I collected honey from my flow hive for the first time in the spring when all the spring flowers were out . The honey flowed well , just like in all the videos I have seen . Now it’s into summer and the weather is getting warmer but the honey will not flow . There is much more honey in the frames now than when I collected for the first time so I thought it would flow well . Has any body had this problem , are there any remedies .
Is it crystallized? You can tell if you use a hive tool to lift the cap from one or two cells, then push a cocktail stick into the honey. If it comes out with granular stuff on the stick, it is crystallized.
The other problem could be jellybush (manuka-type) honey, which is thixotropic.
For either problem, the first thing I would try is something that I think @KieranPI suggested - repeatedly open and close the frames 5 or 6 times. Try to do it around midday, when the honey will be warm as this helps the flow. Then leave it for several hours.
If it isn’t jellybush, but it is crystallized, personally I would try a sous vide melt method. I have never tried it, but I have all of the equipment and it should work.
It hasn’t crystallised as this is the first season that I have been using the flow frames and we don’t have jelly bash around here . I was told years ago that flowers from trees generally give a runny honey and flowers close to the ground ,mainly weeds , give a thicker honey . I don’t know if this is true but our honey flowed well while our fruit orchard was in full bloom and now most of flowers around the house now are weeds like cats ear. I will try opening and closing the frames on the next hot day and see what happens .Not sure what sous vide method is ,I’ll look it up
Hi Colin, I have to use two keys sometimes each on the outer edge. Sometimes the frame cells simply just don’t open up due to great work by the bees. As Dawn mentioned operate the key multiple times but always only 50mm at a time to ensure you dont overfill the tube when it does flow. Check the bottom tray for excessive amounts of honey as it can flow back out uncapped cells if you open too many at a time. If you dont have 2 keys you can use something similar width to lever up.
Good luck.
Good idea Gaz , luckily I do have two keys , I will give it a try . Cheers