Beehive Honey Harvest Log
A beehive honey harvest log — apiary + hive ID, harvest date, frames pulled, weight extracted, moisture content (refractometer), color + floral source, bottled qty + jar size, labeling, sale notes.
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BEEHIVE HONEY HARVEST LOG Beekeeper: Morgan Lee Apiary: Home Yard — Springfield IL Hive: Hive 03 — "Maple" Harvest date: August 20, 2026 Season: Late-summer flow (mid-July to mid-August) EXTRACTION Frames pulled: 8 medium frames (capped >90%) from one super; 1 medium frame held back (less than 80% capped) Weight extracted: 32 lb honey extracted from 8 frames (avg 4 lb / medium frame) Moisture (refr.): 17.4% (target ≤18.6% to prevent fermentation; most US honey 16-18%) Color: Light amber — "extra light amber" 35 Pfund (clover-leaning summer flow) Floral source: Predominantly clover (white + yellow) + alfalfa + late-summer goldenrod just starting BOTTLING 12 × 16 oz glass queenline jars 8 × 8 oz glass queenline jars 6 × 2 oz queenline favors 2 × 32 oz bear bottles (gift jars) Total: 30 jars; 2 lb retained in 5-gal bucket for crystallization control LABELING (state cottage-food + federal) Label includes: • Common name: "Pure Wildflower Honey" • Net weight (per jar) • Apiary name + address (Lee Apiary, 218 Linden Ave, Springfield IL 62701) • Lot # 2026-08-20-03 (date + hive) • "100% raw, unfiltered honey — strained only" + "may crystallize naturally" • Allergen warning: "do not feed to infants under 1 year (botulism risk)" SALES / DISPOSITION Sold via IL cottage-food rule (≤$1,000/yr): farmers market + neighbors. 16 oz @ $10, 8 oz @ $6, 2 oz favors @ $2. Gift: bear bottles to extended family. Retained: 2 lb working honey for the household. No wholesale or interstate sales (would trigger commercial labeling). HARVEST CHECKLIST [ ] Frames are ≥80% capped (uncapped honey is too wet — refermentation risk) [ ] Bee escape board OR fume board used to clear bees from supers [ ] Supers carried to extraction room (NOT in apiary — robbing) [ ] Uncapping knife OR hot-air uncapper used; uncappings saved (wax + honey) [ ] Extractor balanced + run gradually up to speed (radial or tangential) [ ] Honey strained through 200-400 micron sieve (raw, NOT filtered to clear) [ ] Moisture verified ≤18.6% (refractometer) [ ] Settling tank 24-48 hr to release air + suspended wax [ ] Bottling into clean glass / food-grade plastic (NOT galvanized) [ ] Labels applied per state + federal rules [ ] Empty supers + uncappings returned to bees for cleanup (24 hr only — pull at dusk to avoid robbing) INFANT-BOTULISM WARNING (REQUIRED) • All raw + processed honey may contain C. botulinum spores • Federal + state labeling guidance: warn against feeding honey to infants under 12 months • Include warning on every label
About this template
**A honey harvest is the apiary's annual report — frames pulled, weight, moisture, color + floral signal**. The log carries the data and the labeling discipline. **Frames are pulled when ≥80% capped** — capped honey has been dehydrated by the bees to <18.6% moisture, the threshold below which honey will not ferment in storage. Uncapped honey, or partially capped honey, can be too wet (above 18.6% moisture) and will ferment if jarred; either leave it for the bees or extract + use as a separate bucket (the **flash-honey** bucket for baking or mead). **Moisture** is verified with a **refractometer** ($30-50) at extraction; some beekeepers also test individual frames before pulling. **Extraction** is mechanical (radial or tangential extractor) for liquid honey, or crush-and-strain for low-volume / cut-comb. **Strain through 200-400 micron sieve** to remove wax + bee parts — but **NOT** through fine filter (that removes pollen + propolis + many of the antioxidant and antibacterial fractions that make raw honey valuable). Settle the strained honey 24-48 hours to release entrained air + suspended micro-wax. **Bottle into clean glass or food-grade plastic** — never galvanized (zinc-honey interaction) or untreated metal (acid-iron reaction). **Labeling** is regulated. **Federal** requires the common name ("Pure Honey" or "Wildflower Honey"), the net weight (lbs + grams), the producer's name + address. **States** add cottage-food rules — most allow direct sale of small-batch honey under a threshold (often ≤$1,000-$25,000 / year depending on state) without commercial inspection; some require lot numbers, allergen warnings, or specific font sizes. **Infant-botulism warning** is universal — all honey may contain *Clostridium botulinum* spores that can cause infant botulism in babies under 12 months; the warning belongs on every label whether legally required or not. **Floral source** can be claimed when the honey is overwhelmingly from one source (e.g. orange-blossom, sourwood, tupelo) and a melissopalynology pollen analysis supports it; **most American small-apiary honey is "wildflower"** or seasonally-named (spring / summer / fall). **Color** is described by the Pfund scale (water-white through dark amber). **Cottage-food rules** vary by state — IL ≤$1,000 / yr exempt; CA $50,000 Class A; TX $50,000; NY ≤$15,000; varies elsewhere. **Wholesale or interstate sale** triggers commercial inspection + USDA/FDA labeling rules. **Storage** — raw honey crystallizes naturally over weeks to months depending on glucose:fructose ratio; gentle warming (<104°F) re-liquefies without damaging quality.
When to use it
- Per-hive annual honey harvest record.
- Apiary annual production summary.
- Cottage-food sale + labeling documentation.
- Pre-sale lot tracking for customer questions.
- Multi-hive / multi-yard yield comparison.
What to include
- Beekeeper + apiary + hive.
- Harvest date + season.
- Frames pulled + weight extracted.
- Moisture % (refractometer).
- Color + floral source.
- Bottling: qty + jar sizes.
- Labeling per state cottage-food + federal.
- Sales / disposition.
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