Honey from a cutout

gardeningfireman · July 01, 2010, 09:54:58 AM

Did a recent cutout. Got 12 pounds of honey. All of the hive's comb was new; white to very light tan. Homeowner said hive was sprayed one time at least five years ago,from the exterior, but not since. This hive looked too light to be that old. Possibly the hive that got sprayed was in different location but used same entrance. What is your opinion on eating this honey? I would think it is okay, and I would hate to pitch it.

iddee · July 01, 2010, 11:13:55 AM

I would eat it. After all, I ate in my mother's kitchen after spraying with DDT and never died more than once.

Relax, the honey is fine.

gardeningfireman · July 01, 2010, 11:21:03 AM

Thanks, I thought so too. After all, look how much crap is sprayed on the produce we eat! :-\

Scadsobees · July 01, 2010, 11:22:16 AM

Yeah;;;; i wou';;;;;;;n't worry;';;;about ti eith'er, I ea't'' honeyc from'''' cutouts';;';that have b''een spraye''d' all th'e' time''';l;;
and it'';;;;;hasn't;;hurt me any'';;;;

:-D

iddee · July 01, 2010, 11:28:51 AM

Scads, keep in mind.....

Bacon has been proven to cause cancer.

Then some smartaleck asked how much.

When the answer was found, for the average human, it was 250 lb. per day for 350 years.

Should I quit eating bacon? After all, it does cause cancer.

harvey · July 01, 2010, 11:35:53 AM

I think bacon only causes cancer when you smoke it!

JP · July 01, 2010, 02:14:35 PM

Fireman, that sounds like a young colony you removed, and I agree whatever was there five years ago was a different colony, likely in another location.

BTW, I try to avoid eating regular bacon and hot dogs. I believe the nitrates or whatever in the stuff gives me headaches, particularly hot dogs.

I pay a little more, but I buy uncured bacon without the nitrates. I rarely buy hot dogs anymore.

...JP

hardwood · July 01, 2010, 04:48:34 PM

Jp, isn't uncured bacon just pork belly? I've taught myself how to cure pork (with all the feral pigs around here it just made sense to do so) and after some trial and error we can now turn out a great product! We cure bacon, ham, jowls, and Canadian style bacon (where is Canadia anyway?). I put lots of honey in many of the cures and most of that comes from known clean cut outs.

Scott

Scadsobees · July 01, 2010, 04:55:45 PM

Quote from: iddee on July 01, 2010, 11:28:51 AM
Scads, keep in mind.....

Bacon has been proven to cause cancer.

No worries, iddee, that just made me laugh so I shared it!!

I'd save the honey too. Wasp spray has a reletively short half life anyway, something like weeks, so 5 years later it wouldn't bother me. Take iddee's advice elsewhere and offer some to the homeowner just in case they are "fudging" the truth.

Rick

gardeningfireman · July 01, 2010, 06:19:32 PM

I gave the homeowner 2 jars of the honey, which she welcomed with open arms (and mouth and stomach!). I had put one of my nucs that I started on April 29 in her backyard in mid-May. It has completely filled 2 deeps and totally packed a 10-frame medium with honey already! I put another medium on it yesterday. Harvesting time will hopefully be next Wednesday. I am totally shocked by how fast this hive has grown!

dp · July 05, 2010, 12:06:49 PM

I also am scheduled to do a cutout that had been "bombed" without success last summer. Should I worry about that honey? If it didin't kill the bees, I'm unsure that any even got to the hive anyway.

JP · July 05, 2010, 08:46:27 PM

Quote from: dp on July 05, 2010, 12:06:49 PM
I also am scheduled to do a cutout that had been "bombed" without success last summer. Should I worry about that honey? If it didin't kill the bees, I'm unsure that any even got to the hive anyway.

How was the pesticide applied? Wasp spray from ten feet away, something sprayed inside the entrance hole? Never trust anything after insecticidal dusts have been applied.

...JP

dp · July 06, 2010, 11:05:30 AM

If you are asking me, it was one of those bug bombs, an off the shelf smoke like or aerosol spray. It is in a column that we are going to do a cutout on, and they placed the bombs at the bottom of the column. I'm not even sure any of the bomb got to the bees. At any rate, there was little or no effect on the bees.

It's probably not even worth the risk though.

beekeeper1756 · July 06, 2010, 07:05:46 PM

Scadobees, You make me scream laughing... :-D :-D :-D

I thought your post was funny as can be and I took it that way. Hysterical.

I would go ahead and eat the honey from the new comb, however, I seriously think about eating any honey from the cutout that had the bug bomb applied to it last year.

I'd ask lots of questions and want to be sure before I ate any of the honey, especially from that last hive. New comb and such...go for it.

AllenF · July 06, 2010, 07:10:46 PM

Just think about all that's in the honey we import from India, Asia, and below the border.

beekeeper1756 · July 07, 2010, 12:37:51 PM

AllenF, You make an excellent point and one I had never considered. Now, I have this thought running around in my head...thanks so much.

:-D

D Coates · July 07, 2010, 01:46:53 PM

Quote from: JP on July 01, 2010, 02:14:35 PM
I pay a little more, but I buy uncured bacon without the nitrates. I rarely buy hot dogs anymore.
...JP

Cooks Illustrated just did an article on "uncured bacon". My wife was buying it too thinking it was healthier. What they found is that celery juice is used as the cure as it has natural nitrites and does the same thing. Ironically, when cooked the nitrites convert to nitrates and the uncured bacon has more nitrates in the end than the cured product.

I may have gotten my nitrites and nitrates backwards but bottom line is when cooked it's got more of the bad stuff than "cured" bacon. Like anything, do it in moderation. Mm mm, bacon...