This is my first year with Flow Frames, second year with my bees. When I did a hive check several days ago, two of the frames were more ~80% capped. I decided to harvest them today. The temp was around 83* F and it was fairly humid out.
After harvesting, the honey seems to be pretty thin. I just ordered a refractometer (which I should have done ahead of time), and it will be here tomorrow.
My question is:
Hi Nicole, welcome to the forum. Yes you can offer unripe honey back to the bees, as long as it hasn’t fermented.
It’s good for us also. The best way to keep it is in the freezer. Just take out what you need for a couple of weeks as you go. That’s what I do. I found that unripe honey keeps in the fridge for a long time. I’ve never had it ferment in the fridge.
Hello, and welcome to the Flow forum! 
Yes you can feed it back to the bees, or you can freeze it and use it yourself. It will still be good, just not shelf stable if the water content is above 18%. If you freeze it, you can also feed it back to the bees in small amounts. Depending on the water content, I have found that very unripe honey begins to ferment in about 2-4 weeks, but it won’t ferment in the freezer. 
Sorry, I replied at the same time as @JeffH and didn’t see his answer. At least we agree! 
I knew we’d agree Dawn. I got a classic line from the comedy series, “Creature Comforts”. I frequently use it at home. “At least we agree on that”
I’ll join in the agreement party.
Just a note of interest for Aussie readers. Our floral sources are very different to those in North America and Europe. Apart from a wide range of flavours, aromas and colours, our water content can be 20% and is still defined as honey. I believe we also have different yeasts that allow that.
I’ve been conducting a very informal experiment where I have a 2L plastic lidded container of “honey” harvested from a Flow frame seven years ago and stored in a kitchen cupboard. It is dark and strong flavoured (not to my liking) with water at 27%. It’s never fermented (surprisingly), nor crystallised (not surprisingly). I never identified the floral source and not had honey like it since.
In contrast, I’ve had 21% explode within weeks and 20% crystallise over winter.
Mike
Thank you for the help!
I’m going to put it in the fridge- use a bit over the next few days and give some back to the bees.
My son has been wanting to try making mead, so he’s going to take the rest.
That’s great to know Mike. It’s something I’ve wondered about and been a little confused over - the difference and why.
To continue the pondering, when commercial beekeepers schlep their hives out to the almond plantations in the middle of nowhere, is the acceptable water content percentage of the honey 18 or 20%? Ie. in the absence of native flora for the bees.
Good question, Outback.
Almonds are stingy with nectar, so no honey and more likely needing supplementary feeding or having alternative floral cover crops available. It’s a case of having enough previously stored honey to make it through before relocating to the next crop that does produce honey.
Mike