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What's a kudzu?

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Muirghein Tarot

NewBee
Registered Member
May 28, 2006
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What's a kudzu?

Since we have beekeepers from all over the place I thought I would ask. Do any of you know of a source of kudzu honey. The one that I thought I had has dried up. My local HBS did sell it but their supplier go cut off from his source when he started telling lies. He was getting it from North Carolina but telling every one it was local and his bees. The supplier heard and shut off the honey tap.

The description I was given was it's a dark honey with a almost purple hue. The sent is jasmine like and the taste is very floral. She said it made such good mead they could hardly keep it in the store.

To me it would seem like the idea honey sorse for anyone in the south. The quick growing sh*t is every where!

Well hope you can help.

second question

I heard someone mention Black honey. It's suppose to come from a type of honey bee that is much darker than the standard European bee. Is this something that is true or was someone trying to pull my leg?

Thanks,
Tarot :icon_pirat:
 

kace069

NewBee
Registered Member
Mar 21, 2004
470
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Re: What's a kudzu?

Well you have stumped me. I have never heard of either of the topics of your questions. Did you google?
 

Muirghein Tarot

NewBee
Registered Member
May 28, 2006
207
0
0
53
Re: What's a kudzu?

Most of the searches I have done are not very conclusive. There is kudzu honey out there but it seems to be very rare. The home brew store wanted 5 dollars a pound for it. Some years there is a crop and some years there is not from what they said.

And a search for black honey got me some very interesting results as far as things dark and sweet, but nothing I can use in Mead.

Thanks
Tarot. :icon_pirat:
 
T

The Honey Farmer

Guest
Guest
Re: What's a kudzu?

Hey Tarot, someone was pulling your leg. :laughing7: Bees don't color the honey, it depend on the floral source. Eastern Buckwheat is very dark and Yellow Sweetclover is very light. Just two different flowers. BTW What types of black honey did you find with your search??? lol

Bee cool, Dennis
 

kace069

NewBee
Registered Member
Mar 21, 2004
470
0
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Re: What's a kudzu?

So I did my first honey extration, by hand. What a mess that was. But when I got to my last frame I came across some "black honey" I guess.
At least that is how it looked. I was really surprised when I started uncapping it. If I remeber right this frame was foudation earlier this year and has never been used as brood comb. I may be mistaken. The comb is pretty dark and it may have been brood chamber comb and don't remember shuffling it from one hive to another.
Here is a pic of this frame and the one before it.
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/kace069/detail?.dir=/39b2re2&.dnm=15b9re2.jpg&.src=ph

My fingers were covered in honey so I couldn't really differentiate the tastes between the two. But the change in color was startling and made me think of this post.

Obviously something was in bloom and the girls got a whole frame of it, prolly close to 6# of honey there.

Anyways it was pretty surprising to me and thought I would share it.
Although it is possible that it is old brood comb full of honey. I am still trying to remember, especially with where it was placed in the hive body.
 
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