Really bad smelling honey

[Toni Downs]

We were extracting Friday and in one frame there is a patch (about 2/3 of the frame) that is extremely dark and smells like poop. I'm not joking, it's not dirty sock smell like goldenrod, it's poop. I'm going to cut it out and bring some to EAS.

I've talked to one other beekeeper that says he's found small amounts of the same but neither of us know the source. Any guesses? Does buckwheat have a bad odor before extracting?

[MasterBee]

To me is sounds like the honey has odor attached to it, but i don't believe the root of the smell is honey. I believe you have American Foulbrood disease in your hive.

Basic telling if you have (AFB) is there's a sulfurous odor of decay, almost like a chicken house smell.

It is a disorder restricted to brood, but adult bees play a role in the disease cycle by spreading the highly and long lived spores. its recommended you burn such hives. Best way to confirm this is by doing a ropy test, Take a small stick and twirl it around inside a brood cell. When you pull the stick out the brood is stringy and ropes out about an inch or more then you know your hive are positive for the (AFB)

[Toni Downs]

No, it's not AFB--how can it be? The smell is coming from the exact location of the honey in the frame where we've broken the capping when removing the frame from the super.

No smell in the brood chamber, none in other locations of the hive. And it smells like poop, not AFB (seriously, it smells like poop.)

[MasterBee]

I would not eat the honey then, get it over to some one that can PHYSICALLY inspect it.

[Bee Man]

I'm guessing the honey is dark - most likely bamboo honey or even buckwheat honey which is pitch black.

Glenn

[DRUR]

"Kebler was fortunate enough to investigate some of the poisonous honey following a case of poisoning in New Jersey. He examined a part of the comb of the dark honey which had a light brown color and a nauseating odor, pungent taste, caused a burning sensation in back of the mouth similar to that of aconite. Persons who partook of a small amount of this honey began to cough immediately." American Honey Plants, by Frank C. Pellett, page 205.

[KQ6AR]

I doubt buckwheat, Its one of my favorites.
Doesn't smell anything like poop.