Drought Theory

[sqkcrk]

My honey, in buckets, is crystalizing sooner than in years past. I thought maybe it wasn't heated as much as in the past during the extracting process. Now I am wondering about the conditions underwhich the honey was produced by the bees. Droughty conditions.

Theory: Honey produced under drought conditions will crystalize sooner after extraction than honey produced under normal climate conditions.

I didn't check moisture content during or after extracting, not having a refractometer. So I don't know if the honey is low moisture content or not. Amongst other factors, I wonder if low moisture content honey naturally crystalizes sooner than higher moisture content honey. What role does moisture content play? And does drought factor into making low moisture honey?

[brooksbeefarm]

You may be on to something Mark,i do know that some crops are sweeter during drought years. Like melons, sweetcorn,strawberries, apples, ect. They don't get as big in growth but they do have a higher sugar content.

[sqkcrk]

Asked a friend of mine who replied "lots of factors involved. ratio of the two main 6 carbon chain sugars is one"

[matt1954]

Mark, our honey is crystalizing too quickly this year. Honey that we bottled and then sold to places like Whole Foods is crystalizing within a month. Not all of it, but about 5% of the product is crystalizing making it unattractive to consumers.

[sqkcrk]

Why, do you think? Do you bottle much RAW or creamed honey?

[matt1954]

I think it is because we had a mild winter which resulted in a robust nectar season at first. Here in VA we only harvest once and that is in July. Because the winter was mild, plants had an opportunity to grow faster and sooner resulting in a decent nectar flow. My honey harvest wasnt bad, but wasnt great. We bottle about 5000 pounds a year for customers along with selling wholesale.

Our colonies are down in Florida now and about to go on 4000 acres of Orange Groves. I am looking for a wholesale market to sell the Blossom Honey down in Florida since I am told that the bees produce tons of honey in the groves.

[BooneCtyBeek]

I'll add my 'me too' to honey crystallizing sooner. Ours was very dry 15-16%. I think a lot of our honey came from soy beans. Here in central Indiana the drought was particularly severe.

[brooksbeefarm]

We had a early spring also,i had a good honey crop before the drought set in. I have 7 beeyards all within 60 miles from home, some yards had more rain than others before the severe drought. What was strange is, the bees were bringing in nectar during the drought from something? and everything was dried up and nothing blooming, the trees were losing there leaves and some died? We got some light showers in Sept. and Oct. and the bees made enough winter stores without having to feed much. Most of my honey was thick, dark and did granulate quicker than usual, but had a flavor my customers loved.

[JRG13]

Mark, water content plays a small role compared to glucose to fructose ratio. The less water the quicker it will crystallize though to some degree since the lower the water, the more concentrated the sugars are and more apt to crystallize.

[sqkcrk]

What I figgered JRG.

[G B]

Mark the honey we made in colorado this year set up real fast and was very solid even before we got the bees out of colorado. It set up even faster than the mesquite that we make here in arizona. I just put all of mine back on the bees so I didnt bring anyback home. I bet the drought conditions we had in colo. had something to do with it.

[Michael Palmer]

I think crystallization is dependent on the sugars in the honey. Honeys with a high glucose content-low fructose content will crystallize more rapidly. In a drought year, don't you think that some of your traditional honey plants might not have yielded nectar, and what did had a high glucose content?

We had a drought mid-season. My honey isn't crystallizing...heated to 130

[sqkcrk]

Entirely likely Michael. I don't think I got much if anything off of the basswood, and nothing off the Locust, yet the early honey is light to white and setting up. We'll see what the later/darker honey does. Under the system I extract I don't know what the temp was, but not hot, not real hot anyway. The system is steam heated and I could hold my hand on the side of the tank w/out discomfort.

[Michael Palmer]

I super early...before dandelion. So all the early flows are in the supers. I do find I have to get that honey off early or it will crystallize in the comb.

[sqkcrk]

I don't super as early as you, mine being in the orchards as u know. I don't see much honey in the supers until well into June.

[hpm08161947]

Here - June honey is beginning to crystallize. This seems to be typical. We did not experience a drought this summer, just typical moisture.... as far as the Glu-Fruc ratio... I have no idea.