Maintenance of Natural Quality of Honey

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 90, Issue 1, 15 January 1955, Page 89

Maintenance of Natural Quality of Honey

Seasonal Notes for the Domestic Beekeeper MIDSUMMER, with the advent of the honey harvest, brings to the beekeeper the rewards of the care and attention expended on his colonies. Honey as stored and ripened by the bees is a pure natural sweet food containing all the aroma and flavour of the blossoms from which it was gathered. Though these qualities cannot be improved on, they can very easily be impaired by incorrect hive management and subsequent faulty handling and storage by the beekeeper. In this article D. Roberts, Apiary Instructor, Department of Agriculture, Auckland, discusses some precautions which should be observed if honey is to be maintained by the beekeeper at its natural high standard. IN all methods of handling the honey crop both on the hive and in processing and storage there are two pro-

perties inherent in honey which must be kept in mind if a first-class product is to be secured. They are the affinity of honey to water and its ability to absorb foreign flavours quickly. All honey is hygroscopic; that is, it is similar to ordinary table salt in its ability to absorb moisture from the atmosphere and surrounding sources. The tendency to absorb foreign flavours is present at all stages in the production of honey, and at no time should honey be brought into close ■contact with strong-smelling substances. The most frequent cause of spoilage ■of honey both in the comb or when extracted is fermentation. All honeys as gathered by bees contain sugartolerant yeasts in varying amounts. These yeasts will normally remain inactive as long as the moisture content

of the honey remains below a certain point (17.2 per cent, of moisture or a specific gravity figure of 1.420). Honey thoroughly ripened and capped over by the bees will generally have a moisture content at or below this figure, and as long, as absorption of further moisture is prevented, fermentation will not readily occur. Because nectar as gathered by the bees may contain up to 70 per cent, of water, it is important that no combs of honey, whether they are to be used in the comb or in the extracted form, should be removed from the hive until the honey is fully ripened and capped over by the bees. If this rule is not closely observed, there is a danger that the honey will contain much excess moisture.

When there is honey, intended for human consumption on the hive care should be taken to use as little smoke as possible in hive manipulations and to avoid using smoker fuels having strong odours. Old sacking thoroughly washed and then dried in the sun makes an excellent fuel for use at any time, and a supply should always be kept on hand. Honey removed from the hive should never be stored close to anything with a marked odour such as disinfectants, soaps, kerosene, petrol, and fuel oil. With the decline of the honey flow efforts should be made to have as many unfinished combs as possible completed. Finished combs should be removed and stored in a warm, dry place while awaiting treatment or extraction of the honey. Unfinished combs should be compacted as much as possible in the remaining honey supers on the hive, with those nearest completion being placed to the outer edges. If the honey to be removed is to be sold or used in the comb, the removal should be done as quickly as possible with the use of a minimum of smoke. Because the use of smoke as a controlling agent is effective only in that it influences the inherited instinct of the bees to protect the existence of the colony by filling their honey sacs with food in readiness to evacuate the hive, the use of too much smoke and any delay in the removal of comb honey will result in the cappings being pierced, with consequent leakage and loss of condition. A method much to be preferred to the smoking and shaking or brushing of the bees from the combs is the use of an escape board. This is a simply constructed wooden or plywood board of the same dimensions as the honey supers. It is fitted with one or two devices known as Porter bee escapes, which allow the bees passage in one direction only. The escape board is . placed underneath the supers of honey it is desired to remove. Finding themselves shut

off from the rest of the colony and the queen, the bees go down through the escapes but cannot return to the supers. In warm weather the escape board should be applied during the afternoon before the morning the supers are to be removed. In cool weather a little more time may be required, but as a general rule the escape board should not be left on the hive for more than 24 hours. The board can be placed on the hive with a minimum of disturbance by lifting the hive lid, giving one or two light puffs of smoke to the bees in the supers to be taken, replacing the lid, and then separating the supers from the rest of the hive with a hive tool and slipping the board quietly in between. The use of two escapes per board is advisable as a precaution against blockage being caused through a bee becoming caught in the spring fingers. Bee escapes can be bought for a few shillings from most suppliers of apiary equipment. Honey for consumption in the comb should be removed from the hive immediately capping is complete if the clean, fresh, attractive appearance of the cappings is to be retained. Extreme care must be exercised in handling and all jarring or excessive vibration

avoided. As the combs are all built on thin super foundation and are only newly constructed, they are very delicate and easily damaged. Particular care must be taken to avoid breaking the capping when removing sections from their holders, as damaged capping will allow honey to escape and will spoil the appearance of the combs. If the combs are to be transported in a motor vehicle, they should be well insulated against road shocks. Combs containing brood or more than one or two cells of pollen should be set aside, and if not required by the beekeeper for his own use should be returned to the bees for winter stores. Woodwork surrounding the combs should be scraped with a knife or carpenter’s scraper until it is thoroughly cleaned of wax and propolis and any discoloration is removed. To ensure that the honey remains in good condition with the flavour unimpaired it must be stored in a warm, dry place. Comb honey keeps best at temperatures of 80 to 85 degrees F. It should be stored for only a short time where temperatures greater than 90 degrees F. or less than 70 degrees F. are liable to occur. Prolonged exposure to temperatures higher than 90 degrees F. will cause darkening of the honey and loss . of flavour, and temperatures lower than- 70 degrees may cause the wax cappings to con-

tract and crack with consequent leakage. In addition, cool temperatures cause most honeys to granulate rapidly, and comb honey stored in a cool place may soon granulate in the comb and form hard crystals which render it unsuitable for table purposes. Because the cells of the combs as built by the bees have a slight inclination upward to prevent the escape of honey, combs stored in other than the natural position are much more likely to suffer leakage. Sections and frames of comb honey should, always be packed or stored so that the combs rest in the same vertical position as when built by the bees. The appeal of comb honey to the consumer is governed largely by its appearance and cleanliness. The hands should be kept thoroughly clean while comb honey is being handled, as nothing detracts so much. from its appearance as smudges or fingerprints on the woodwork or wax. Wrapping and sealing the . combs in transparent cellulose wrapping after they are cleaned and graded will greatly assist in maintaining condition and appearance and will prevent leakage from one comb damaging others. Comb honey which is carefully handled, properly wrapped, and stored in dry conditions at correct temperatures will remain in first-class condition for months.