The quality of honey is affected by many different factors, from the time it is removed from the honey bee colony until it is sold for human consumption. Whether the operation is small or large, it is important to produce a final packaged product that is of highest quality and attractive to the consumer.

Honey is considered at peak quality when properly cured and sealed in the comb by the honey bee. Proper handling during extraction and processing can produce liquid honey with only a slight loss of quality. While some consumers want raw or unprocessed honey (liquid honey that has not been filtered or heated), most market outlets require honey with a long shelf life. Limited heating and straining are needed to prevent granulation and fermentation. The final product should be well strained, low in moisture, free from foreign flavors and impurities, and should retain its original delicate flavor and aroma.

Honey quality is affected most by heating and moisture content. At no time during processing should the honey be overheated. Excess heat chemically breaks down the levulose sugar, darkening the honey and eliminating the natural, volatile flavors that make honey unique. Honey is hygroscopic: it readily absorbs moisture from moist air and loses it to dry air. Moisture even passes through the wax cappings, so that the degree of ripeness at the time it is removed from the colony is largely related to the prevailing atmospheric humidity. Absorption of moisture lowers the grade and keeping quality of the honey. High-moisture honey may ferment. Honey supers removed from colonies should be stored in warm, dry areas.

The best time to remove excess moisture from honey is while it is still in the comb. Either store the supers in a warm room (75° to 80° F) for a couple of days or stack them over a light bulb so that the heat will pass up through the frames and warm the honey. Shield the light bulb so that honey and wax will not drip directly on the bulb. An electric fan can be used to circulate the air in the room. A good vacuum cleaner can also be used; cut a hole in a super just large enough to permit the entry of the vacuum hose. Above this super, stack seven or eight supers of honey and turn on the vacuum so that it will force air upward through the supers. The vacuum cleaner will force a large volume of warm, dry air through the combs. The amount of moisture removed will be related to the relative humidity and volume of circulating air. In large commercial operations, supers usually are placed in hot rooms before extraction. Warm honey will also improve the extraction process. Room temperatures between 80° and 90° F are ideal for quick extraction with the least amount of honey adhering to the combs.

Other factors that lower the quality of the pack are excess air, pollen, and bits of wax incorporated into the honey during extraction.