Harvesting Honey next week or the next.

[bwallace23350]

I just checked and I have a super full of honey and most of it looked to be capped. The true spring flow is not on yet but will be here soon enough, maybe a week or so. I am super excited about this honey as it probably is left over fall honey and orchard bloom honey. I will get it before it gets mixed in with clover honey. It appeared to be pretty dark.

[Van, Arkansas, USA]

BWallace, good, GREAT, for you!!!   For your consideration.  When I extract Honey, I take only capped light colored honey.  Dark Honey is left for the bees.

My bees do not mix different ?colors? types of Honey.  Specifically, I have seen a frame of Honey that looked like a line was drawn in the comb.  Yes, the bees will place dark and light Honey on a single frame, however they will keep it separated.  The Honey is carefully placed in each cell, NOT at random rather a cluster of cells will have the same type, patches may be a better way to describe.

I have seen uniform light colored Honey frames with say a 3 square inch path of dark Honey, the rest of the frame was all light.

I would be courious if other beeks have observed the same: separation of Honey by color which I  am guessing is from different flowers????
Blessings

[bwallace23350]

Why do you take light color honey only? Around here I prefer the darker stuff. My son prefers light honey. I don't am taking him some home for the weekend, not mine but a friends.

[Van, Arkansas, USA]

Just personal taste.  I enjoy buckwheat Honey which is extremely dark.

Favorite honeys:
Tupelo
Sourwood
Acacia (from Europe)
Clover
Knapweed (thistle)
Orange blossom
Buckwheat
Wildflower

These are my favorites, particularly the first three.  The wife and I enjoy Honey every day, gallons a year.

The darker the Honey, supposedly the more antioxidants, thus better for health.  Tupelo Honey does not crystallize due to low glucose and higher in fructose therefore more sweeter.
Cheers

[Dallasbeek]

"you're as sweet as tupulo honey" the song goes.  Songwriter knew his honey, all right!

[Acebird]

If you like baloney and turkey loaf you will like light honey.  If you like liverwurst and roquetfort cheese you will like dark honey.

[cao]

I would be courious if other beeks have observed the same: separation of Honey by color which I  am guessing is from different flowers????
Blessings

I haven't noticed different colors on the same frame, but then I have never really looked.  I have seen some of the flow hive videos where they extract each frame into seperate jars and there is different shades in side by side frames.

By the way, my favorite honey is any honey from my hives regardless of color.  I think honey is like beer.  Some like bud light while others prefer a guiness.

[BeeMaster2]

Van,
I have seen light and dark honey in my Supers. Sometimes on the same frame. Keep in mind, honey in old comb will look like dark honey until you extract it. My wife used to tell me that the capped honey was too dark and we should not extract it. I would open it and show her that it was light and good tasting. We usually mix all of the honey together. Sometimes we will take the time to separate the light and dark honey.
Jim

[tjc1]

I only ever get shades of light honey here - tho as Jim says, I was fooled a few times early on into expecting dark honey from what was just dark comb.

[beepro]

Early this season I learn that honey is good for Spring hive expansion.   So will save some
through out this  season too for splits.   I used to think that every honey frame has to be extracted.