# When is the best time of day to extract honey?

**URL:** <https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/when-is-the-best-time-of-day-to-extract-honey/15534>\
**Category:** Beekeeping - Basics\
**Created:** [July 6, 2018, 9:04pm UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/when-is-the-best-time-of-day-to-extract-honey/15534 "2018-07-06T21:04:03Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
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**Author:** ![nbstl68](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f6c823/32.png) [@nbstl68](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/nbstl68)\
**Post date:** [July 6, 2018, 9:04pm UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/when-is-the-best-time-of-day-to-extract-honey/15534/1 "2018-07-06T21:04:03Z")

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So my flow hive looks like it is starting to fill up this season for the 1st time. Through the viewing door several show 2/3 or more filled but when pulling they are not full from the middle out as I was expecting from reading here and they just do not seem interested in capping it off.  
So a couple of questions…

If they do not cap it, how will I know it is ready to be harvested, (short of buying a refractometer and checking if the moisture content is below 18%)?  
When it is ready to be harvested, is there is an optimal TIME OF DAY to extract it?  
(Right now temps are in the low 80’s Fin the morning to high 90’s F in the afternoon so cold temps are not an issue.).  
Morning, noon, evening?

I have read some people’s 1st extraction the flow hives may leak down into the hive…What is happening there and how do I avoid that?

Thanks!

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