Wild Honey and how to get it

[DrAndy]

so first you have to spot the Beehouse

it is in the Bouganvillea, just above the worker's right hand (yellow colour)




here is a closer shot (as close as I was getting)

the guy lit a cigarette and blew the smoke over the comb




lots of happy bees, narcotised




he carefully took it down from the bush, breaking the bee glue




then the farmer scraped off the bees. They are a very small variety but still have a good sting





the cleaned comb




the honey from the storage cells






This type of honey is best at this time of year, really tasty , not watery or too sickly sweet. There are unscrupulous people who will try to sell you "wild honey" but a lot of it is not that at all

[palexxxx]

mmm... making my mouth water.

[beazalbob69]

I have had it once. FIL got it from a hive in the jungle near a river we were staying at. small bees amazingly good honey best I have ever had. farmed bee honey doesnt even come close. I would have to guess this is much more healthy than farm honey also.

[somtamslap]

Rather topical from my point of view. Must be the season. The local shopkeeper is out everyday at the moment looking for new hives in the jungle.

Can't beat munching on fresh honey comb.

[Latindancer]

I kept a beehive once. The smoke does not directly sedate them....they think there is a fire approaching and quickly eat a lot of nectar in order to abandon the hive and start elsewhere. The huge meal of nectar makes them dopey.
The word is that they get really irritated by cigarette smoke, but I guess it works sometimes. My bees were a stroppy breed and sometimes attacked me even after smoking.

[Necron99]

^ Well you are pilfering their hard won vomit.
Have to expect a bit of resistance wouldn't you.

[2Prick]

Wild honey.

Quite literally, THE bee's knees.

Great pics, Andy!

[DrAndy]

thanks all, and thanks especially to the bees!

[Rural Surin]

mmm... making my mouth water.

Indeed.
One of nature's purer foods full of nutrient necessities.

There are claims that wild honey is more beneficial than it domestic counterpart.

[cdnski12]

GF & I bought some wild bee honey at a roadside stand in Laos near Thakhek. It was extremely sweet and had a nutty flavor. Quite dense. Excellent on German Pumpernickle Bread from Makro!

[ossierob]

yes delicious....the native variety of honey back in Australia seems to be the preferred over the imported honey bee honey in peoples opinion

[Necron99]

By taking a hive, aren't you basically wiping out a generation or colony of bees?
Eco friendly?

[natalie8]

Great thread, thanks DrA! I've been back in Dubai since November and I've had honey on my shopping list, but I haven't found any that I trust to be good, or if it is, like manuka honey, it's too expensive.

On the topic of honey, there used to be a shop in the building beside us that sold honey from Yemen. It is recognized as the best, in this area at least. I was at Dubai Mall the other day, and there is now a stand that sells different varieties of Yemeni honey. They gave free samples and explained why the honey from southern Yemen is superior.

Anyway, I'm digressing. Great thread!

[DrAndy]

By taking a hive, aren't you basically wiping out a generation or colony of bees? Eco friendly?

it is not really a hive but a colony

after we removed the comb, the bees were put on the ground and they gradually flew away, presumably with the queen, to start a new home

[DrAndy]

Great thread, thanks DrA!

thanks

They gave free samples and explained why the honey from southern Yemen is superior.

I remember in Oman the hilltribes had bees inside treetrunks. I am not sure where they fed
In Portugal they have normal hives and put them in areas of just one flower, like orange blossom or DogRose etc

I suppose the secret to good honey is let the bees do it all themselves without feeding them sugars, which the big producers do

[Nomaifalang]

When I was younger my family had about 30 beehives. During my travels I have had honey from all over the world and from my younger years have learned what the differences are from some types of honey as compared to others. As for the best honey in the world IMHO, there is a type that only comes from Southern California named "Black Button Sage" that is the best. The black button sage flower only grows in a very small area in southern California. The honey is a very light color and has a mild taste. You know how honey will crystallize after it sits for some time? This honey for some reason will never crystallize. I keep several jars of this honey at all times just in case there is a shortage which does happen due to the small area that this flower grows in.

[Jasper]

I kept a beehive once. The smoke does not directly sedate them....they think there is a fire approaching and quickly eat a lot of nectar in order to abandon the hive and start elsewhere. The huge meal of nectar makes them dopey.
The word is that they get really irritated by cigarette smoke, but I guess it works sometimes. My bees were a stroppy breed and sometimes attacked me even after smoking.

We had a few hives when I was a kid in Southern California and I think you are correct.. it makes them sleepy to eat the nectar. The key was always to smoke them enough to get them ALL sleepy. Not always easy. Result: I once had one fly up my nose and sting. !!! At any rate, we had an avocado farm and avocado honey tasted like molasses. Sepp sepp!

[Thaiedward]

I've been reading several, disturbing reports about the "Beepocalypse" coming down the pike as a result of pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers. Some say that 84% of our foodstuffs are tied to the bees' pollination efforts and that we should anticipate food shortages in the not-too-distant future.

[DrAndy]

yes, I am stocking up aleady

just been down the market and bought a load of apples,grapes, strawberries, avocados, tomatoes, pears and a pineapple

[Orrens]

Heres a possible resource: The Sun Hive: experimental Natural Beekeeping « Milkwood: permaculture farming and living

My thoughts were similar to a bird box in the garden but after X amount of time you harvest the honey.

Something to consider as I sip homemade wine in my future garden.

Orrens