questions about removing undrawn super of honey

[Leonsaviour]

Just some very basic questions!

I have a super full of uncapped honey and want to remove it rather than leave it before ivy arrives but will this honey crystallise if it is uncapped?

this colony has become quit defensive even though they are queen right. I am guessing its because they is probably no nectar at this time and are protecting what stores they have now. Is that a normal response from them?

If I place a crown board under the super will the normally move down through the porter bee escapes or should I shake them out at entrance before doing this?

Thanks for any advice!

 

[MJBee]

The bees cap a cell of honey when they have achieved two things:-
A full cell and the water content is below 20%.

Removing a super of uncapped honey is OK if you can check the water content, either by holding the frame(s) horizontal and giving them a good shake. If any honey drips out it is not ready. The best check though is a refractometer which will give an accurate water %.

Honey with too much water content is likely to ferment BUT if you use it yourself (ie don't sell it) and use it quickly - no problem.

 

[MuswellMetro]

Just some very basic questions!

I have a super full of uncapped honey and want to remove it rather than leave it before ivy arrives but will this honey crystallise if it is uncapped?

this colony has become quit defensive even though they are queen right. I am guessing its because they is probably no nectar at this time and are protecting what stores they have now. Is that a normal response from them?

If I place a crown board under the super will the normally move down through the porter bee escapes or should I shake them out at entrance before doing this?

Thanks for any advice!

Honey above 20% water that is uncapped will ferment if left and will not in normal circumstance crystalise unless it is high glucose (OSR ) and remember honey is hygroscopic

The reaction of the bees is normal if you have removed honey but it could also be becasue of robbing by wasps or other bees , my nasty colony Sunday was down right evil, I almost went straight for the can of BP

You would be better using a quick cleared like a rhombus rather than porter escapes, but it that's all you have and it is a small colony then move then down into an api eke or empty super for space

 

[Leonsaviour]

Thanks for the great responses. Much appreciated!

 

[Tom Bick]

I have 9 supers yet to extract all part and some nearly all of the frames uncapped. Some of the supers are obviously the last supers on the hives but the others well my bees this year were not keen to cap them. I actually got three fully capped supers out of fifteen.

I was obviously concerned over extracting and the frame shake test has shown no honey drops out of the comb. But just for extra reassurance I have borrowed a refractometer and a quick play this morning gave a reading of 19% for the extracted fully capped honey and 17% for the uncapped still in the combs.

I will have to play around a bit more testing but confident to go ahead and extract the frames with the added advantage minimal uncapping and there was me cursing the girls and all they wanted to do was make my life easy.

 

[VEG]

The title really confused me

 

[richardbees]

craig,

until reading your post I hadn't registered he'd put undrawn instead of uncapped - must be my early-onset senile wotsit kicking in!

richard