Cranberry honey

[Oldbee]

Do the bees collect a reasonable amount of nectar from cranberry blossoms? Wisconsin is one of the top states for cranberries and some growers rent hives for the sole purpose of pollination; Michigan, Minnesota and Maine may be some of the others. The reason I am asking is that I recently bought one [$2.59/lb.], 'cranberry honey' just to try it; it really didn't taste different from regular 'store honey'.

[dcross]

I've always heard they practically starve on cranberry bogs. hrug:

[honeyman46408]

I am with U Oldbee I bought some on the east coast and cant tell much differance but my taster dont work to good

[JohnK and Sheri]

I think it depends on the bog and the year. If they are placed where they have no choice but to work the cranberries, AND the cranberries are yielding they might make a little cranberry honey. I have had it, could taste the difference, and liked it. That said, I sure wouldn't put bees in cranberries expecting a honey crop. They usually don't do well at all on cranberries, and there is honey to be made elsewhere that time of year. Especially when the price of the honey you might miss is high, you better be paid well to take them into cranberries.
Sheri

[deknow]

i don't think i'd eat cranberry honey unless i was very sure of the source, and the treatments used on the berries.

dave mendes recently gave congressional testimony, including"

The samples taken while my bees were in Massachusetts cranberries show levels of fungicide in the pollen as high as 7000 ppb.

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&ct=re...mPqk9Ak6-04KIA

deknow

[JohnK and Sheri]

I agree deknow.
In addition to the pollen maybe being contaminated I have heard the water the bees have access to may also have some problems. I know there are organic bogs and that is where I would be wanting to place my bees, if we ever went into cranberries and that is where I would want to buy any cranberry honey.
Sheri

[deknow]

yes...we had a discussion about this on the organic list. i looked up the label for the fungicide that the neighbor of a listmember was spraying with....spray on the open bloom (which is also in a bog...so spray the water too), and no mention of avoiding foraging bees....just don't spray within 30 days of harvest

deknow

[Oldbee]

Thanks for the information. The honey I bought was off to the side in a gourmet section I guess, along with some other varietal honey. It was from a major grocery store. If you 'google' cranberry honey you can see some of it has a reddish tinge, lol.; the one I have is more amber.

honeyman46408: My 'taster' probably doesn't work so good either, lol.

Gee! I didn't know cranberries needed to be sprayed very much. What does that say about eating the fruit itself? And they say it's soo good for you. Oh well. Actually MA., NJ., OR., and WA. are the other states.

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/m...1/ai_n16066298 The honey is not from this beekeeper.