Judging Apiary Products
Dr. Fred Baxendale Department of Entomology University of Nebraska Adult Divisions
Extracted Honey Beekeeping Photograph Creamed Honey Art Design in Beeswax Chunk Comb Lotion & Soap Bars Cut Comb Beeswax Candles Section Comb Gift Basket Beekeeping Craft Youth Divisions
Extracted Honey Beeswax, molded or sculpted Hive Products Display Drawing, Painting or Poster Beekeeping Craft Judging Standards Extracted Honey
Appearance & uniformity of containers 5 Uniformity & accurate volume of honey 5 Uniform honey in all containers of the entry 5 Color 10 Brightness 10 Freedom from impurities, including froth 20 Freedom from crystals 10 Flavor & aroma 15 Density, no additional points below 16% moisture 20
TOTAL: 100 Moisture Rankings*
<16.0 20 pts. 17.4 13 pts. 16.0 20 pts. 17.6 12 pts. 16.2 19 pts. 17.8 11 pts. 16.4 18 pts. 18.0 10 pts. 16.6 17 pts. 18.2 9 pts. 16.8 16 pts. 18.4 8 pts. 17.0 15 pts. 18.6 7 pts. 17.2 14 pts. >18.6 0 pts.
*Ellis Scale Problems and Comments (Extracted Honey)
High moisture (>18.6%) Improper fill depth Crystallization Pollen, lint, air bubbles or debris Fermentation odor, smoke, Bee-Go Scratched caps, defective jars Creamed Honey
Appearance & uniformity of containers 5 Uniformity & accurate volume of honey 5 Firmness of set (not runny but spreadable) 20 Texture of granulation (smooth & fine) 20 Absence of impurities, including froth 15 Uniform honey in all containers of the entry 10 Color 10 Flavor & aroma 15 TOTAL: 100 Problems and Comments (Creamed Honey)
Firmness (too firm/not firm enough) Uneven granulation Liquid front present Improper fill depth Pollen, lint, air bubbles or debris Scratched caps, defective jars Chunk Comb Honey
Uniformity/cleanliness/general appearance 30
Freedom from impurities & granulation 20
Quality of the liquid honey 25
Quality & neatness of comb honey 20
Uniform & accurate volume of honey 5
TOTAL: 100 Problems and Comments (Chunk Comb – Comb Phase)
Uniform thickness of comb Neatness of cut Comb orientation (tilt of cells) Freedom from pollen White cappings desirable
Problems and Comments (Chunk Comb – Liquid Phase)
High moisture (>18.6%) Improper fill depth (fill to bead) Crystallization Air bubbles, wax flakes, pollen, lint Fermentation odor, smoke, Bee-Go Cut Comb in Plastic Boxes
Accuracy & neatness of cut edges of comb 20
Uniform depth & filling of honey cells 20
Complete, uniform & clean cappings 20
Quality & uniformity of honey 20
Freedom from leakage & general appearance 20
TOTAL: 100 Problems and Comments (Cut Comb)
Size & uniform thickness of comb Neatness of cut Travel stain Improper drainage (leakage) Wax flakes Pollen cells Section Comb Honey (Wood or Round)
Suitability, uniformity & cleanliness of sections 15
Completeness, uniformity & cleanliness of cappings 30
Uniform & completely filled honey cells 30
Quality & uniformity of honey 15
Weight & completeness of attachment of comb 10
TOTAL: 100 Problems and Comments (Section Comb Honey)
Incomplete attachment to section Non-uniform thickness of comb Incomplete capping Travel stains, excess propolis Leakage Art Design in Beeswax (Molded)
Color between straw & canary yellow 25
Cleanliness (free from honey & impurities) 25
Novelty of molded item 25
Neatness of workmanship 25
TOTAL: 100 Beeswax Candles
Color between straw & canary yellow 25
Cleanliness (free from honey & impurities) 25
Freedom from cracking, shrinking & marks 25
Neatness of workmanship 25
TOTAL: 100 Problems and Comments (Beeswax)
Shrinkage due to improper cooling Unnatural odors (e.g., cigarette smoke) Edges not smoothed Dust, debris, wax flakes Ideal color: straw to canary yellow Beekeeping Photograph, Drawing or Painting
Originality 25 Technical merit 25 Educational merit 25 Framed display 25 TOTAL: 100 Gift Basket or Hive Products Display
Originality 25
Eye appeal & neatness 25
Suitability of containers & contents 25
Quality of contents 25
TOTAL: 100 Beekeeping Craft
Originality 25
Neatness of workmanship 25
Educational merit 25
Eye appeal 25
TOTAL: 100
Preparing Apiary Products for Exhibition Preparing Liquid Honey for Exhibition Preparing the Honey
• Use fully-capped frames of honey • Press honey and store in closed containers • Warm honey to 145°F in heated water • Strain honey through nylon • Cool honey to 130°F, let bubbles rise Filling the Jars
• Use new, washed jars with no defects • Run out 1 lb. of honey • Tilt jar, fill with small stream down inside wall of jar • Fill to bead (1/4" from top) • Check lid for defects, scratches or debris; tighten firmly Final Preparations
• Place jars in sunny location • After several days, check for: • Ring of foam on honey surface -- remove with toothpick • Debris on lid liner -- remove with clean, damp cloth • Repeat procedure several times before displaying honey Preparing Beeswax for Exhibition Preparing the Wax
• Use only capping wax • Wash cappings and place in sack until thoroughly dry • Melt cappings over heated water • Skim debris from surface • Filter wax through cloth into block molds for future use Molding the Wax
• Carefully remove dust and debris from mold • Melt wax in double boiler at 185 °F • Pour molten wax through filter into molds using one continuous pouring • As wax cools, add more wax to insure a smooth, flat bottom Final Preparations
• Carefully remove wax from mold • Remove seam if necessary • Clean and smooth bottom of entry