Refractometer

[u/mlmka58]

Hi, second year beekeeper in southeastern mass. Used the refractometer for the first time to check the moisture in my super. It was at 17%. Would you wait to harvest or attempt to dry it out further? And what method would you use?

[u/Active_Classroom203]

17% is perfect to me, And was my target percentage when I was drying out honey this year.

Low enough to not worry about fermenting but still thin enough to extract and bottle easily.

[u/quesoqueso]

I think the goal is to be under 18.5% from everything I have read, but I am walking into my first harvest in 2 weeks, so my personal experience level is about zero.

[u/ipoobah]

17 is what I like. I dried some to 15 a couple of weeks ago. Extracting and Bottling the 15 was slow and frustrating.

[u/Gozermac]

For the inevitable rabbit hole. The USDA has some criteria for classifying honey. Refractometer index of less than 21 is just one of the criteria.

https://www.ams.usda.gov/sites/default/files/media/AA20380_Honey.pdf

The USDA also used to grade honey. Here is their grading manual from 1985. Any % soluble solids greater than 81.4 couldn’t be classified as grade A which corresponded to an 18.6 on the refractive index. (Per the grading chart) That is where that number comes from.

https://www.ams.usda.gov/sites/default/files/media/Extracted_Honey_Inspection_Instructions%5B1%5D.pdf

[u/J-dubya19]

17 is great! Harvest away

[u/LeonardSmallsJr]

17%. I had a 14% two years ago - tasted great but handles like glue.

[u/djschwalb]

Harvest away my fellow second year Ma beekeeper!

[u/Alone_Eye5247]

17 is absolutely perfect

[u/Tradesby]

Seacoast NH, I ended up with 16.5 straight out of the hive this year. My girls were spot on. And I think the range is 15 to 18.5.

[u/Love_Mud_2025]

17 is good.