PasiekaOlek · Małopolskie, PL · Honey · Jun 11, 2026

Acacia flow just finished here in Małopolska — extract now or wait out the moisture?

The black locust (robinia) flow ended maybe five days ago and it was a good one this year — my six colonies each packed a super and a half. Problem: nights here have been cool, 8–10°C, and the bees are slow to finish it. Maybe 60–70% capped on most frames. Refractometer says 17.2% on fully capped frames but 18.6–19% on the open outer ones. I know acacia is the one honey customers want pale and liquid, and it barely crystallises so it sits in jars a long time — which makes me extra nervous about fermentation if I bottle wet. I'd like the supers back for whatever comes next (lime soon). Would you extract everything now and blend, extract capped-only, or leave it all on another week and hope the cool nights don't keep stalling them?

#black-locust#acacia#moisture#extraction#refractometer

▲ 13 votes 💬 3 replies ✅ Solved

3 replies

AlpineCarnica · Jun 11, 2026 · ✅ Accepted answer

Don't blend 19% into 17.2% and hope — acacia's value is that it keeps, and above ~18.5% you're gambling on yeast. Extract capped-only now, get your supers back, and put the wet frames in one or two colonies over an escape board... or better: stack the uncapped supers in a small closed room with a dehumidifier for 2–3 days. I routinely pull 19% down to 17.5% that way. Check with the refractometer daily. Also do the shake test — if nectar flicks out of open cells, it's nowhere near ready.

MieleMarco · Jun 11, 2026

Agree with AlpineCarnica. In Tuscany our acacia comes in the same way when May nights run cold. One extra point: extract room warm, 25°C+, honey flows better and you leave less behind. And don't leave it on too long chasing capping — once lime starts, the bees will backfill and you lose your pure acacia to blending in the hive itself.

PasiekaOlek · Jun 12, 2026

That last point about the lime blending in-hive is what decided it — extracting capped frames tonight, dehumidifier on the rest in the spare bathroom (wife delighted). Will report the reading in a few days. Dziękuję!

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