My family have to flow hives in Darwin.
The honey always seems very runny and they’re not sure if bees still cap honey in such a hot climate and because of the humidity could this be an issue with the viscosity.
So I guess my question is, are there any conditions under which honey is ripe but uncapped especially in such a humid climate.
Hey Heather,
Yes, bees often don’t get around to capping ripe honey straight away. On the other hand, in high humidity they may struggle to get it under 20% (in Australia, 18.5% in other places). The only way to be sure is to measure it with a calibrated honey refractometer. I’ve had very runny honey at 19% and thick honey at 21%, so viscosity alone doesn’t prove it. Refractometers start at around $40.
2 Likes
Thank you for the info. 
1 Like
Summers here are usually very humid too. I tried a tip from @Dawn_SD a few years ago that I stuck with because it works so well. Once the bees have started filling the Flow super, I put a medium super (could also be a shallow) on top. This gets filled also and provides better air circulation to dry out & cap the Fframes.
By the way I also use solid bottoms, slatted racks and have entrances closed down to two small openings on either side.
2 Likes
Excellent idea. Thank you.
2 Likes