Q`s on types of honey

[simpleman]

I have been taking that alot of you farmers out there are naming your honey
popular, blackberry, clover and so on. and alot of these blooms don`t stay around long.
My Q is : when I start extracting honey from my hive, do I need to start after each flower comes into bloom?
One plant won`t stay in bloom as long as others. Apples don`t stay in bloom as long as the blackberries will and clover is about longest of all.
I am going to check my bees today to see about my 80percent coverage to add a med to their box.
what all should I bee looking for besides maybe another rouge bee to sting me in the back of the head.
and thanks guys I enjoy the help!

[Oldbee]

I can only speak for my area and the predominant honey producing plants that grow here. A beekeeper would have to know what plants are producing nectar within that 2009.6 acres [1 mile radius] and the acreage for a particular plant or plants if it were "wildflowers", would have to be fairly large. For example, near my area by the Wisconsin river, there are a lot of Basswood trees that grow along the river valley. If the hives are located near that source the honey could be labled "Basswood". If hives are located near a fruit grower with a few acres of black raspberry or near woods/fields where there are a lot of these plants growing, it could be called "black berry/raspberry" honey. I would guess the same holds true for areas where "orange blossom" or "sourwood" honey is produced.

I have seen honey at farmers markets that are "labeled" as being from quite a few particular plants like pumpkin, thistle, etc. I suppose a beekeeper could have a few hives very near a particular type of plant or near an area where it is being grown commercially. If one were to label that honey as coming from a particular plant I imagine it would have to removed at a "reasonable" time after the plants had stopped blooming and it is capped.

[Swobee]

Trying to extract after various blooms may not work out. It's just all too likely that the honey may not be capped or 'ripe' enough to extract. That said, you could tell customers the primary flora types that your bees were able to work and call it what it is- no guarantee that this or that flower is the only flower source your honey could contain. I don't know the rules for labeling honey as a single flower source, so I just honestly tell everyone that our bees are "free range".

One apiary started out on apples (dandelions simultaneously) and now they're in clover heaven. The first alfalfa cutting just happened and there was some bloom there prior. In three-four weeks, they'll have to be foraging on something else all together. The hives have been in the same location all spring. They're also within 1/2 mile of a housing development and have all the yard, garden and ornamental flowers to gather from. That said, I will open some hives after clover and see how t hey've come along. I do like early season honey here: it's lighter in color and so beautiful. But it's no where near as robust in flavor as the darker later season honey.

[Oldbee]

If a beekeeper were able to have the hives on a trailer, or something else that was easy to transport he/she could gradually move them north [for my area] with the season and obtain a varietal honey as the blooming progressed. Maybe by that time the honey would be capped. You wouldn't need too many hives to obtain a few hundred pounds for the market and garner a "premium price" for that honey. Maybe an "idea" for a beekeeper with a "few hives" like myself, rather than shipping off my three hives to LA.,.. for an "almond contract", Lol.

[hankdog1]

Shouldn't matter much because most people just go on color anyways for some odd reason they think the lighter aber colors are the best. :D Most have no idea what thier missing out on with the darker honeys. Of course the good thing is leaves more for me.

[RAlex]

When a buyer at the flea market asks what kind of honey is in a particular jar or what is the differance. I explain that when I take off my spring honey it is mostly berrie or wild flower, in july we often have very good basswood as well. Last year we had a great locust bloom. I do explain that the name/source is usually what I believe it to be based on experience and when I took it of the hives. I clearly state that there may be other honey mixed in with the primary source.Bamboo is relatively easy to identify , it blooms before the aster and goldenrod honey.Aster is a light honey it crystalizes as you take it from the extractor(joking),but makes good creamed honey.The yellow wax and stinky sock scent is a good indicator that they are bringing in Goldernrod...Hope this helps Rick

[BEES4U]

Mixed floral honey is a common catch all.
I use to sell honey to a company and it was Mixed Floral. No, it was mostly orange! 80% orange & 20% mustard + sage.
Shallow supers help to separate the honey types.
I wish some manufacturer of plastic frames would offer the shallow frames.
But, I know the injection mold will cost mega millions.
Regards,
Ernie Lucas Apiaries

[Michael Bush]

I don't get anything I can distinguish here, except maybe, some years, soybeans. Otherwise it's always some mixture of wildflowers, alfalfa, etc.