Honey extraction season: when honey is ready
The first frames of the new season — and why fresh honey is best tasted straight from the comb.
Extraction begins once the bees cap the cells with wax: it signals that the honey has ripened and reached the right moisture. Unripe honey ferments quickly, so the beekeeper takes time and checks every frame.
Fresh comb honey has the brightest aroma. The wax can be chewed along with the honey — it is harmless and keeps the taste of the flowers the nectar came from.
Within a few weeks the honey will start to crystallise. This is a natural process, not a sign of spoilage: thick creamy honey is just as good as runny honey.
