Hi Greg:
I think that the "Key" is "Sealed Honey".  The honey is at peak flavor
when capped. Excess moisture has been evaporated out by "Fanning" by the
workers.
 
When I did chunk honey, I would sometimes just cut out a strip of pretty
capped honey out of the middle of a frame, and just slip the frame back
in for the bees to repair and refill. Later you would have to look close
to find the spot. (This cannot be done with Duragilt.)
 
This gives a nice clean "Chunk" to slide down in the jar, then finish
filling with extracted honey.
 
Bob Neely
Goose Creek, SC
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On Sun, 15 Jun 1997 08:10:57 +0100 Greg Hankins <[log in to unmask]> writes:
>It's not clear that this will become an issue for me this year, since
>I'm
>working with two new hives from packages, but I'm curious anyway . . .
>
>Reading ABC & XYZ, I've several times seen references to the
>improvement of
>homey as it ages in the hive. Sometimes this statement comes in a
>section
>on a particularly pungent honey (sumac or dandelion), and suggests
>that the
>pungency dissapates and the honey improves in the hive. Other
>references
>suggst that honey generally improves as it ages in the hive. I'm
>reasonably
>sure that the authors are talking about *sealed* honey improving over
>time
>in the hive.
>
>As a hobbyist, I can easily pull a super (or even individual frames)
>at any
>point after they are sealed. Since I plan to package my honey
>chunk-style,
>I probably want reasonably clean caps, and I've read that they can
>becom
>travel-stained over time.
>
>So, is there anything to this notion that sealed honey improves as it
>ages
>in the hive?
>
>Greg
>
>____________________________________________________
>Greg Hankins                       Mt. Gilead, NC
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>