The Colour of Honey

[NigelP]

I was bottling a couple of buckets of honey this morning and thought the colour contrast was quite staggering. Both honeys are from the same apiary but harvested two weeks apart in July last year.
Looks like it will be microscope time and see what pollen we can find that might explain such a difference. They both taste delicious.

[Chrisbarlow]

thats lovely to see and true diversity. I had some buckwheat honey last year and that was near on black and tasted amazing. I look forward to hearing what pollens are in there.

[NigelP]

A quick look seems to suggests the dark stuff is mainly two pollen types about 50:50 (or I'm looking at the same pollen in different orientations........but no blur on the round tyope suggests no . .Haven't a clue what they are, the sausage shaped one could be Horse Chestnut as the grains elongate in honey....but it's a May/June Flowerer.....and this honey is from Late July in North Yorkshire.
Ho Hum,....the joys of pollen identification.

[Patrick]

My July honey is also much darker and has a stronger flavour. I always assumed it was dominated by Blackberry, which is the main thing in flower around here about then. I don’t claim anything on the label obviously and have never wrestled with pollen analysis.

But maybe I am wrong. I have a few unusual nectar and pollen sources locally but I can probably rule out Buckwheat. Probably.

[Chrisbarlow]

the buckwheat honey has a very strong flavour indeed, you would notice the flavour thats for sure.

As for the round circular pollen grain. OSR looks extremely similar. its the correct time frame. just a question of there is OSR in the area.

[Jim Norfolk]

Interesting piece in BeeCraft this month on What's in your honey, about the work of CEH on British honeys looking at pollen DNA. They show a sample of London honey which has nearly 80% Tree of Heaven and nearly 10% privet as well as 34 other species in trace amounts. Tree of Heaven is an invasive non native species and privet is also non native. We had a large Tree of Heaven in our garden and it hummed with bees when in flower in June. I was forever removing its progeny. Privet is one of the species said to give honey an unpleasant taste but is also popular with bees.

They also quote a sample from rural Wiltshire as 40% bramble 24% borage and 20% white clover as well as 21 other sources.

They will analyse the pollen DNA in a sample of your honey as part of their survey see www.honey-monitoring.ac.uk.

[NigelP]

That is interesting JIm, thanks, I shall have to join .

[Patrick]

Whilst up in Herts at the weekend I noticed Yew in flower. Massive clouds of pollen if you got anywhere near it. I assume it is variably toxic to humans but anyone know if bees collect it?

Howes plants and beekeeping only mentions it as a shelter for hives.

[DianeBees]

We had a large Tree of Heaven in our garden and it hummed with bees when in flower in June. I was forever removing its progeny.

Where do I get one?
I might have to find somewhere other than my garden to plant one!
Or not..
It's called the tree of hell.. https://www.independent.co.uk/environment/nature/conservationists-call-for-ban-on-tree-of-hell-that-threatens-to-damage-native-plants-9818530.html

[Chrisbarlow]

Similar is said of himalayan balsam . Personally, I'm a big fan.