Uncapped heather

[Paddy_Power]

Hi all,

I unexpectedly ended up with some heather honey this year. The last super I extracted had 4 frames of heather in it. I have one super left on a hive that looks to be all heather honey. The problem i have is its only about 90% full and frames range from 40% capped to 90% capped. I don't have a refractometer, would it be okay to extract this? How long would it last if the moisture content is high. The Ivy is about to open and I want to get this frame off before the bees start adding ivy to it. I have another 50% super full of heather honey but i am just going to leave this for the bees.

Any advice is greatly appreciated

Paddy.

 

[nantmoel]

I'd check the water content with a refractometer, then if its high, get it in a room with a dehumidifier for a few day to bring the water content down. It's too good a crop to waste.

Another unusual characteristic of heather honey is its normally high moisture content, usually associated with fermentation. It is sometimes as high as 25% but it is usually between 19% and 23%. This is attributed to the gel-like consistency making it harder for the bees to evaporate the moisture out of the honey.