Red Honey

[Romahawk]

Tried doing a search several different ways but found nothing on the subject of Red Honey. These darn BB don't have a great search function.

Anyway I opened up the hives this afternoon for my little monthly check and found a couple of frames half full of uncapped red honey and it got me a tad nervous as the first thing that came to mind was another thread on bees and anti freeze. I have an auto salvage yard about a mile and a half from my hives and I'm wondering if that is the source of the red honey or if there are plants here in the north east and more specifically northern New York that might be producing a red nectar?

[Brian D. Bray]

I believe if it were antifreeze your hive would be vacant--space for let.  The color of the honey is always a reflection of the nectar source(s).  Depending on the concentration of nectars in a given area the honey can range in color from nearly clear to black and every shade in between.
Ask yourself if there has been a different crop than normal grown in your area and that is probably your source or cause of the red honey.

[Romahawk]

Only other thing I can think of is a lot of wild purple flowers that grow along a stretch of swamp that runs for a mile or so along the road near here. Seems the only thing being planted the last few years here is corn. With the old Miller brewery being converted to an ethenol plant and two new ones being constructed here in New York even waste land is being reclaimed and dairy farmers are switching to crop farming. If it keeps up bees will be hard pressed to make their own living let alone provide some extra for sale and personal use in my area.

[melliphile]

Staghorn sumac honey is red.  If it is Sumac, I'd love to try some. :D

[danno1800]

Those swamp plants are real good honey soources. They are considered an invasive plant, but the bees love them. The red honey my bees have been making comes from the sumac tree. It tastes GREAT & my customers love it once they try a spoonful. I hope that helps!

[jaime]

Colonies of mine some years back made red honey when yellow poplar was nearest and fullest nectar source, so I assumed that was the honey "flavor".  Delicious, by  the way.

[danno1800]

Yeah, I did get some delicious reddish honey when the poplar flow was on here a few months ago. Probably a little late for this red honey to be from tulip poplar, though. I sure wish it DID bloom all summer...we'd all be happier then!

[Romahawk]

If Staghorn Sumac honey is red that could be it. Several diary farmers around here have converted to growing corn and their upper pastures and medows that are a bit hard to get to with their equipment have been let go for several years and there are tons of Sumac trees popping up all over.  Have to keep my eye on the frames and see what it tastes like when they get capped.

On another note a friend who lives about twenty miles away stopped by today to chat and he said he has green honey in a couple of his hives and he said that last year he had some deep purple and black honey so I feel a lot better about the whole thing now. Wife tells me I'm a worry wort...  

[KONASDAD]

Just to day I was in the National Bison Range in Montana and outside the park the store had two types of honey. One was almost black, Huckleberry. The other was light red and from chokecherry. Almost seethrough.