Well I guess I have to start with an admission in order to ask my question. Both my mother and I keep bees and when we pulled the supers of honey off last year we put them in my spare bathroom to dry for a few days until we could extract the honey…and they are still sitting right there where I put them when I brought them in the house.
We are now wondering if that honey is still okay. I’m guessing it is, but that’s just a hunch. It has been sitting there in the frames in a climate controlled room, that isn’t used for anything else (no room to us it for anything else with all those supers in there).
Not a beekeeper but I have read several times that honey doesn’t spoil. A quick Google only brought up trivia sites - nothing reputable as a cite - but I believe it will be OK.
Khadaji, I’ve heard several of those stories as well, honey in tombs of pharoh’s etc. That’s what makes me think it will be fine.
The bathroom hasn’t been used as a bathroom since the honey was put in there. I always off limits that room for honey removal – just never for so long a time before.
I don’t keep bees, but I have a plastic tub of orange blossom honey that’s probably over a year old, and it’s still as scrumptious as ever. (Adagio mango black tea + orange blossom honey + milk = Scented HEAVEN)
It’s either ok, or it’s not. Bees will maintain their honey while it’s still in a comb. They obviously don’t when you keep it in your closet. You’re not supposed to give honey to very small children as it may contain botulism or other anaerobic bacteria. The chances of this increase when it’s still in the combs away from the bees.
Some of it has probably crystallized.
If a couple of the cells didn’t have integrity 99.9% of the honey may be fine. When you extract the honey from the supers that other .1% may contaminate the rest of the honey with whatever nasties worked their way in.
I suppose you could pasteurize it, if you wanted and maybe that would be ok.
Personally, I’d just keep it till fall. When fall comes take more honey than you would, open up the cells of the old honey and give it to the bees. They’ll reprocess it and use it for winter food.
Or, you could just toss them.
Honey’s cheap, and the bees do all the work. Why take a chance with your health or that of a loved one?
I am not going to say whether it is safe or not (I’d eat it, probably) but this is good advice. Nothing is as good a replacement for the honey you take as … honey you took, and it’s better than just tossing it.
First post for long time lurker,but an area of expertise for me.
Your honey is fine,and will be fine as long as it has caps-uncapped cells are likely not processed fully,may contain excess water and spoil/ferment,though in your case have probably just made a mess.
If you extract the honey you’ll notice no difference in taste,but eaten in comb form it is no longer prime.Still fine.Surrounding the “cut comb” with honey helps preserve the fine wax flavor/texture.
If you have any insect attack,all bets are off.Moths are anathema to comb,and ants could have cleaned up by now.
If you do extract,and therefore save your comb,be sure to prevent moth attack.At this time of year,I’d be readying the comb for the coming honey flow.