Refractometer readings

[tkwinston4]

Morning all and what a lurrrvly day it is too - wish I was out there with my bees rather than at work but hey ho - needs must.

Anyway a friend got herself a new refractometer and she has been playing with it and has come up with some interesting results that I would like your knowledgeable feedback on please.


Honey by: Water

Hers 16

Mine 16

S****bury 17

Commercial beek -Heather 17.5

Thoughts and comments please.........................? Did we take ours off too early? Or does a difference of 1 or 1.5 not make a difference?

 

[Black Comb]

Well 1 or 1.5% will make a difference if it's 19.5% and 21% as it's illegal to sell honey with more than 20% water content (23% ling heather).

Have you calibrated them properly? What did you use? Olive oil is 71.5%.

There is a thread on here somewhere about this.

 

[oliver90owner]

Accuracy, precision. Two different things. Comparative to 1% is good enough. Experience will tell.

!6%, whether a true result or not, is low.

You can get, or make, calibration standards.

Are the asterisks p e a k? Is there a difference really between 83% and 84% for the sugars and small amount of pollen?

If the honey is capped, it will be OK. Bees are not stupid enough to cap honey that will ferment. They have been pracising for millions of years!

Water content of capped honey is unlikely to change in the short term.

I would think the results indicated by yours and hers is more likely to be too low, if anything.

Have they been temperature corrected and calibrated?

So nothing surprising or of real interest as 'out of the ordinary'

RAB