Chapter 9 · Quiz

Chapter 9 Quiz: Honey and Hive Products

24 questions from lessons 70–77. Answer from memory first, then check the lesson if you're unsure. This quiz is for your own practice; nothing is graded.

Lesson 70: When Honey Is Ready: Capping and Moisture

  1. What happens to honey that has too much water?
  2. What's the highest water content for U.S. Grade A honey?
  3. You shake an uncapped frame and droplets fly out. Should you harvest it?

Lesson 71: Getting the Bees Off the Honey Supers

  1. Where does the bee escape board go?
  2. Why cover supers as soon as they come off?
  3. Why might a bee escape fail to clear a super?

Lesson 72: Extracting Honey

  1. What's the difference between a tangential and a radial extractor?
  2. Why start the extractor slowly?
  3. Why let honey settle before bottling?

Lesson 73: Bottling, Storing and Keeping It Clean

  1. Your honey turned solid. Is it spoiled?
  2. At what temperature does honey crystallize fastest?
  3. Why must honey containers be completely dry?

Lesson 74: Comb Honey and Cut-Comb

  1. What kind of foundation is used for comb honey?
  2. What is "travel stain," and how do you avoid it?
  3. Why freeze comb honey before selling it?

Lesson 75: Beeswax

  1. Where on the bee is wax made?
  2. Why melt wax with water or in a double boiler instead of directly on the burner?
  3. Name two things you can do with rendered beeswax.

Lesson 76: Pollen and Propolis

  1. Why can't a colony raise brood without pollen?
  2. Why shouldn't you leave a pollen trap on all season?
  3. Name three ways bees use propolis.

Lesson 77: Selling Honey: Labels and Rules

  1. Where on the label does the net weight go, and in what units?
  2. Can you call your honey "Sourwood Honey" if your bees made it mostly from clover?
  3. In Georgia, do you need a license to sell your own honey at a farmers market?

Answers

Show answers

Printed in the next issue, or check them now if you've finished.

  1. It can ferment and spoil.
  2. 18.6% (at least 81.4% soluble solids).
  3. No; it's still too wet. Leave it for the bees to finish.
  4. Between the supers to be harvested and the brood boxes below, so bees can leave the supers but not get back in.
  5. Exposed honey attracts robber bees from nearby hives.
  6. There's brood (or the queen) in the super, so the bees won't leave, or the super has cracks that let bees back in.
  7. A tangential extractor spins one side of the frame at a time, so frames must be flipped; a radial extractor does both sides at once.
  8. Spinning too fast at first can break the comb, especially new comb.
  9. Air bubbles and fine wax bits rise to the top so they can be skimmed, and honey drawn from the bottom is clear.
  10. No; crystallization is natural. Warm the jar gently in warm water to reliquefy it.
  11. About 57°F (14°C).
  12. Water dilutes honey, and diluted honey can ferment.
  13. Special extra-thin foundation made for comb honey, or no foundation or a starter strip; never plastic or wired.
  14. Darkened cappings from bees tracking propolis over the comb; take capped comb off promptly.
  15. To kill any wax moth eggs or larvae hidden in the comb.
  16. In eight glands on the underside of a young worker's abdomen.
  17. Wax is flammable and can catch fire if overheated; water or a double boiler keeps the temperature safe.
  18. Any two of: trade it for new foundation; make candles; make balms, lotions or soap; make polish; sell it.
  19. Nurse bees eat pollen (bee bread) to make the brood food fed to larvae.
  20. It takes protein the colony needs to raise brood; run it part-time on strong colonies only.
  21. Any three of: sealing cracks; narrowing entrances; gluing hive parts; strengthening comb; varnishing the nest; walling off dead intruders; protecting colony health.
  22. In the bottom 30% of the main panel, in both U.S. units and metric (e.g., Net Wt. 16 oz (454 g)).
  23. No; a floral name should be used only when that flower is the main source.
  24. No; Georgia exempts producers who sell their own honey directly to consumers, including at farmers markets, but the honey must still be processed in a sanitary environment and labeled correctly.

★ = a topic on the Georgia Certified Beekeeper exam list.

◀ Lesson 77Lesson 78 ▶