Hi All/Trevor
 
Thanks for that figure for the ph of honey.
 
3.5 is well below the lower of most yeasts range. There are however
some yeast that thrive at such low ph and also thrive on sugar
concentrations of over 60%by weight.
 
I for a while last summer had some hives that I was feeding
constantly on recycled dilute honey and sugar and so on, and using
them to clean out many square meters/yards worth of pollen filled
combs I got from bee removals. No I did not get any problems with
disease, but I got lots of bees.
 
I did however note that the hives began to get quite a strong 'skin'
smell. There was definitely some yeast that infected the hive and it
was alive and well in the honey. Now if I get honey from these hives
if it gets even vaguely dilute it ferments - it is full of spores of
the yeast - hence allowing a yeast which is ph tolerant to
contaminate a hive is bad practise as it negatively affects the
quality of honey later produced.
 
BTW - bees move pollen out of combs placed at odd angles and repack
it near the brood nest.
 
Keep well
 
Garth
 
Garth Cambray           Camdini Apiaries
15 Park Road
Grahamstown             Apis mellifera capensis
6139
South Africa
 
Time = Honey
 
If you are not living on the edge you are taking up too much space!!