Two properties of honey can be measured with simple instruments: moisture content and acidity.

Moisture — the important measurement

Moisture determines whether honey ferments. Honey that is too wet spoils, and an entire batch can be lost.

The refractometer is therefore the cheapest and most decisive instrument a beekeeper can buy.

• Capping by the bees is an indication, not a measurement
• With partly capped frames measuring is necessary — and that is the usual situation
• Measure at several points; honey does not mix by itself

Using the refractometer

• Calibrate before the season with the supplied method
• Mind the temperature; many models compensate, others do not
• Clean and dry the prism between readings
• A drifted instrument is worse than no instrument

pH and acidity

Honey is naturally acidic. Acidity varies by forage source and is one of the characteristics determined in analysis.

For daily practice it is less decisive than moisture: it says something about origin and about fermentation already begun, but it does not drive a harvest decision.

A markedly abnormal acidity can indicate fermentation — but by then the problem is already visible.

What to do with a high moisture reading

• Leave the frames in the colony longer; the bees dry them further
• Harvest only the capped sections
• Keep wet honey separate; do not blend it into a good batch
• Use it yourself or for mead, not for sale

What not to do

Heating to reduce moisture breaks down enzymes and raises the ageing marker. The right answer is to harvest later, not to dry afterwards.

Care

Store dry and protected, keep the prism clean, recalibrate each season.