Cutout today - OLD honey

[montauk170]

Did a cutout today and found some old honey.
How long does it take for honey to look like this? (the dark stuff)

[Mike Tuggle]

Even for "this year's honey" I believe that the color most often depends on the color of the nectar.  Sumac... red. Buckwheat... brown.  Honey Locust... very light yellow.  Etc....

I don't know how much it can change when still in the comb. 

[AllenF]

Hard to age honey.   It does get darker with age, but it may have been dark honey to start with also.   It does look old.   But still good.   Feed it back to the bees.

[montauk170]

I guess I'm trying to determine the age of the colony living there. I know they have been living there for over 1 year. Trying to figure out if they have been there for 2+ years.
Anyways, I love dark honey!  :-D

[AllenF]

My honey last year was very light, but the year before was very dark.   Both very good.   :-D

[G3farms]

Hard for me to tell, but judge how dark and thick the comb is for aging a hive (not necessarily the colony since the original colony could have been long gone and another swarm moved in the same hive).

Has any of the honey crystallized yet?

Do you see any other honey of the same color that is not fully capped?

[Irwin]

Could it be old comb but new honey.

[gardeningfireman]

The harder the comb, the older it is. If you cant easily squish it, it is probably at least 2 or 3 year old comb. The honey may not be that old though. If it isn't solidified, I would still take it. If it is too thick, just put it out for the bees.