A wee question about honey…

[Peebels]

I should first point out that my past experience of Honey consumption has been of either supermarket bought honey, or local honey from craft shops/fairs etc.

Whilst at our local association meeting the other week, we bought some honey that had come from the training apery. This was fairly nice stuff, but it had a fairly weak flavour. It was also lighter and runnier than honeys I have had before. Does anyone have any suggestions as to what causes this; I am fairly close to the training apery site and would prefer my honey to have a little more flavour!

 

[Tom Bick]

For me I would need to know the local area to the bees and the time of year the super that the honey was taken from the hive to give a reasonable reply to your question.

This year if you are lucky and your bees fill 3 supers over the year and you then extract each super separating each batch from each other it will be fare to say you will have 3 completely different honeys. One may be light in colour and runny another may be golden and yummy the third may set like fudge.

 

[VEG]

Its taste varies with whatever is around for them to forage off. You wont be able to make them feed off something else.

 

[BKF Admin]

Can you send a sample to member Bcrazy?
He would only need a couple of ml's to tell you want it contains..

 

[oliver90owner]

Hopefully it will not contain any rice paddy field flower pollen!

Check the pH as well...you never know.

Regards, RAB

 

[Bcrazy]

Send me about 20-30grms of honey in a sealed container and I will see what pollen grains can bee extractrf to give you some idea of what the bees were feeding on .

Regards;

 

[Bcrazy]

No takers as yet. and I could have used my newly acquired centrifuge machine.

 

[Tom Bick]

Bcrazy are you able to look at honey and detect pollution within it if you are able to detect pollen grains then perhaps you can detect dirt and grime.
The reason for my enquiry is I have a site that includes Heathrow Airport it is also within the M25 and close to the M4 M3 the air pollution is monitored in this part of West London regularly and this new site is smack bang in the middle of it. I was thinking of contacting the local collage to see if they wanted to use the honey for projects if such things exist but as you are the forums expert in this sort of thing are you interested it could be interesting. It may even go someway to stopping a 3rd runway

 

[Bcrazy]

Ho Tom
Yes I can try to separate the muck from the honey and also the pollen grains, Hopefully I will photograph the slides with whats in situ in the honey and post them on the forum for all to see if thats OK with you.
Send about 20gms in a container and I'll do the rest.
My address is Mr. M. Vaughan Lauriston Copse Warboys CAMBS PE28 2US

Regards;

 

[Poly Hive]

I would have thought that the bees would have purified the nectar before storing it in the combs?

PH

 

[Tom Bick]

Ho Tom
Yes I can try to separate the muck from the honey and also the pollen grains, Hopefully I will photograph the slides with whats in situ in the honey and post them on the forum for all to see if thats OK with you.
Send about 20gms in a container and I'll do the rest.
My address is Mr. M. Vaughan Lauriston Copse Warboys CAMBS PE28 2US

Regards;

Great will be interesting to see the results the site is to be populated with bees but I will send you samples as soon as possible this year.

 

[Matthew]

honey purity

I was wondering if anyone could help me on some advice on how to tell pure honey, from honey that has been fed syrups of some sort?

 

[oliver90owner]

Hello Matthew,

Welcome to the forum.

Ask Trading standards. They might not want to tell all their secrets but they do regular tests.....

If it is mainly the wrong stuff and in a comb it can be tested for the pH value. Honey is much more acidic than sugar honey.

Question might arise....why do you want to know? You should know if you filled your hives with sugar honey and it has not been used up before supers were added.

I would say, 'if in doubt, don't try to sell it'.

Regards, RAB

 

[Matthew]

Oliver90owner...

Thanks for your reply...
first of all I'd like to answer your question,,, the honey i want to test is not my own,,, I'm in honey sales as well as beekeeping,,, but just started the sales part too,,,
I will try and measure the acidity as you said...

Thank you...
best regards,,,