> Also, for people who have mild allergy to honey, uncapped honey is
> generaly a lot more irritating then the capped stuff.
 
Really?  I'd be interested in some evidence for this.  I can't see any
reason for it.
 
> > The bees are eternal optimists.  If the cells aren't full
> > they leave them uncapped in the hope of more nectar becoming available.
>
> Um...I don't know about this...do you have any evidence to support
> this?
 
Now you're asking me for evidence!  Well, it's certainly my experience.
I don't have any beekeeping books with me at present but I'll look
through them this evening.  I've never seen half full cells capped.
How is it done?  Do the bees leave an air gap between the surface of
the honey and the capping or do they put the capping halfway down the
inside of the cell?  Either way, I've never seen it.
 
> I would asume that because of the
> hygroscopic nature of honey, if it is left uncapped to long, it will
> start taking up water again.
 
Yes, but only in so far as the temperature in the supers is lower or the
relative humidity higher than when the honey was originally being
ripened.  Neither of these change greatly until winter approaches.  Of
course, if you take an uncapped frame out of the hive that's completely
different and the honey is then liable to start absorbing water.
Perhaps I should have made myself a little clearer in my last
contribution.  If you decide to extract uncapped honey then first you
should test the honey as I described before and then you should take
it off and extract it quickly, not leave it standing around away from
the hive.  Finally, as with all extracted honey, it should be stored in
a closed container.
 
--
Malcolm Roe                            Phone  :  +44 442 230000 ext 5104
Crosfield Electronics Ltd              Fax    :  +44 442 232301
Hemel Hempstead, Herts. HP2 7RH, UK    E-mail :  [log in to unmask]
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