Honey Taste

[Swift Nick]

This is probably difficult to answer, but I thought I would ask.
I extracted 10 supers this afternoon, most of the supers were filled during July, the big flow for me at that time is Blackberry.
I had two quite different honey types, what I might call my usual, probably blackberry. Then I had another honey that was thicker in consistency, it didn’t run when uncapped and it had an almost lemon taste and was less sweet, maybe even a little sharp, very nice, but different. Does anyone know what honey could have a slight lemony or sharp taste? We do have a lot of lavender in the garden, I wonder if it’s that. Thank you.

 

[Woodland bees]

IIRC, from previous posts, lime was suggested for a lemony taste.

May I ask what does your blackberry taste like? The jars from what I assume are blackberry from one of my hives is very light in colour and mild in taste, wondering if that is what to expect?

 

[Swift Nick]

IIRC, from previous posts, lime was suggested for a lemony taste.

May I ask what does your blackberry taste like? The jars from what I assume are blackberry from one of my hives is very light in colour and mild in taste, wondering if that is what to expect?

Thanks, I will check up on the Lime season, and see if it fits.

My blackberry isn’t a strong tasting honey, it’s light gold in colour, has a light taste, kind of fruity, it takes about 9 months before it starts to granulate, it’s pourable at room temperature. It’s probably not 100% blackberry, but we are surrounded by them, they get covered with bees and the flowering coincides with the flow I get, so my honey must pretty much be blackberry.

 

[Erichalfbee]

If you took no spring honey it could be from then. Bees might well not eat everything they gather in the earlier months of the year.

 

[Swift Nick]

If you took no spring honey it could be from then. Bees might well not eat everything they gather in the earlier months of the year.

I did take spring honey at the end of June, so todays was all from the whole of July. I see your point, Lime flowers in June, so in my case it can’t really be that.
I guess it doesn’t really matter what it is, but it was good that it fell into two separate batches that I extracted today, so I get two different honeys.
I also had a bonus in that a hive I thought was Q- had a queen in a super, I think she found her way up maybe through a distorted wire in the excluder & then couldn’t get back down.
I nadired the super, so they got their honey back.

 

[Curley]

Hi Nick

You could try these people. It's a freebee (otherwise I wouldn't be doing it!) and I have just registered.
https://honey-monitoring.ac.uk/

You are meant to take the sample at time of extraction but maybe next time?

So I'll see how it goes. I couldn't work out how to enter more than one apiary but there may be a way.

Cheers D

 

[enrico]

It wasn't lime. That is as runny as you get and never sets
E

 

[MerryBee]

Hi Nick

You could try these people. It's a freebee (otherwise I wouldn't be doing it!) and I have just registered.
https://honey-monitoring.ac.uk/

You are meant to take the sample at time of extraction but maybe next time?

So I'll see how it goes. I couldn't work out how to enter more than one apiary but there may be a way.

Cheers D

Yes only one sample at a time. As soon as you have submitted it you can order another sample pack which arrives in a few days.

I participated last year, the pollen results were very interesting and enlightening.

 

[Swift Nick]

Hi Nick

You could try these people. It's a freebee (otherwise I wouldn't be doing it!) and I have just registered.
https://honey-monitoring.ac.uk/

You are meant to take the sample at time of extraction but maybe next time?

So I'll see how it goes. I couldn't work out how to enter more than one apiary but there may be a way.

Cheers D

Thanks D, I still have some cut comb to cut up this week, so I will take a sample and send off.