Tips for Storing Honey

Bottle only the amount you can sell in a reasonable amount of time. Depending on the time of year, you may sell only a few bottles a week or even a month. Avoid having cases of bottled honey sitting around crystallizing while waiting to be sold or consumed. Keeping excess honey in five-gallon buckets in the warmest place in your home or garage will slow the crystallization process. If and when it begins to crystallize, it’s relatively easy to reliquefy using one of these methods:

1. Use a large ice chest (at least 17" deep x 38" wide x 17" high) with a single 40-watt incandescent lightbulb hanging inside. The ice chest will hold two 5-gallon buckets, and the honey in them will liquefy within a day or two depending on how crystallized it is. This works for plastic and glass honey bottles as well.
2. Transfer the honey to a double boiler and warm slightly to reliquefy. Use a thermometer to avoid getting the honey over 120°. This will ensure you don’t degrade the honey’s beneficial properties.

Plugging the light cord into a timer allows you to control the warming time. Once the honey is liquefied, you can set the timer to light the bulb only a few times a day for an hour to maintain the liquid state.

Tips for Storing Extracted Honey Frames

Upright or deep freezer: Using a freezer works extremely well, especially if your honey frames are still holding a bit of nectar or capped honey. Simply stand each frame in your freezer and fill it up. Over 100 can fit in the upright freezer shown below. These will keep until next season with little to no intervention.

Did you know that you want to avoid keeping honey in metal containers? Honey is hygroscopic, which means it can absorb moisture and take on the odors of certain materials. Being that honey is acidic, it can degrade the metal, causing an even greater chance of capturing the metal taste in your honey.

Certan and Para-Moth:

Para-Moth is an industry-recognized product to aid in storing honey frames but carries a pungent odor, requiring the frames to be aired out, and it has to be replenished periodically. Certan is a one-and-done product that is non-toxic, has no odor, and is easy to use. Check out this video to see how easy it is to use.

Video Summary: Beekeeping: Using Certan to Naturally Control Wax Moths

In this video, Blake Shook, an experienced beekeeper with over 30,000 hives, introduces Certan—an all-natural product for controlling wax moths in stored honeycombs. This guide summarizes his practical tips on how to effectively use Certan to protect beekeeping equipment without using harsh chemicals.

Key Points:

• Product Introduction: Certan is a natural option that has been reintroduced to the market, offering an alternative to traditional wax moth crystals.
• Composition and Preparation: Certan is mixed in a ratio of 1 part Certan to 19 parts water, creating a solution that can treat 10 to 15 honey supers.
• Application Process: The solution should be applied using a pump-up sprayer, lightly coating each side of the comb without soaking it.
• Coverage and Usage: About one ounce of the mixture is required per frame, ideally applied as a light mist to ensure even coating.
• Efficiency: Certan has a near 100% efficacy rate in preventing wax moth infestations in treated combs.
• Drying Process: After application, it is crucial to allow the frames to dry out completely in a shaded, breezy area to prevent mold growth.
• Storage Tips: Once dry, the honeycomb frames can be stored safely in trash bags or in a shed without the risk of wax moth damage.
• Natural Benefits: Unlike paradichlorobenzene crystals, Certan leaves no harmful residues and is safe for honeybees.
• Limitations: The prepared Certan solution does not store well and should be used within the day of mixing.

Certan offers beekeepers a highly effective and environmentally friendly method to protect honeycombs from wax moths. Blake Shook's practical demonstration underscores the ease and efficiency of using Certan, making it an excellent choice for beekeepers seeking a natural alternative to chemical treatments. This method ensures the safety of bees and the purity of beekeeping products, aligning with sustainable beekeeping practices.