Stinky, I mean stinky honey!

[Perry]

I know all about the Goldenrod smells like gym socks honey, but while I was extracting today I came across one super that was gross. As soon as I started uncapping it I got a distinct "barnyard" smell. It was so bad I only ran those 10 frames in my extractor to keep it separate, and kept it in a bucket all of it's own. It is black as tar and just reeks. I have 1 hive at a friends that planted a bunch of Borage, and another yard of 8 where the english couple planted an acre of Buckwheat.
If I run across anymore supers I will atribute it to the Buckwheat. If it's just the one super in the whole lot it must be the Borage. This stuff is nasty, no other way to put it. I've now got 3 gallons of the stuff and I am not sure I should even sell it I find it so offensive. I would shut down a yard over this stuff.

[Jen]

Wow Perry! What a bummer... I think. Now, I know Manuka honey is very dark and thick as tar, but I've never smelled it. However, it's supposed to have double the medicinal qualities. That's just what I've read. And, people order that honey and pay the price.

    If I were you I would look up what properties borage has that can add to the honey. It may be bad news it may be good.

     I'm very curious to smell this honey myself.

[brooksbeefarm]

I've had both Borage and Buckwheat honey, the borage honey is light in color if i remember right (it's been a while) the buckwheat is dark honey and has a stronger taste, some people love it and some hate it. I put buckwheat out every year (about an acre) and have people ask for it, but i've never noticed any bad smell from it? Of course with only an acre of it and 20 hives working it i can't clam it as solely buckwheat honey, only that it probably has buckwheat in it along with many other things, which i'm thinking is your problem perry. Last year i took off some late honey that was dark and had a gifferent smell to it? (not stinky ) so i taste it an it was bitter , like you i put it by it's self in two 5 gal. buckets and didn't sell it. I forgot about it till i found this summer and was going to give it to the bees till i tasted it again, the bitter taste was gone and it was about as good a honey that i've had? Guess it settled out and cured??  Jack
PS. Don't knock that barnyard smell nowaday, the stronger it smells on the farm the more $$ you'll make. Jack

[Perry]

I have a funny feeling it's the buckwheat. It is OK to the taste, by wow is the sniff test bad. I read somewhere as well that letting it sit for a spell takes care of it so you may be on to something Jack.
(Is it just me or do we actually seem to be agreeing on stuff lately? )

If not, maybe I'll sell it as bakers honey or something. The only way I'd sell it otherwise would be after I let the customer sample it first.

[Jen]

Have you tasted Manuka honey yet Perry? I haven't, was just curious

[Lburou]

There is a honey flow on right now in this area.  My hives smell like a gym bag.  You know, that rank smell of sweaty socks.  Its so bad, everyone here just leaves the honey on over winter for the bees.  Might be a good thing for the  bees though.  Two or three hives still smelled good, but most of them don't.  All the hives will find it eventually.   

[brooksbeefarm]

Could be Perry So you do agree that there's an resemblance between the old Hooty Owl and your Avatar. Your buddy, Jack

[lazy shooter]

Did you use deodorant last Saturday for your bimonthly bath.

[Zweefer]

Use it for mead. The smell will work itself out...

[riverbee]

i have tasted and smelled manuka honey.......

perry,
amazing the work our bees make us do after all their hard work collecting funky smelling nectar to make honey........

we don't have borage, so i am not familiar with that.  i have enjoyed buckwheat honey in the past, (purchased, not from my harvests) but we planted buckwheat this year, a great deal of it, and i can honestly say, i could smell the difference in the aroma from the frames and the taste, and as jack said the 'smell' is not bad.  in all honesty, i like it.  it has a different whiff to it, but nothing i would describe as i would goldenrod or smells badly?. the color of buckwheat is darker and the taste is stronger with a hint of a molasses taste to it. 

i harvest anything with a funkier smell to it separately sometimes, figure it out later. in general i just wind up mixing it all together.

[Lburou]

i harvest anything with a funkier smell to it separately sometimes, figure it out later. in general i just wind up mixing it all together.

In general riverbee, how long does the 'bad' taste take to subside?  I assume your honey buckets are sealed?

thanks 

[brooksbeefarm]

Hey Perry, another thing i forgot to mention is, when i found it both buckets was crystallized, so i put them in my heat box set at 110F for two days with the lids cracked. That may of had a baring on it?? Jack

[riverbee]

"In general riverbee, how long does the 'bad' taste take to subside?  I assume your honey buckets are sealed?"

yes lee, i seal them. as far as the bad taste subsiding? i think jack mentioned this:
" I forgot about it till i found this summer and was going to give it to the bees till i tasted it again, the bitter taste was gone and it was about as good a honey that i've had? Guess it settled out and cured??  Jack"

often times, the honey has more of an aroma to it that makes you wonder, when the taste does not equal the 'smell'.  when i remove the supers, i make sure any frames for example, frames containing goldenrod gets mixed. a method to my madness; i used to mark the supers and which hive they came from. i know the top supers are usually the boxes that contain goldenrod, and you can smell it. the ones on the bottom are basswood or dandelion (that can be bitter and smelly) and basswood, although a great minty honey, it crystallizes. i know that two supers fills a 5 gallon pail. so i will switch frames around in supers and distribute these honeys, or i will mix all the frames up in the supers from one hive. sometimes i will separate and keep a bucket of basswood, or wild bee balm, and this year i did separate the buckwheat.  i have customers asking for it.  if i have frames of capped honey with some uncapped that passes the 'shake test', those also are distributed.  or one can combine pails of something that might not meet your taste test. 

for me, i can't say i have ever held back anything and sat on it. honey is honey and i love it all!

[tbonekel]

There is a honey flow on right now in this area.  My hives smell like a gym bag.  You know, that rank smell of sweaty socks.  Its so bad, everyone here just leaves the honey on over winter for the bees.  Might be a good thing for the  bees though.  Two or three hives still smelled good, but most of them don't.  All the hives will find it eventually.   

I smelled it as well for the first time ever. I'm glad I got to finally experience it! Odd. Anyway, I haven't checked the hives in over a week. They have plenty of room, so it will be interesting to see how much they have gathered in that amount of time. I was wanting to do one more collection this fall and leave them with only two deeps.

[apisbees]

If I know the last honey that is brought in is not as pristine in color and flavor as some of the earlier honeys I will pull the frames of nice honey from the sides of the brood chamber and put the poorer honey in flavour in the brood boxes. This is the reason I like to use deep supers for some of the honey supers also.

[Marbees]

..... This is the reason I like to use deep supers for some of the honey supers also.

Same here, I keep those frames for spring nucs.

[LazyBkpr]

Oh lordy...  I have picked up WAY more deeps filled with honey than i ever care to see again in my lifetime!  Even just ten years ago lifting them wasnt too difficult, but in the last ten years, the actual gravity of the earth has increased due to the distance of the moon increasing in relation to the earth.. What once weighed 100 lbs now weighs twice as much!!!   

[Lburou]

I use deeps as supers as well.  If it gets too much to lift, I use the NUC box I fitted with a flip open top and a handle so you can carry it easily with the top closed to keep bees off the frames.  Five deeps are not too heavy yet. 

[Jen]

Scott- "the actual gravity of the earth has increased due to the distance of the moon increasing in relation to the earth.. What once weighed 100 lbs now weighs twice as much!!!   

      Must have something to do with climate change 

But I hear ya bro!

[Perry]

Scott- "the actual gravity of the earth has increased due to the distance of the moon increasing in relation to the earth.. What once weighed 100 lbs now weighs twice as much!!!   

      Must have something to do with climate change 

But I hear ya bro!

Either that, or he was into the rum when he typed that!