I agree about the humidity I'm also not a hard candy maker but have worked with pulled sugar. I'm assuming you are using a candy thermometer.humidty can play havoc on hard candy, yes. i will let someone with more experience tell you how to fix it though.
the higher temperature didn't work. Now I am wondering if the fact I used a cheaper sugar other than Domino sugar could have a effect?
The pieces are partially solidified with sticky outsides.