Nasty Honey

[wayacoyote]

Last night, we extracted honey from a yard that produced our tastiest honey last year. There is something in 2 of the combs that wasn't worth tasting. It was like eatting a green persimmon! Fortunately, we caught the 2 combs. However, while bottling, I think some got through. I took a taste 3/4 way into the run and found that flavor again. What is it?

The yard is near some forest and open fields. I think I've lost the whole batch.

[AstroBee]

I can't identify the source, but I also had some really bad honey last year. It came from hives at three different sites and was collected after my main spring flow and before the cotton flow. My spring honey was great, just the stuff pulled late was really nasty. It had a terrible aftertaste! When first in your mouth is wasn't bad, but then you got hit with a nasty aftertaste - hard to describe, but almost tasted like spoiled meat smells. All my colonies are healthy and I didn't loose any this past winter. My spring honey this season tastes very good, so there apparently is something out there that occurs under special conditions. Sure wish I could figure it out. We had a bad drought late spring and all summer last year which could have led to the problem. Last year was the first time I had ever tasted something like this - hope I never taste it again. Also, it seemed to get worse the longer the honey aged (<17% moisture).

What flavor would you use to describe your nasty honey?

[MapMan]

I referenced this in an earlier posting, but I'll repeat it here, especially when the bees have to forage in drought-stricken areas:

Maybe it is "honeydew" secretion honey instead of nectar honey. This can be the case where/when nectar producing plants are scarce, such as in a drought (it has been dry in your area, right?). This type of "honey" is very dark and poorly flavored.

The bees are in it to survive, and with no nectar, they have to find some energy food, even if it is the secretions of aphids or other sap-sucking homopterans.

MM

(http://www.beesource.com/forums/editpost.php?do=editpost&p=328237)

[dmacmtb]

Mountain Laurel & Rhododendrum will produce bitter honey.

-dmacmtb

[tecumseh]

if you were here wayacoyote I would suggest either bitterweed or pin oak. bitterweed is pretty wide spread over much of the south and can be especially prominent in pastures (especially those rarely cut).

[wayacoyote]

Tecumseh,
yeah, it's not bitterweed (I grew up with bitterweed).

My wife said she heard something about black cherry being nasty. We haven't had a shortage of blooms this year. Bees are swarming like crazy. And honey is coming in heavy, so I don't think it could be drought-induced honeydew...

Aftertaste: it makes me think I've dumped my smoker ashes into the hive.

Mountain Laurel & Rhododendrum, it could be these considering my location. These have bloomed wonderfully this year.

[Sambee]

I was under the impression that rhododendron honey was also posionous or toxic as well as bad tasting, from this article that lsited some sources of possible toxic honey. Mountain Laurel is also listed. Not sure how much of the plant needs to be used to taint the honey though, just an FYI.


http://www.ibiblio.org/pub/academic/agriculture/entomology/beekeeping/general/bees_history/toxic_honey.txt

[AstroBee]

Sambee,

Yes, I was aware of the problems with rhododendron and mountain Laurel, but I don't believe, at least for my case, that is was the cause of the taste problem. I consumed a fair amout of this bad tasting honey and had no ill effects at all. There was no bitter taste either.

[Sambee]

thats good to hear! :)

[hummingberd]

I also noticed a yucky tasting honey on one of my frames. I was wondering if maybe it could be old sugar syrup? This came from a chunk of comb I removed from a frame. This was definitely brood comb. But up in the corners was a few cells filled with liquid that I thought must have been nectar. I tasted it, but afterward wished I hadn't!