Opaque honey?

[megadyptes]

I'm sure this is such a noobs question that I'm almost embarrassed to ask it, but....

Having just extracted my first ever set of frames, i was kind of expecting to end up with a bucket of clear liquid honey. But it's very definitely an opaque/cloudy liquid.

The contents the poured out of the extractor went through a double strainer (1.5mm and 0.5mm weave) into the honey bucket and has been settling for a couple of days now and have just skimmed of a very thin layer of milky sum (wax particles & bubbles?) from the surface. Is the opaque appearance normal and the result of the combination of flowers the bees have been visiting, or have I ballsed something up and contaminated it in some way?

 

[Truble]

It sometimes means there is a lot of pollen in the honey, although there may be other reasons. I had very similar with a late spring crop and I'd never seen so much pollen in a sample under the microscope. It tasted delicious and set quickly but not too hard.

 

[MuswellMetro]

i suspect it is crystallization of the honey and can be cleared by warming the honey , it is possible due to high glucose in the honey from Oil Seed rape or other brassicas

try putting a jar of it in a bain maree and heating to about 65c for 45 minutes

alternatively you can microwave a jar of honey in a mircowave for 30- 45secs but easy to burnt it or spill it over the top if you dont have combi microwve that can take metal lids and have to leave the lid off

 

[megadyptes]

try putting a jar of it in a bain maree and heating to about 65c for 45 minutes

I haven't got as far as jarring it yet, and the bucket ain't gonna fit on the cooker. Will get into jars over the next few days and the have a go.

I'm assuming the cloudyness is just an aestheics issue, and it's still fine to eat/sell?

 

[MuswellMetro]

I haven't got as far as jarring it yet, and the bucket ain't gonna fit on the cooker. Will get into jars over the next few days and the have a go.

I'm assuming the cloudyness is just an aestheics issue, and it's still fine to eat/sell?

it will taste fine but may set in the jar (or bucket!!) if it has OSR honey in it

i use a warming cabinet to clear mine

 

[Al-In-Italy]

Agree that there could be pollen and wax particles of wax in the honey. Neither is bad for you. There might indeed also be small crystals, but at least some of the cloudiness could be just miniscule air bubbles. We strain our honey though the standard double metal sieve and it's always a bit cloudy at first and a thin layer of froth appears on the top in a couple days. The cloudiness clears after a week or so as the bubbles slowly rise to the surface.

You know your honey is the Real Thing and yet it doesn't look like a jar of Rowse or Gales honey on the shelf in Tesco. That says a great deal about commercial producers and public tastes; it certainly does not mean there's anything wrong with your honey.

 

[enrico]

Don't knock it, that's the beauty of natural honey, every year is different. Keep a jar from every year and never open it. The different shades and textures will amaze you. In my experience cloudy honey tends to set.
E

 

[Gilberdyke John]

I'm sure this is such a noobs question that I'm almost embarrassed to ask it, but....

Having just extracted my first ever set of frames, i was kind of expecting to end up with a bucket of clear liquid honey. But it's very definitely an opaque/cloudy liquid.

The contents the poured out of the extractor went through a double strainer (1.5mm and 0.5mm weave) into the honey bucket and has been settling for a couple of days now and have just skimmed of a very thin layer of milky sum (wax particles & bubbles?) from the surface. Is the opaque appearance normal and the result of the combination of flowers the bees have been visiting, or have I ballsed something up and contaminated it in some way?

First ever set of frames rural area
There's a high likelihood your bees found some oilseed rape during their foraging in the spring. There are other nectars that also tend to crystallize rapidly especially once removed from the warmth of the hive.
Don't be surprised if the whole lot sets in the bucket but that's not the end of the world if it does. Use the forum search for making it into soft set honey.

 

[alldigging]

There wasn't any brood in the frames you extracted?

 

[megadyptes]

There wasn't any brood in the frames you extracted?

Nope, nothing in the supers suggests anything was being laid in them.