Strong smelling honey

[Rock_Chick]

Over the years of having bees, most of my honey comes from Himalayan balsam, which is very light honey, but this year the honey seems dark and strong smelling, Any ideas could be ivy ? Lots of white pollen going in the hives at the moment.

 

[Ian123]

Ivy has only just started so presuming you mean summer crop not very likely. Any sweet chestnut in your area. There was a good flow in my area from them this season.

 

[WoodenBeam]

Buckwheat? Can’t mistake it - smells like pig slurry.

Edit: Actually can’t be buckwheat as you wouldn’t be querying colour you’d be querying why it smelt so bad

 

[Rock_Chick]

Ivy has only just started so presuming you mean summer crop not very likely. Any sweet chestnut in your area. There was a good flow in my area from them this season.

This honey is only from 2 weeks ago, they filled new supers even drawing wax from foundation

 

[Amari]

Buckwheat? Can’t mistake it - smells like pig slurry.
Edit: Actually can’t be buckwheat as you wouldn’t be querying colour you’d be querying why it smelt so bad

Nah! Buckwheat honey is the Nectar of the Gods [my avatar shows the crop]. Flowers late July-early September. It has a delicious strong smell.

 

[Ian123]

This honey is only from 2 weeks ago, they filled new supers even drawing wax from foundation

What’s around your site then farmers fields or town.

 

[Rock_Chick]

What’s around your site then farmers fields or town.

They is no arable farms near growing crops. I’m On the edge of town with a canal close by, plenty of woodland

 

[user 819]

For dark honey then honeydew may be from woodland esp if the woodland is pine/fir trees, dark honey dew from these is late summer forage.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

This honey is only from 2 weeks ago, they filled new supers even drawing wax from foundation

sounds like Balsam to me, whenever I've had it it's been a medium colour rather than light. Maybe what you had before was Clover

 

[Brenda]

Knotweed is amber in colour and is producing now here.

 

[polomadh]

Balsam is characteristically very pale, with almost white capping. I have the same experience as you this year, with honey that is that dark I can enter into a honey show class other than “light” and expect the DNA analysis to say less than 95% balsam!
Had a lot of heather in the supers for the first time ever which is a real surprise. I thought I was going a little mad at first as nothing was coming out from the radial extractor.

the Ivy has just started this weekend

 

[victor meldrew]

Balsam is characteristically very pale, with almost white capping. I have the same experience as you this year, with honey that is that dark I can enter into a honey show class other than “light” and expect the DNA analysis to say less than 95% balsam!
Had a lot of heather in the supers for the first time ever which is a real surprise. I thought I was going a little mad at first as nothing was coming out from the radial extractor.

the Ivy has just started this weekend

I’m glad I’ve removed my supers in time
not the best nectar to get in your supers

 

[elainemary]

Over the years of having bees, most of my honey comes from Himalayan balsam, which is very light honey, but this year the honey seems dark and strong smelling, Any ideas could be ivy ? Lots of white pollen going in the hives at the moment.

Over the years of having bees, most of my honey comes from Himalayan balsam, which is very light honey, but this year the honey seems dark and strong smelling, Any ideas could be ivy ? Lots of white pollen going in the hives at the moment.

As you’re in Lancs, was the honey collected in Aug / early sept? If you’re near heather could be this. V strong scent

 

[Rock_Chick]

As you’re in Lancs, was the honey collected in Aug / early sept? If you’re near heather could be this. V strong scent

Yes late Aug/September, possibly heather then. It’s not a nice honey smell, but it tastes lovely.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Heather honey smells amazingly wonderful. Strong, spicy woody and fruity. I certainly wouldn’t describe it as “not nice”
If you have heather in your supers it won’t spin out.