Scum/curds floating on honey buckets. Why?

[user 819]

As in #37 is also at times get a nice layer of beekeeper's honey/mousse, I like wise only use the flat course filter when transferring to buckets for storage.

 

[Apple]

Raw Curd Honey.... £15 for 4oz jar?

But there again I have a gardener who will pay that for a small bucket of the wax extracted slum gum removed from the frames after they have been through the steamer....
Compost to die for apparently!

Chons da

 

[user 819]

Looks like I may have to try selling some beekeepers choice froth honey with nutrients.

 

[Curly green finger's]

I left some osr on a hive last year observed the frames being uncapped and being used.
Thanks for the reply with you warming methods etc.
Here's a picture of honey from 22nd of August and some curd I've taken of a few buckets.
Jar of honey after processing from the above buckets.

 

[WoodenBeam]

I left some osr on a hive last year observed the frames being uncapped and being used.
Thanks for the reply with you warming methods etc.
Here's a picture of honey from 22nd of August and some curd I've taken of a few buckets. View attachment 24702
Jar of honey after processing from the above buckets.

Is the jar from the curds or the main crop in the bucket?

 

[Curly green finger's]

Is the jar from the curds or the main crop in the bucket?

From the bucket.
I haven't processed the curd yet I will when I've finished these 10 buckets.

 

[Amari]

I left some osr on a hive last year observed the frames being uncapped and being used.
Thanks for the reply with you warming methods etc.
Here's a picture of honey from 22nd of August and some curd I've taken of a few buckets. View attachment 24692View attachment 24693View attachment 24694View attachment 24702
Jar of honey after processing from the above buckets.

Sorting a few buckets yesterday so took a couple of piccies.
View attachment 24676
Set bucket including ‘scum/mousse/bubbles/debris’. On extracting we coarse filter (twin S/Steel mesh sieve but only the larger sieve used) straight into buckets.
View attachment 24677
Partially removed. Its quite apparent when removing what’s bubbles and what’s Honey - different texture.
View attachment 24678
The cream of the crop? Or mousse in this case? Certainly raw
We remove this layer prior to warming and filtering as the filter can clog with debris and slow things up causing hassle. Don’t know if this could be the source of your curds Amari?
Crop in the photo was extracted late May 2020, set solid and we are in a rape area.

Many thanks for the pics WB & CGF - yes, that's the mousse just like mine. I find this very reassuring - always nice to know I'm not alone. The strange thing is that it seems to be a new phenomenon this last two years - I just cannot remember mousse this thick before that. Could it be due to a new variety of OSR being sown??

 

[Erichalfbee]

From the bucket.
I haven't processed the curd yet I will when I've finished these 10 buckets.

Is that your OSR from last year?

 

[Curly green finger's]

Is that your OSR from last year?

No a niebours.

 

[Apple]

From the bucket.
I haven't processed the curd yet I will when I've finished these 10 buckets.

Your family must eat a lot of honey!

 

[Curly green finger's]

Your family must eat a lot of honey!

Loads 2 lb a week

 

[Malmcd]

I’ve had lots of mousse on the top of my buckets this year, for the first time. The only thing I have done differently is to just coarse filter straight from the extractor into buckets rather than putting it through a separate fine filter first. I have assumed that the problem of excessive mousse has been caused by not allowing the honey to stand before running it into the buckets. I’ve bought an extra tank this year to see if letting it stand longer for bubbles and froth to rise solves the problem.

 

[Amari]

I’ve had lots of mousse on the top of my buckets this year, for the first time. The only thing I have done differently is to just coarse filter straight from the extractor into buckets rather than putting it through a separate fine filter first. I have assumed that the problem of excessive mousse has been caused by not allowing the honey to stand before running it into the buckets. I’ve bought an extra tank this year to see if letting it stand longer for bubbles and froth to rise solves the problem.

That's really interesting Malmcd - thanks!
Until 3-4 years ago I used to sieve/filter from the extractor into the settling tank then jar c. 24 hours after extracting. Since then I've sieved via the pic below from the extractor straight into 30 lb buckets, then jarred as needed after warming the set honey to 35C for 48 hours and stirring x3-4 with a drill attachment with no further filtering. I regard this as sieving rather than filtering as the jarred honey contains minute brown specks of pollen etc.
The mousse problem I think dates from this change of practice.

 

[WoodenBeam]

Coarser sieve, faster flow rate, more bubbles which then separate out leaving ‘scum’................only a suggestion.
Personally I can live with it & manage by scraping off - much rather do this than clogging the fine sieves on a double sieve under the extractor as we used to. The next stage I suppose is into a sump tank but then you lose the variety and produce a more bulk honey............I’ll stick to what I’m happy with at present

 

[beeno]

That's really interesting Malmcd - thanks!
Until 3-4 years ago I used to sieve/filter from the extractor into the settling tank then jar c. 24 hours after extracting. Since then I've sieved via the pic below from the extractor straight into 30 lb buckets, then jarred as needed after warming the set honey to 35C for 48 hours and stirring x3-4 with a drill attachment with no further filtering. I regard this as sieving rather than filtering as the jarred honey contains minute brown specks of pollen etc.
The mousse problem I think dates from this change of practice.

If you filter with a 200micron filter most pollen comes through. Your previous method seems better and less work!

 

[Amari]

If you filter with a 200micron filter most pollen comes through. Your previous method seems better and less work!

Less work but the honey run into jars would set hard, esp the spring OSR crop. The bucket method allows me to prepare soft-set.