He explained the relationship between moisture content and relative humidity. Increased relative humidity would lead to equilibrium at a higher moisture content. The percentage of moisture that air can hold at any given temperature explains the relationships involved - warmer air can absorb more moisture. The three factors, then, are temperature, relative humidity and moisture content. In the hive, bees expose the nectar repeatedly to the warm dry air.
Next step involves depositing it into partly filled cells.
Only when fully dehydrated is the honey sealed in the cell. Ross wanted to mimic the process used by the bees to reduce damage to the honey. The keys were thin layer of honey to be exposed to warm dry air and constantly agitated so it would not form a surface crust. Ross referred to the Canadian systems of honey production, taking honey from the hive before fully ripened, then extracting and dehydrating to remove the extra moisture. He made a number of astute observations on the nature of honey flows and how they related to moisture content.