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How do beekeepers make sure the bees that make varietal honey visit only the flowers they’re supposed to?
In theory, bees forage as close to the hive as they possibly can, so beekeepers place hives near the plants they want the bees to visit, according to Daniel Weaver, president of the American Beekeeping Federation. Keepers also take advantage of the fact that specific plants bloom only at certain times of the year. For orange-blossom honey, for example, hives are put in the middle of an orange grove during the period when the trees are flowering. Scout bees find abundant orange-blossom nectar next to the hive and direct forager bees to it. But bees are known to travel miles in search of nectar, so there is no guarantee that some bees won’t feed on other flowers. When a honey was created from a large variety of flowers, it is generally labeled “wildflower honey” (whether those flowers really grow wild or are cultivated), but the USDA has established standards only for honey quality, not for varietal labeling. This means that a dishonest apiary could put whatever name they wanted on any honey. From a trustworthy producer, orange-blossom honey will indeed come predominantly from orange blossoms, but it’s very unlikely that 100 percent of the honey will come from that one type of flower, Weaver says.
I think varietal honey is limited by exactly WHEN the right flowers are in bloom. for example with Tupelo honey, that southeast USA flowering tree influences the honey's taste and consistency and only blooms for a few weeks in the Spring, thus the majority of honey produced is varietal'ly influenced by this timing. It's also why the Spring is the best time to buy Tupelo; not because the new stock...+READ
I think varietal honey is limited by exactly WHEN the right flowers are in bloom. for example with Tupelo honey, that southeast USA flowering tree influences the honey's taste and consistency and only blooms for a few weeks in the Spring, thus the majority of honey produced is varietal'ly influenced by this timing. It's also why the Spring is the best time to buy Tupelo; not because the new stock is plentiful, but rather last years inventory is being cleared out to make room for the new. Thus if you know the timing of the varietal honey of choice, you can get it cheapest right before it's about to be collected anew.-COLLAPSE
I am a beekeeper in Minnesota.
In Europe where they have standards for the labeling of varietal honey, a specified percent of the pollen found microscopically in the honey must be from the plant you are claiming it came from. I beleive that the number of 60% comes to mind.
Organizations like the American Beekeeping Federation represent the feedlot version of keeping bees. The large commercial...+READ
I am a beekeeper in Minnesota.
In Europe where they have standards for the labeling of varietal honey, a specified percent of the pollen found microscopically in the honey must be from the plant you are claiming it came from. I beleive that the number of 60% comes to mind.
Organizations like the American Beekeeping Federation represent the feedlot version of keeping bees. The large commercial beekeepers that make up these organizations sell their honey in bulk to US large packers which frequently blend it with cheap foreign honey until there is little taste, armoa, texture or any identifiable characteristics left.
These organizations thus would like us all to beleive that there is not much difference in honey because they sell a very homogenized product.
So they usually poo-poo varietal or raw honey and like to poke holes in the idea that any honey can be a single flower honey. Its like asking Kemps about the merits of grass fed dairy or Mac&Dons about what they think about 100% beef from grass fed cows.
Single source honey implies one location (or terrior), hive and time period and has a different meaning then single flower honey.-COLLAPSE
Beekeeping in Greece dates back to antiquity.
There are several types of prized honey from different sources. It's identified by color, flavor and even crystallization. Some honey types withstand crystallization.
In Crete, we have an abundance of wild thyme and therefore an abundance of wild thyme honey. Yes, bees might venture off to a wild rosemary or sage plant...no way to control that....+READ
Beekeeping in Greece dates back to antiquity.
There are several types of prized honey from different sources. It's identified by color, flavor and even crystallization. Some honey types withstand crystallization.
In Crete, we have an abundance of wild thyme and therefore an abundance of wild thyme honey. Yes, bees might venture off to a wild rosemary or sage plant...no way to control that. We also have a very rich chestnut honey...which crystallizes easily but is great to just eat with a spoon. It's not cloyingly sweet like US clover honey, for instance.
Beekeepers do change the location of their hives, based on the season and personal preference in the end result. So if they want predominently thyme honey, it's still easy to accomplish if they have space available in the countryside.
Most of the best honey here is not mass produced, and therefore hard to find outside of Greece. But hopefully that will change based on our taste buds for richer and pure honey.-COLLAPSE
I don't think the question was "does variety of flower make a difference?" That's obvious if you take a look/taste around.
My best example would be to compare manuka (dark, caramelly, not overly sweet) and pahutakawe (white, floral, sweet, light) honeys from New Zealand. Two totally different tastes!
If you harbor single-source flower doubts, find a bottle of french chestnut flower honey. The most unusual honey I've tasted, you may not recognize it as honey, the flavor is so unlike the usual.