What to do with ivy honey

[Der Alte Fritz]

We got a good crop of ivy honey this year which has set solid in the foundation. Question is what to do with it?

Can I strip it from the foundation, dilute it a little and then feed it back to the bees or will it just set solid again?

Could I use some of it as cut comb for us to use?

Other ideas?

 

[Chris Luck]

It's really strange from here to see the apparent differences in season and flowering.

One could be forgiven for thinking that because our season starts earlier here and appears to continue to be in advance until a week or two ago that Ivy would be some way away from even flowering in the UK, it has weeks to go here before it starts flowering let alone filling frames and setting.

I'm really interested to know if it's from now or last autumn, and if it's in supers?

Chris

 

[Rich0909]

Ivy definitely a couple of weeks at least from starting to flower here in Suffolk and I would guess it would be earlier here than most parts of the country so presumably the honey is from last year or not ivy?

Best way to use it may be to let the bees have it, put a super under the brood box for the winter and it will be normally be empty, clean and tidy by spring.

Rich

 

[Winker]

Bedfordshire, and its got about a week yet before it comes into flower here

 

[keith pierce]

Are you sure its ivy. Could it the late summer flowering oil seedrape. I got caught with about 2 supers, that have set soild on me

 

[justme]

Mmm, Ivy honey already? I know I said in another thread ivy starting to flower in Newquay already but, that was a tiny area of ivy in a specific place. The rest around here is at least a week or 3 away from flowering. Personally i'm hoping to get a box of ivy honey off for our own use, we , as a family love it. Need to melt it out of the comb though.

 

[itma]

No ivy in flower here (just along the coast).
Surprised if you should already have a crop - and had time for the crop to set.

I'd suggest tasting a sample of it. Then decide whether its for humans or bees!

With adequate availability of water, the bees seem quite good at using 'set' honey. The problem, as I understand it, is when they don't have water and its too cold for them to go out.

 

[Der Alte Fritz]

I am only guessing what it is.
I imagine that it was collected in the Spring but there was no rape around here, we grow sheep and fruit not crops, just some hay. But there was an awful lot of it as we have two full supers - rock hard.

But it has all the characteristics of ivy honey - hard as rock, crystalised form, impossible to extract unless by scrpaing or heating or dissolving.

Thanks for all the suggestions, we will give it back to the bees and see whether they can chisel it out of the foundation by Springtime. Lets hope that they do not find some real ivy!

 

[itma]

Go on, have a taste! Cut comb might not be a bad idea.

 

[keith pierce]

I am only guessing what it is.
I imagine that it was collected in the Spring but there was no rape around here, we grow sheep and fruit not crops, just some hay. But there was an awful lot of it as we have two full supers - rock hard.

But it has all the characteristics of ivy honey - hard as rock, crystalised form, impossible to extract unless by scrpaing or heating or dissolving.

Thanks for all the suggestions, we will give it back to the bees and see whether they can chisel it out of the foundation by Springtime. Lets hope that they do not find some real ivy!

if you got it in late spring then it rape. Dont forget the bees will fly up to several miles to get it.

 

[Chris Luck]

if you got it in late spring then it rape. Dont forget the bees will fly up to several miles to get it.

Has to be OSR and they will as Keith says fly several miles over everything else to get at it.

I put any part crystallised OSR frames back in the supers that go on in early spring, (March in my case), and the bees will take it then. Certainly not a very exciting "cut comb" as far as I'm concerned but each to their own taste.

Chris

 

[Der Alte Fritz]

if you got it in late spring then it rape. Dont forget the bees will fly up to several miles to get it.

Yes I agree except for the fact that I can stand on top of the local hill above the hives and can see to the south nothing but sea, to the west, the town about 2 miles away and the wind farm which is 6 miles away and all the surrouding fields are sheep or hay. To the west it is the same only with more woodland and the view northwards is more restricted but I drive through that area quite a lot and never remember seeing any rape up as far as the ridge which is over three miles away.

If they found it, I do not know where they found it. This area is livestock because it is old marshes and there is no arable farming other than hay making.

Perhaps I will have a drive round next Spring and see if there isn't a sneaky field tucked away in the fold of the ground somewhere.

 

[preyingmantos]

doesnt all honey set if it gets chilled? doesnt have to be OSR and is very unlively to be Ivy unless its from last year

 

[Chris Luck]

doesnt all honey set if it gets chilled?

No, not quite like that. Many honeys will stay liquid in the frame if capped even if taken to quite low temperatures. I have honey like that which is well over a year old in frames in my cool room, break the wax cap and it will run out.

Chris

 

[Tdf]

depends on glucose:fructose ratio

 

[Finno]

If no rape in area, then honey may have come from stands of charlock - any extensive newly laid road verges etc. where soil would have been disturbed ?

P F

 

[Ian Howorth]

Hi All
Just incase anyone is recording where and when ivy is flowering, its been in flower for 2 week in Accrington.

Hope this helps.

Ian.

 

[Der Alte Fritz]

Article in this months BKKA magazine suggests heating the honey to 50 degrees in order to loosen the honey but not the comb.