Honey contaminated?

[lebouche]

Hi,
I made two silly mistakes on Sunday. I gave the bees back the bubbly honey leftovers from my plastic honey bucket. I poured them into a jam jar and grabbed a twig and put it in. In hindsight, I have now contaminated the honey with a twig and also I saw lots I bees drowning in it when I looked in again. They have a whole 12x14 which will be full of honey soon (one below with brood), will this all be contaminated now? Poor bees, victim of another mistake.

 

[Dishmop]

When you consider some of the places where they like to drink from, I doubt a twig is going to make much difference.

Doesnt sound the best way to feed it back to them tho. They cant read the signs that say "Deep End"

 

[drstitson]

as above.

 

[BrianO]

Check out the recent discussion of Bees favourite tipple being a rather perfumed area of cow piss and rainwater for one beekeeper !

So youre twig... think it will add a " hint of earthiness and woodiness "

 

[thebhoy]

No, shouldn't contaminate it I wouldn't think, they will move it and treat it as they would for any stores.

As others say, bees have some very strange (to us) water sources that they use in the hive

 

[enrico]

Take the twig out, suck the honey off and use the rest in your coffee, could even use the twig to stir it, yum yum
E

 

[Dishmop]

I bet bees would love hospital tap water...

 

[lebouche]

Thanks all. I was also worried about the dead bees contaminating the honey but I imagine they would have finished it before it was too much of a problem. Hopefully they don't poop when they die?

 

[Jimy Dee]

Is this the first record of oaked honey - wine makers be ware.

 

[Jimy Dee]

labouche - my bees like a tipple of horse dung and rain. Stick with the twig - and hope you never find out what water source they are using. I see you are in London - dont think about their water source !!

 

[YorkshireBees]

Hi,
I made two silly mistakes on Sunday. I gave the bees back the bubbly honey leftovers from my plastic honey bucket. I poured them into a jam jar and grabbed a twig and put it in. In hindsight, I have now contaminated the honey with a twig and also I saw lots I bees drowning in it when I looked in again. They have a whole 12x14 which will be full of honey soon (one below with brood), will this all be contaminated now? Poor bees, victim of another mistake.

By bubbley honey I hope you don't mean fermented honey?