When should I harvest honey?
Harvest when the bees have capped the comb, which is their signal that the honey is ripe enough to store. A frame that is at least two-thirds sealed is ready. If you are unsure, shake the frame hard over the box: if nectar sprays out it is too wet and will ferment in the jar.
The full lesson
The honey harvest is not a fixed date. It varies based on your region's climate and local flora. When the primary nectar-producing flowers finish blooming and begin to fade, harvest time is near. The most definitive sign for harvest is when the bees cap the honeycomb cells with wax. If at least two-thirds, two-thirds of the frame is capped, the moisture level is safe and the honey is ripe.
Uncapped, unripe honey has high moisture. Harvesting too early causes it to ferment and sour. Midday is the best time. In the early morning, bees are still bringing in wet, unripened nectar. Harvest on sunny, dry days with low humidity so the honey doesn't absorb moisture from the air. Complete the harvest when the nectar flow stops, before the bees start consuming their own winter stores.
If you harvest too late when nature lacks nectar it can trigger aggressive robbing wars between hives. Never harvest the brood chamber. Always leave at least two to three full honey frames for the bees' winter survival.
This lesson is also in the app, along with the other twenty-nine.
Next lessons
How do bees survive winter?
1:40 19How do I extract and store honey?
1:40 20What should I have learned in my first year of beekeeping?
1:40Lessons and forum answers describe beekeeping practice and peer experience, not veterinary guidance. Treatment thresholds, inspection timing and disease management vary by climate, subspecies and local regulation. Diseases that are notifiable where you live must be reported to your national bee inspectorate.