Flow Hive Honey

[theoriginalbee]

We have been really interested to follow the fortunes of a brand new flow hive in our small apiary. A friend of ours was keen to try one out so we thought it would be great for her to set up alongside our nationals this spring. Sure enough, we have seen the first jars tapped off the flow hive. The question is, has anyone noticed a difference in flavour from flow hive honey? This honey is very delicately flavoured, compared to that from frames from our own hives. Considering all the hives are metres apart one would think that the bees will all have been foraging the same sources. Even with the variation between the flavour of individual frames in our hives, I think our national hive honey has a more robust flavour than the flow hive sample. Is it something to do with honey sitting in beeswax versus honey sitting in plastic? Anyone else noticed this?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

possibly unripe honey?
Or are the bees happy enough to hang around while you empty the frames for them to refill?

 

[Julie in Ash]

I have seen it proffered that conventional frame honey, which goes through a series of clarifying through spinning or crushing and straining, gets oxidised during the filtering process even if allowed to settle. Flow frame honey obviously doesn't go through that process and that accounts for the difference in taste.

 

[pargyle]

Don't believe all the hype that came from the Flow Hive marketing ..

Most hobby beekeepers will use the double mesh strainers which are 1.5mm primary mesh and 0.5mm secondary .. this size mesh will only take out bee bits, larger wax flakes and any foreign bodies. It leaves most of the pollen grains in.

Cold crush and strain or spinning has no effect on the taste of the honey any more than the mechanical separation of the 'cells' in the flow hive.

Settling tanks allow any wax in the honey to rise to the surface to be skimmed.

There are those who suggest that allowing honey to ripen in settling tanks adds to the roundness of the flavour. Indeed, some honeys that are somewhat of an acquired taste do improve with keeping.

Honey does not 'oxidise' with any of the above treatments.

Heating honey beyond 40 degrees C does start to destroy some components of honey but as it is runny at 32 degrees it should not be necessary to heat it to that level.

 

[Heather]

Have been offered a flow hive to try out... will let you know. Great misgivings to be overcome..

 

[theoriginalbee]

The flow hive honey has about 18.2% water, so it ought to be ok to extract. I was wondering about the effects of spinning/filtering/settling...however my latest taste test was comparing the jar of flow hive honey with the odd fingerful if honey straight from the frame at uncapping and there is definitely a distinct difference.

 

[Murox]

We have been really interested to follow the fortunes of a brand new flow hive in our small apiary. A friend of ours was keen to try one out so we thought it would be great for her to set up alongside our nationals this spring. Sure enough, we have seen the first jars tapped off the flow hive. The question is, has anyone noticed a difference in flavour from flow hive honey? This honey is very delicately flavoured, compared to that from frames from our own hives. Considering all the hives are metres apart one would think that the bees will all have been foraging the same sources. Even with the variation between the flavour of individual frames in our hives, I think our national hive honey has a more robust flavour than the flow hive sample. Is it something to do with honey sitting in beeswax versus honey sitting in plastic? Anyone else noticed this?

Just some musings. Curious that you expect it to taste the same and/or indeed that it does NOT taste the same. You point out variance from frame to frame and of course hive to hive. ? Does honey ripened in plastic indeed taste differently to honey ripened in wax on wood ? Why is whisky aged (ripened) in wooden casks rather than plastic barrels ? Does wood "breathe", does wax "breathe"? There are so many variables, I suspect there is no one simple answer, additionally our own brains will have told us to expect certain flavours, etc well in advance of our taste buds.

 

[Ian123]

Honey will/can vary in taste from frame to frame and hive to hive anyway even more so if the flows are a bit intermittent and also if your hives are in a general floral area

 

[Erichalfbee]

The flow hive honey has about 18.2% water, so it ought to be ok to extract. I was wondering about the effects of spinning/filtering/settling...however my latest taste test was comparing the jar of flow hive honey with the odd fingerful if honey straight from the frame at uncapping and there is definitely a distinct difference.

Now that is interesting
It seems suggest that it is nothing to do with spinning but what is actually there on the comb. Perhaps the natural condition of storing honey in wax combs imparts a flavour to what we call honey whereas plastic doesn't....

 

[victor meldrew]

Now that is interesting

It seems suggest that it is nothing to do with spinning but what is actually there on the comb. Perhaps the natural condition of storing honey in wax combs imparts a flavour to what we call honey whereas plastic doesn't....

The best comparison would be with cut comb honey ?
I wonder if the food safety aspect of the plastic used has been fully tested ?
We assume so but the intricate die casting requires plastics best suited to that operation !
The Honey remains in contact with the plastic comb much longer than it does in the extractor !


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[For want of a better word]

possibly unripe honey?
Or are the bees happy enough to hang around while you empty the frames for them to refill?

Honey needs to be ripened.. My Grandfather said so... good enough for me!

Now I wonder if the fantastic 1 ton of honey per colony we have all seen this season will be repeated in the next 7 years?.........
A long time to wait for another jam jar full of honey from the Flows hive?

Yeghes da

 

[victor meldrew]

[emoji23][emoji23][emoji23][emoji23]


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[theoriginalbee]

Some interesting ideas, thank you! I will ask the flow hive owner if she is interested in saving some small sample jars from each of the frames so that we can compare the colour and flavour from each, when she returns from holiday. She has a top bar hive on another site so I guess she will be as keen to compare flow hive versus beeswax frames as much as I am. Meanwhile I will get on with uncapping, tasting (frame by frame, of course), spinning, filtering, settling and bottling my own honey.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Flo Hive......................... top bar.......................London.............................
Can anyone direct me to the facepalm smilie?

 

[madasafish]

I have seen it proffered that conventional frame honey, which goes through a series of clarifying through spinning or crushing and straining, gets oxidised during the filtering process even if allowed to settle. Flow frame honey obviously doesn't go through that process and that accounts for the difference in taste.

The water in the honey is already oxidised. The sugar in the honey only oxidises when burned..and turns black.
Ask whoever told you that for the details of the chemical reaction. If they say nothing, then their honey smells of bull excrement..

 

[Beefriendly]

I will ask the flow hive owner if she is interested in saving some small sample jars from each of the frames.

If you look carefully at the uncapped cells you will often see several different coloured honeys on the same frame. Reflecting the different forage the bees have been working and these will all taste different.
Different supers in the hive get filled at different times with nectar from different sources. The bees are continually changing the sources of necar as some switch off and new sources become available . Seeley has some lovely graphs of how fast the areas and fauna the bees work change on a daily basis in Honey Bee Democracy.
So it's not a big deal that the honeys taste different from different frames. What would very surprising on a mixed blossom harvest would be if they all tasted the same.....as they do when on mono-floral sources like heather/borage/OSR.

 

[theoriginalbee]

Flo Hive......................... top bar.......................London.............................
Can anyone direct me to the facepalm smilie?

Lovely. The bees are thriving, so are the ones in my own nationals. We like a bit of variation, and I'm happy to share space with the lady who owns the non-national hives. She's from Germany. Tolerance and respect flow like the honey. Even in London.

 

[For want of a better word]

Flo Hive......................... top bar.......................London.............................
Can anyone direct me to the facepalm smilie?

We will be seeing posts soon that Heidi Hi's Sun hives have produced a ton of crystal cosmic honey with megga health giving properties soon... will get some may help me grow a new leg!!!

Yeghes da

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

We will be seeing posts soon that Heidi Hi's Sun hives have produced a ton of crystal cosmic honey with megga health giving properties soon... will get some may help me grow a new leg!!!

Yeghes da

 

[Beefriendly]

That is cruel laughing at a man with a missing leg.
Mind it is hoppy so what the eff