Keeping the honey dry without shrivelling up the kids

[Stromnessbees]

I had taken some honey off the hives but didn't have time to extract straight away. The honey was ready (tested with refractometer) but not all of it was fully capped. And the weather was really damp.

To keep the honey dry I put it into our driest room, which happens to be the living room, and put the dehumidifier on to keep the moisture level down. But my kids, watching telly, soon started to complain ...

The solution:
Here is how I made a mini-drying room for my honey, it also warms it up a bit for easier extraction:

DSCF4700..jpgDSCF4702..jpg

The setup: a floor, 2 broodboxes and a super make a stack high enough to contain the dehumidifier, the boxes with the honey sit on top covered by a crownboard.

Doris

[gavin]

Kids, I Shrunk the Honey?!!

Nice idea. Just make sure that your patio doors are bee and wasp-proof.

G.

[Jimbo]

Hi Doris,

I made a box with perforated lid containing a 60 watt light bulb. I just stack the supers on top. I don't know what I will use when my 60 watt bulb supply runs out as it will not work with energy saver bulbs,

Jimbo

[Stromnessbees]

I nearly forgot:
Don't keep the dehumidifier going for too long at a time, or else the comb gets too warm and is too soft to be handled, I imagine that if overheated the comb could collapse.
Also if there is honey dripping down it would be wise to put some sort of tray between the machine and the comb.

Doris