11
Mar
This year the honey is runny but only a couple percent higher too runny in fact. When it reaches temp turn it off set jars in the oven wait for 20 minutes then reheat and do it again.
To avoid having the honey ferment we use this method to dry it out.
How to remove moisture from honey. Put the bucket of honey with the PVC pipe disk in it and the aquarium pump running in a confined space I used a closet with a dehumidifier and let it run. The air bubbling up the pipe forces honey out the top that spills on the disk at the top expanding the surface area exposed to dry air. Put the 5 gal buckets of honey in an enclosed room the smaller the better.
Put a fan in there and a dehumidifier. I brought 25 gal of honey in 5 gal buckets down from 192 to 174 in about two and a half weeks. If the honey holds 2 extra moisture you would need to remove 45 quarts of water sometimes more to get a high quality honey 18 or less which is up to 2 quarts per hour of water an amount that can be easily reached within 24 hours.
Red gum is the predominant flower at the moment which was capped fine last year at a respectable 17 nice and thick. This year the honey is runny but only a couple percent higher too runny in fact. Ive heard about heating the honey to remove moisture by things like light bulbs and seedling heating mats.
Moisture in their honey this year and made the assumption I did regarding capped cells. Several of the experienced beekeepers in the club suggested heating the oven to 150 deg F. When it reaches temp turn it off set jars in the oven wait for 20 minutes then reheat and do it again.
I ran a test lot to see what happened. Put honey on the prism. Open up the light plate and put a couple of drops of honey on the prism typically this is a blue area.
Apply the honey smoothly so there are no air bubbles that may interfere with the readings. If you store your honey in a container be sure to mix it well before testing it. Here in Florida we get a lot of honey with a moisture content above the recommended 18.
To avoid having the honey ferment we use this method to dry it out. Paul Kelly Research and Apiary Manager gives tips on how to reduce the moisture content of honey and prevent fermentation. Click Safari on the top menu bar.
Click Honey and uncheck the box next to the Honey icon. Click Show in Folder. The Applications folder will pop up.
Drag the Honey icon to your Trash Can icon. Verify youd like Honey moved to the Trash using your User Name and Password for your device. I am having moisture problems this is my first year as a beekeeper so I am stressing I just put a quilt box on my hives screened bottom with wood shavings do I remove the inner cover when I put this on or do I put the quilt box directly on top of the inner cover appreciate any help.
Honey with a high water content is at risk of fermenting. This is why it is recommended to control its moisture content before extracting it. Place the container in a pan of water on the stove.
Turn the stove burner on low heat and gradually warm the honey. Monitor the water temperature with an instant-read thermometer and make sure it doesnt go above 120 degrees Fahrenheit. Rinse with cold water.
Cold water will help break down the honey without setting the stain into the fabric. The honey will start to dissolve in the cold water making it easier to remove the stain from the fabric. After rinsing for several minutes with cold water you can try gently.
The Honey England Regulations 2015 simply state that all honey must have moisture or less than 20 except for heather honey which can have a moisture level of up to 23. Food standards in Australia and New Zeala nd are very similar to the UK determining less than 21 moisture content as acceptable.