The perfect honey sample is exactly the same as the average of the batch or container of honey it has been taken from; i.e., it is a ‘representative’ sample.

SAMPLING HONEYCOMB IS VERY DIFFICULT

It’s very hard to collect a representative sample of comb honey. There is a lot of variation across a frame, between frames, and between hives due to the variation in nectar collected by bees at different times.

You may find it useful to take a sample of uncapped honey from a frame to check out the honey the bees have recently been collecting, but it almost certainly won’t be a good indication of the average of the honey extracted from that hive site.

The Ministry for Primary Industries has developed some specific guidelines for sampling cut comb for tutin testing, which involves collecting all the drippings when processing the cut comb, and mixing them well before taking a sample. If you do need to sample comb honey, this is probably the best way to do it. IF SAMPLING SMA