Mountain Laurel - What to Do?

[HopValley]

Hi Folks,

  Just bought a small farm in Southern Rhode Island and was excited to move my bees here.  Unfortunately, the property and hundreds of acres around it are loaded with mountain laurel and rhododendron.  I know it can lead to poisonous honey, but was wondering if there was anyway I could still get some honey for myself.  I'm a relative beginner, and never tried collecting for specific blooms.  Any thoughts on 'best' practices?  I don't want to risk making anyone sick.

  Thanks!

[Michael Bush]

I've never heard of anyone actually having issues, but you could carefully sample a very small amount of honey after harvest to decide if it's got any bad effects.  They sell that kind of honey in Turkey at a premium as an aphrodisiac.

[sc-bee]

Usually won't work it unless there is a shortage of other sources.

[HopValley]

So neither of you think it'll be a problem?

[LoriMNnice]

I've never heard of anyone actually having issues, but you could carefully sample a very small amount of honey after harvest to decide if it's got any bad effects.  They sell that kind of honey in Turkey at a premium as an aphrodisiac.

After a careful sampling..you just might end up with a smile on your face

[sc-bee]

In SC we have a corner that is in the Blue Ridge and Smokey mountains. Of course the area is full of mountain laurel. I live in the mid-state and we have no mountain laurel but I know a few that go up for the sourwood. Also we have a joint state meeting in Clemson which is on the edge of this mountain area. I have not been keeping but 7 years but in that seven years they have only mentioned the bees working it heavily (enough to influence the flow) one year. That year we were in an extreme nectar shortage of other sources. They worked it heavier than usual that year.

I have read the reports of it making folks sick but have never heard anyone say it actually did. I have heard the guy over the program refer to the literature but that is all. However I have heard them say the honey was not very palatable at all--- very bitter. On a side note they refer to it as Mother-in-Law Honey :-D

Here is a blog entry from that year from a Pickens County beekeeper:

http://www.pickenscountyscbeekeepers.com/MLH.html

I would not be concerned about it as a whole but i guess this situation could arise however rare. Good Luck!

[Michael Bush]

http://www.thepoisonreview.com/2011/06/23/mad-honey-and-history/
http://apitherapy.blogspot.com/2011/12/mad-honey-aphrodisiac-leads-to-heart.html
http://200.55.58.50/Producciones/Danny_Zuckerbrot/mad_honey_a_study_danny_z.pdf

[HopValley]

Thanks everyone.  I'll bring them here but be pretty careful about things.  It sounds like the taste is unmistakable, so it shouldn't be hard to tell if there's a problem. 

[Lone]

You could look for another site to take them just while the mountain laurel is blooming. 

Lone

[sc-bee]

The Mountain Laurel areas I have seen have a pretty long bloom period. I think mostly because of the way the sun hits in different spots on the mountain area and the change in elevation on the same ridge.

[deknow]

...you could carefully sample a very small amount of honey after harvest to decide if it's got any bad effects. 

...or any good effects!  You could package it in little blue bottles :)

deknow

[JackM]

Hmmmm Rhododendren grows wild all over around here in PNW. 

I glanced at the links, and only got what can happen.  Do the bees choose other sources of pollen and nectar if there are other species besides the poisonous ones?  I mean really, there are so many sources here why go to poisonous ones?

[windfall]

I was lazy and didn't follow the links, but is it poison to the bees? Lots of plant toxins are aimed at specific families of animals. We are talking about pretty different physiology here ;)

[sc-bee]

Not poisonous to the bees and they prefer to work another source if one is available.