'fridge, quite a while, in the freezer, never. In a very warm place in a normal June, perhaps as little as a couple weeks before the jar lids will be under pressure!

It is not a case of being too eager, it is a case of taking frames which fail the 'shake' test. or trying to be too greedy re the number of capped and the number of not capped frames.

As I posted on another thread, you can improve your chances of avoiding nectar in the cells by picking your time to clear the bees down. Brushing or shaking bees from the frames in the middle of the afternoon on a good foraging day is not the best thing to do!

 

[Poly Hive]

21% is safe in my book.

There was a figure for Heather at one time set at 23%.

I wouldn't be panicking just yet.

PH