About storing honey in honeycombs at home, how to store honeycombs with honey at home

Storage rules

In order to preserve the beneficial properties of such a medicinal product for a long time, you need to know how to properly store honey in honeycombs:

1. Large honeycombs should be divided into several smaller parts. This condition will allow them to be preserved, even in the smallest rooms. This condition ensures a longer shelf life.
2. It is better to place the honeycombs in glass containers. Plastic or iron may negatively affect the shelf life of the product.
3. It is recommended to store honey in combs in a cool, but not too cold place. It is best to use a refrigerator.
4. Do not place the substance near other food products, because it can absorb all extraneous aromas.
5. It is strictly forbidden to freeze the product. Frost may cause the natural print to peel off. If air gets in, the honey will begin to crystallize and spoil.
6. If you are going to store the goods at home (at home or apartment), separate refrigeration units are used for it. This will protect it from foreign odors.
7. The honeycomb storage facility must have a normal temperature (no more than 5 and no less than -5°C). Under such conditions, the product can be stored for a long time (about 10 months).

Plastic containers

Often plastic containers rather than glass are used for storage at home. Thanks to the presence of the lid, foreign odors do not penetrate inside, which significantly preserves the smell. They have a positive effect on the shelf life of the natural product. It can be stored in them for about a year without changing its consistency or aroma.

If storing honey in honeycombs at home, it is important to adhere to the temperature regime. It should not exceed 20°C. As the temperature rises, the honeycombs begin to deteriorate faster.

Fridge

Cellular products are placed in the refrigerator to preserve all the beneficial properties.

Refrigerators are always clean and have low humidity. These parameters have a great impact on the quality of the product. If you store the product in proper conditions, then in winter you will be able to enjoy a tasty and healthy substance that will protect you from colds and other diseases.

Honeycombs can be stored in the refrigerator

in honeycombs

Buying a frame with fresh honey is a real success, because you can be 100% sure of the freshness and high quality of the product. Many people pour honey into jars themselves, but some people prefer to store it in its original form. This is not an easy task.

The entire frame must be wrapped in polyethylene, and on top - with an opaque fabric. But watch carefully to ensure that no moths appear. In addition, you need to carefully monitor because if there is a product with a strong odor near the frame, the wax will absorb it.

The ideal option is to separate the honeycombs from the frame and store them in a tightly closed container. This way you will retain maximum beneficial properties and save yourself from unnecessary hassle.

Reasons for the decline in safety

Products can deteriorate when exposed to parasites. Birds, bees and other parasitic insects often flock to the smell of honey. Pay attention to climatic conditions. High air humidity and too high a temperature can change the properties of natural high-quality honey for the worse.

The wax moth is considered the most dangerous of all parasites. To protect yourself from it, you should know the basic information: it begins to develop from an egg if the air temperature is in the range of 25-30°C and lasts for 5-7 days. The parasite does not develop only if the temperature in the cell storage does not rise above 10°C. Therefore, problems begin with how to store honey in honeycombs in the summer.

Solving cell storage problems

You can divide all cells into several groups:

1. Those that do not contain food are dry.
2. Those with a sufficient amount of beebread and honey.

Also, white honeycombs are distinguished separately, they are young and dark, which are outdated. The latter with honey are very difficult to preserve; moths love to infest them. The beekeeper should periodically dry them and throw them away.

There is rarely a problem with dry white honeycomb. It needs to be stored hanging, it can be placed under a canopy. Do not forget that they need to be covered with a special net that will protect against birds and other parasites. Frames will only be stored if normal air ventilation is ensured. When the frames are expanded, the shelf life increases.

Exporting honey abroad

Half-frames with drying materials should be stored in a special spacious box in winter. The honeycombs that the beekeeper did not have time to throw away must be thoroughly dried in the fall and stored in a honeycomb storage facility; they can be used as spare hives, free and empty boxes, they are placed in a shady place, there should be no cracks in them.

Bees do not have access to storage facilities, but you should always be aware of rodents that can damage products.

The honeycombs need to be sorted, white dry material, spare frames and those that have not been written off stand out. Autumn and winter are the seasons when wax moths are inactive. In the spring you need to be careful, double-check everything carefully. When the old honeycombs are black, throw them away and reheat them. Others need to be moved apart to protect them from parasites.

Additionally, you can use the following methods - place a container in the hive, add vinegar to it; wax moths are afraid of the smell. Keep in mind that this method negatively affects the condition of the frame wire; it begins to rust quickly and may break. You can repel moths with the scent of lavender, wormwood or special preparations.

Product properties

In addition to the nectar itself, comb honey also contains a lot of bee products, each of which also has beneficial properties. For example, a combination of honey and pollen is used in the treatment of chronic and acute forms of nasopharyngeal diseases. Propolis has antibacterial properties, and the wax is saturated with retinol and a complex of minerals.

• Honey, in addition to its immunomodulatory and strengthening effects, helps in such painful situations:
• in case of anemia, replenishes iron reserves, increases hemoglobin;
• cleanses the blood of toxins and bad cholesterol;
• promotes food digestion processes;
• improves metabolic processes, normalizes water-salt balance;
• improves the functioning of the liver and biliary organs;
• inhibits pathogenic microorganisms of the mucous membranes of the gastrointestinal tract, mouth, nose and eyes;
• improves the condition of allergies, asthma, migraine pain;
• calms the nervous system;
• used externally to treat skin and for cosmetic purposes.

Enemies of honeycomb nectar

External factors may affect the safety and properties of the product.

sunlight

Under the influence of ultraviolet radiation, many substances in nectar are destroyed or change their structure. Naturally, the changed chemical composition does not have all of the above properties. The same applies to high storage temperatures: the higher the temperature, the more beneficial properties the contents of the honeycomb lose.

Wax moth

Klochen or blackberry, as the honeycomb pest is popularly called, is similar to a food moth. Its body size is from 13 to 30 mm, color is gray-brown. Both adults and caterpillars love to feast on nectar, and moths reproduce quickly. In addition to the fact that the pest feeds on wax and honey, it destroys honeycombs and leaves behind its waste products, rendering the product completely unusable. The appearance of the parasite depends on how correctly the honeycomb nectar is stored. Moths are afraid of low temperatures, starting from 0°C.

Moisture

The main reason for the appearance of mold fungi is high humidity, above 65%, combined with heat. The fungus quickly spreads over the surface, penetrating quite deeply with spores. The danger of mold is that some of its types can cause allergies; deaths are known when they enter the stomach. Due to humidity, honey can begin to ferment, which neutralizes its medicinal qualities.

Beekeepers' recommendations

When buying honeycombs from experienced beekeepers, it’s a good idea to ask how to store them correctly.

So, some tricks from beekeepers:

1. Small portions can be kept indoors, but not more than 6 months. At the same time, take into account the necessary lighting, humidity and temperature.
2. In a private house, the beekeepers themselves most often keep the honeycombs in boxes made of natural wood, covering all the existing cracks with putty.
3. It is advisable to transfer the purchased treat, which was in a plastic container from the seller, into another container at home. It is unknown how long the plastic was exposed to light.
4. When stored in a wooden container, as mentioned above, pine needles are not suitable. It contains a lot of resinous and essential substances that can add bitterness.
5. You should not store honeycombs in the freezer: at such low temperatures, the wax will burst and the nectar will leak out.
6. If a plastic container is chosen as a container, divide the honeycombs into several parts and place them in different containers. The more closely the product is folded, the sooner it will stick together.

Honey is recognized as a healing product by both traditional and official medicine, and honeycomb nectar is doubly useful. When purchasing a treat, keep two things in mind: the honeycomb must be sealed, and the older the sweet, the darker the color of the honeycomb.

Storage conditions for comb honey

Honey has good preservative properties and can be stored for a long time. But despite this, there are a number of conditions that must be adhered to.

The rules for storing honey in honeycombs are practically no different from the storage conditions for a product packaged in glass containers (an article on this topic is here). However, preserving comb honey is somewhat more difficult. To understand how to preserve honey in honeycombs, you must first understand what affects its preservation:

• humidity;
• temperature;
• access to sunlight;
• neighboring products.

One of the factors that negatively affects the shelf life of honey is sunlight . Under the sun's rays, the product's vitamins and some enzymes begin to degrade. The first signs of damage can be detected within a few days. Therefore, honeycombs must be stored in a dark place.

High humidity also promotes rapid spoilage. Honey is hygroscopic, that is, it absorbs moisture well, which leads to fermentation of the product. The most optimal humidity level for storage is no more than 70%.

Temperature conditions. The product can deteriorate at both low and high temperatures. It is believed that mature honey, with a water content of less than 17%, is best stored at temperatures from +5 to +20°C. Unripe product with a water content of more than 17% is recommended to be stored at a temperature of +5 to +10°C.

Old and proven methods

Nowadays, honey stored in honeycombs is used for:

• Strengthening the immune system.
• Appetite stimulation.
• Increased hemoglobin in the blood.
• Has a positive effect on the physical and mental development of children.
• Restores normal metabolic process.
• Helps with thyroid and kidney diseases.
• Normalizes blood pressure.

Despite all its usefulness, honey and its individual components can cause a serious allergic reaction - this is worth taking into account, and it is best to do preliminary tests in the hospital.

Among other things, it helps cleanse the body of toxins and is used to prevent diseases of the respiratory and cardiovascular systems. Despite the high sugar content, honey in combs is used to combat tooth decay and nicotine addiction. That’s why you need to store honeycombs correctly, only then the effect of their use will be much stronger and more noticeable.

What can spoil honey?

Despite the fact that the nectar is stored sealed, you might think that nothing threatens it. There is some truth in this, because propolis is a natural preservative that can extend the shelf life of honey in honeycombs up to three years. But, external and internal “enemies” can hinder this process.

How to properly store honeycombs and what conditions need to be created to preserve all the beneficial properties of the bee product will be discussed in the following chapters of our review article.

Only natural product

Many buyers mistakenly believe that honey in honeycombs is usually only natural, because counterfeiting such a product is quite difficult and even impossible. But such assumptions, alas, are erroneous or partially incorrect. Unscrupulous beekeepers may intentionally feed bees sugar syrups when they should be flying and collecting flower nectar.

Reasons for the appearance and properties of green honey

Deliberate intervention in this process leads to the fact that honey contains a huge amount of sugar and an insignificant amount of much-needed enzymes and microelements. It is very difficult to distinguish such a “high-quality” fake. At first, the aroma and taste of a fake may be practically no different from a natural product, but over time everything will be revealed, but it will be too late.

Plus, improper storage and collection of honeycombs can also affect the quality of the product. That is why you simply must know how honey is stored so as not to fall for the bait of unscrupulous beekeepers, if you can call them that.

Where to store

Considering that the ideal temperature for storage does not exceed 10 degrees, there are not many options for where to store comb honey. For example, in a country house or in a private house there is often a basement or cellar . The temperature in them, even in summer, does not exceed +10-15 degrees, which is the norm for storing this product. However, these rooms have a drawback - high humidity.

Many cellars, especially in spring and rainy autumn, flood, and fungus and mold often grow on the walls. Plus, don’t forget about pests. Somewhere there may be slugs, and somewhere there may be wax moths, the larvae of which love to feast on both honey and wax. Therefore, it is recommended to store honeycombs only in dry and pest-free basements. Moreover, the product must be in an airtight container.

In a city apartment, the most suitable place to store delicacies is the refrigerator, namely the vegetable compartment. However, to prevent honey from absorbing odors and excess moisture, it must also be stored in an airtight container.

What can spoil honey?

Propolis, which is part of comb honey, is a natural preservative, which ensures the safety of the product and prevents the entry of pathogenic microorganisms. And the peculiar caps make the honey almost completely sterile.

Honey storage

But they are not as dangerous to honeycombs as moisture. Wax has the ability to absorb moisture and various vapors, and therefore if the honeycomb gets into a too humid place, it may turn sour and even ferment.

The sun also contributes to damage. The sun's rays contribute to the destruction of the chemical structure, which renders honey completely unusable. Therefore, it is necessary to avoid both direct sunlight and high air temperatures. It is important to ensure that beekeepers store the frames in a dry and dark place.

No less dangerous for frames of honey are insects, various beetles, and especially the main bee pest, the wax moth. It takes only five days for an adult to fully mature. These insects especially love the hot period and actively reproduce at this moment.

Therefore, to prevent the appearance and protect the bee product, it is necessary to ensure good circulation of fresh air; low temperatures (below 10 °C) can also prevent the appearance of this unpleasant pest. Insects not only damage the wax, but can also introduce dangerous viruses and bacteria into honey, which can subsequently adversely affect the body.

The last enemy of bee honeycomb products is mold. Its appearance is promoted by very low air humidity, and getting rid of it is extremely difficult, almost impossible. If it does appear, then the product is not suitable for consumption.

Important! Some people scrape off a layer of mold and think they are rid of it. But its spores penetrate much deeper and can cause harm.

What is the best way to store it?

To store honey in honeycombs at home, you can use various containers. Previously, earthenware was actively used for these purposes. It protected well from moisture, sunlight and pests. But today, finding large ceramic storage vessels is quite difficult. You can use other, more accessible options:

• glass is the most common material. Glass jars do not emit toxic or other harmful substances, and also do not react with the contents of the container. The main disadvantage of the material is its transparency, which facilitates the penetration of sunlight. But this drawback is easily eliminated by wrapping it in paper or food foil;
• plastic containers – you can use containers made only from food-grade plastic. The disadvantage of this material is that in the cold it becomes brittle, and when exposed to direct sunlight it begins to release harmful substances. Therefore, it is recommended to use such dishes for temporary storage;
• wood – wooden barrels or containers are a good alternative to glass. But it is worth considering the fact that dishes made from coniferous wood contain essential oils that can affect the aroma of honey. Therefore, it is recommended to choose products made from birch, alder or linden.

Metal utensils are not suitable for long-term storage of food - they promote rapid oxidation of the contents. Although some beekeepers use metal cans to transport honey, they do this only for transporting large volumes of goods.

conclusions

Honey is tasty and healthy. It's no wonder that people want to always have a supply of this delicacy at home. However, not everyone knows how to properly store honey in an apartment. There are so many tips that you can get lost in them. Based on the foregoing, the following theses can be distinguished:

• the optimal storage temperature for this product ranges from -6 to +10 degrees;
• in a city apartment, it is best to store honey on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator or in the pantry, and if we are talking about a private house, in the cellar;
• ideal containers are clean, sterile glass jars, tightly closed with lids;
• To avoid rapid sugaring, it is recommended to store honey in honeycombs (this can be a whole frame or fragments of honeycomb, placed in jars).

Honey is a rather capricious product to store. Violation of storage standards and rules can lead not only to loss of taste and beneficial qualities, but even to the production of toxic substances. Therefore, if you are not confident in your knowledge of how to properly store honey at home, purchase it in small quantities that will be used up quickly.

Instructions

The basic rule for long-term storage of honey is compliance with three conditions: tightness, cleanliness and darkness. Natural containers in the form of ordinary honeycombs can make the storage process as easy as possible, because they help prevent unwanted fermentation processes, and also ensure maximum usefulness of the product without changing its primary properties until the coming winter or even next summer.

Among other things, experts say that it is the use of the product in its natural container that has the best effect on human health and helps to cure many diseases. The process of chewing wax itself promotes the absorption of vitamin A contained in it, as well as the effective prevention of diseases of teeth and gums. Honey in combs is an amazing product that helps restore vitality and muscle tone.

When deciding to store honey in honeycombs, remember that honey is a capricious product, capable of absorbing any, even the most unpleasant, odors, which is why honeycombs should be protected from unnecessary exposure and kept away from odorous substances.

The maximum storage temperature for honeycombs is considered to be a temperature not exceeding 22 degrees, upon reaching which the honey darkens and begins to taste bitter. The lower the ambient temperature, the more beneficial properties and compounds your favorite product can preserve. That is why it is recommended to place the honeycombs in a refrigerator or other place that can protect them from the harmful effects of sunlight.

Do not forget to cut the honeycombs into small plates, after placing them in clean glass jars or other containers equipped with lids, which will also help to carefully collect the leaked honey. Never use copper or aluminum containers that can interact with the acids of the product itself.

Remember, at low temperatures honey becomes sugared and inevitably loses those substances that are of primary value to humans, which is why the optimal storage temperature is considered to be from +5 to – 10 degrees: neither higher nor lower.

Honey in combs, like any good wine, requires compliance with a certain humidity regime; traditionally it should not exceed the required 75 percent, which is why it is necessary to carefully monitor and defrost the refrigerator used as storage. Following these simple rules will allow our favorite product to retain its taste and properties for many months and even years for which we love and appreciate it so much.

At the end of summer, I always buy honey in combs from beekeepers. It can be chewed like sweet gum, and in its beneficial properties it even surpasses ordinary liquid honey. But most of all I like it because you can be sure of the quality, because it is simply impossible to fake this product. Therefore, I try to take more of it, several frames at once. But then the question inevitably arises: how to store honey in honeycombs? However, over time I had an answer to it.

In addition to processed pollen, comb honey contains wax, wax and propolis, thanks to which it acquires its healing properties. The benefits of this product were known even in the ancient world, which is confirmed by references to it in the works of the great physician of those times, Avicenna.

The composition of comb honey includes amino acids, minerals, vitamins, sucrose, maltose, dextrose, succinic acid, carotene, enzymes and many other substances necessary for the body.

In folk medicine, this product is used to increase immunity and hemoglobin, stimulate appetite, as well as mental and physical development in children; They treat diseases of the respiratory system and diseases of the thyroid gland. In addition, cellular honey normalizes the activity of the gastrointestinal tract, removes toxins from the body, improves the functioning of the kidneys and cardiovascular system, activates metabolism and normalizes blood pressure. Honeycomb honey is even used to prevent caries and get rid of nicotine addiction. The benefits of this product are simply enormous, and therefore it is worth making every effort to keep it at home in pristine condition for as long as possible.