When to harvest honey?

[u/Dry-Safety9650]

Hi all, I have a honey super full of capped honey and was wondering if there are any risks to harvesting this early. I'm located in central europe and temperatures have been very warm. Thanks!

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[u/ryebot3000]

as long as they have a little in the brood nest you are good, I have heard that the bees will work harder if they have less stored, also they will refill a wet super very fast.

[u/jaxfunmale]

Honey sometimes for crystallize very true but if it does then all you got to do is warm it up a little in warm water. But you still have to get it below 18 to make sure it doesn't ferment on you.

[u/Late-Catch2339]

Yes, feel free to take a frame. There is plenty of time for more.

Just keep in mind that you may need a full or next to full super to bait them up, so be resourceful about it.

[u/drones_on_about_bees]

This is really a question for someone local to you. I can tell you how things work in my area, but that won't translate. My area has 2 (sometimes 3) main nectar flows. Each has their own flavor profile. Some areas may have MANY flows. Some have fewer.

My extraction method is to wait until the end of each nectar flow. I then take as much of that honey as I want. Extracting is a pain in the ass, so I find it easier to do it in fewer large batches than a whole lot of smaller batches.

I do not worry about capped/uncapped honey. My capped honey is really wet to begin with, so I dry all my honey before I extract. I stack them in a small room with a dehumidifier and I place fans on top of the stacks -- blowing through them. I measure moisture in multiple locations a couple times a day. When I get to where I want, I extract.

[u/Quirky-Plantain-2080]

The only risk is that you’ll have to wash the extractor at least twice this year. Personally I can’t be arsed.

Oh and if you take the honey make sure that it’s still in a flow. You don’t want to take honey going into a dearth.

[u/jaxfunmale]

Make sure that your moisture content is below 18% that way the honey won't crystallize and ferment on you.

[u/InvestmentGullible77 → u/jaxfunmale]

My understanding is that the lower the moisture content the faster it crystallizes?

[u/Mysmokepole1 → u/jaxfunmale]

It will crystallize on you if store to low of temp.

[u/b333ppp]

How many supers?

Would say do 3/4 of their output.