Red honey

[Elaine]

Just started to extract my last few frames - and found some red nectar stored. It is quite dark, and not in all cells. Unfortunately I had not seen it before it was extracted and so 2 frames worth of honey is now in my extractor and dark toffee coloured. Is this likely to be honeydew or would the bees have been supping some cherryade? I tastes ok! And I'm feeling no ill effects from it

 

[enrico]

Sweet chestnut can be very brown and rich, other suggestions will follow I am sure!

 

[oliver90owner]

What like, e? Red M&Ms being dumped again?

 

[beeno]

Hi Elaine,
Apparently, the darker the honey the more antioxidants it has!

 

[Elaine]

I,ve decided to drain this off and keep it separate and get on with the rest of the extracting - I can decide later whether to mix it back in

 

[VEG]

Have a look here lol

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865585804/Red-honey-prompts-state-investigation.html

 

[Roola]

Honeydew possibly? Or yes sweet chestnut.

 

[Elaine]

I keep telling Derek not to leave coke cans around . I'm hoping its not anything like that, but it isn't that bright a red - more like a dark proper strawberry jam colour, not as purple as black currant - but the overall effect in the batch of honey gives it a lovely dark golden toffee colour

 

[Margaret Elisabeth]

I keep telling Derek not to leave coke cans around . I'm hoping its not anything like that, but it isn't that bright a red - more like a dark proper strawberry jam colour, not as purple as black currant - but the overall effect in the batch of honey gives it a lovely dark golden toffee colour

Have you tasted it? could it have been pollen with honey on top? Chestnut.

 

[Elaine]

it's the honey itself that is coloured, so not pollen at the bottom of the cell. And I have tasted it - tastes like honey no specific taste I can recognise. I will try later to get some under the microscope to see if I can recognise anything

 

[Swarm]

I have tasted it - tastes like honey

It doesn't taste like chicken?

 

[BeeJayBee]

Just started to extract my last few frames - and found some red nectar stored. It is quite dark, and not in all cells.

Could it be Bell Heather? :

Bell Heather is a valuable nectar producing plant providing a honey that flows and is easy to extract. The honey has a port wine colour and a heather-like flavour.

http://www.irishbeekeeping.ie/bflora/bflora.html#bellheather

 

[Elaine]

We do have heather here - although a very poor showing this year, but I've not seen this red before

 

[beeno]

Just a quick google and some plants of the Jaltomata species apparently have blood red nectar. Had two cells like that in my honey!

 

[Roola]

Just a quick google and some plants of the Jaltomata species apparently have blood red nectar. Had two cells like that in my honey!

or maybe they found a boiled sweet

 

[Excession]

Vampire bees?

 

[BeeJayBee]

I had to look up Jaltomata because I've never heard of it. It's a native of countries between Mexico and Peru and and it's well nigh impossible to buy seeds in Europe. You're very fortunate to have it growing in or near your garden

http://web.ccsu.edu/faculty/mione/descriptionJaltomata.htm

 

[Erichalfbee]

Any chance of a picture of it in a jar?

 

[Swarm]

I remember 'Jimmy' visiting Nepal to harvest honey with the locals. He showed a jar of honey with a red colour. But then, he claimed it was his Ivy honey.

 

[Elaine]

I had to look up Jaltomata because I've never heard of it. It's a native of countries between Mexico and Peru and and it's well nigh impossible to buy seeds in Europe. You're very fortunate to have it growing in or near your garden

http://web.ccsu.edu/faculty/mione/descriptionJaltomata.htm

Thanks - i was just about to look it up