What kind of honey do you think it is

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Carrie Williams

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Sep 21, 2023, 9:37:33 AM9/21/23
to madbees Dane County Beeks

I got fall honey after three of my hives drew out and filled the empty hive bodies I gave them after pulling the honey supers. I was expecting a dark honey but instead got this very light honey. It’s got a really low moisture content 16.6 so it’s trying to crystallize very quickly. It’s been suggested it’s alfalfa honey. I had buckwheat and goldenrod blooming when it was being made 8/15-9/15. So what do you think?
Carrie
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Tom Borchardt

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Sep 21, 2023, 10:09:06 AM9/21/23
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There is a lot in bloom during late summer.  Compass plant, cup plant, asters, etc.  I am getting very light late season honey as well.

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On Thu, Sep 21, 2023 at 8:37 AM 'Carrie Williams' via madbees <mad...@googlegroups.com> wrote:

I got fall honey after three of my hives drew out and filled the empty hive bodies I gave them after pulling the honey supers. I was expecting a dark honey but instead got this very light honey. It’s got a really low moisture content 16.6 so it’s trying to crystallize very quickly. It’s been suggested it’s alfalfa honey. I had buckwheat and goldenrod blooming when it was being made 8/15-9/15. So what do you think?
Carrie

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Paul Zelenski

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Sep 21, 2023, 10:51:04 AM9/21/23
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The ‘traditional’ fall flowers (golden rod, aster) are dark honey. Snake weed also blooms around the same time as you’re describing. I’m not sure why color the honey from that is. I usually don’t collect fall honey, but leave it for the bees. 
It is very likely to be alfalfa, as many farmers let their alfalfa go to bloom this fall. Alfalfa also tends to crystallize quickly. 

On Sep 21, 2023, at 9:09 AM, Tom Borchardt <tomand...@gmail.com> wrote:



Carrie Williams

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Sep 21, 2023, 1:49:44 PM9/21/23
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If the hives had been light, I wouldn’t have taken them, but the hives that drew the comb and filled it have lots of honey. I run three mediums their top one is 55-60lbs, middle is 40-45lbs and their bottom on is the lightest, but has 4-5 frames of capped honey. I gave them empty undrawn frames expecting them to just dink around with them, maybe draw a little comb, I did not expect them to be this productive at the end of the season. Since it seems it wants to crystalize I’ll make creamed honey from it.
Carrie

John Thompson

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Sep 21, 2023, 2:02:27 PM9/21/23
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My second harvest a week ago was dark honey. Many of the supers were "give them space" supers after the original harvest.  They filled them up quickly, and while my big apiary is surrounded by goldenrod,  my 2 backyard hives had a lot of dark honey. Which is a bit unusual.  I dont know what resource they found for it.

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