My practice is to wash out the extractor and uncapping tray if they are going to sit idle for more than a day or so. I have found that in the humid summer Maryland climate, honey will absorb moisture and ferment surprisingly quickly if it is left with a lot of open surface. I also have come to fetch my not-yet-cleaned uncapping tray and found in the honey a candied mouse. That taught me to clean up after each day's extracting. W. G. Miller Gaithersburg, MD