SYRUP HONEY

Dear friends, I kept 4 hives from a borrowed property here in Mukono-central Uganda from 2015 to February 2020. Since the first honey harvest in 2016, the bees were producing honey which was dark in color like beetroot juice.

At first, I was almost fearing to taste the honey thinking that it could be poisoned; the bees could have collected nectar from poisonous flowers. 

So when I recalled that I am in a different location, where the environment and nectar sources are somewhat different from those in Nakasongola, I tasted it. After tasting it, i realized that it could be the reason why the honey has a strange scent and color. 

Well, Cough syrups sold in Ugandan pharmacies and drug shops have a strange scent and color just like the way this honey looks.

We nicknamed the honey; “SYRUP HONEY” because it has a strange taste and color like cough syrups. There is a lot of calliandra weeds in Mukono. The most weeds in Mukono are diffeent from most in Nakasongola. And the bees visit them so much!

It is unfortunate I gave away all my hives because the owner of the land wanted to use it. I miss the syrup honey.

Honey scent in an apiary

I smell Honey!

Just imagine while moving around your apiary and smell honey fumes!

One time I was invited to inspect beehives in a private farm located in Mukono District with over 30 beehives. 

The owner of the farm told me that he has high hopes for harvesting a lot of honey from his bee hives because he smells honey whenever goes close to the bee yard.

Imagine honey was smelling so much that I also smelt it several metres away before reaching the entrance of the apiary.

I was amazed by the words from the farm owner though In the back of my mind i know that when bees are fanning to regulation the hive temperature (and moisture content) there are high hopes of uncapped honey scent to escape.

Also it is possible for uncapped honey to smell than capped honey.

Therefore the implication of the smell is; there is presence of uncapped honey or nectar than honey ready for harvesting.

Finally I opened the first hive and there was only two Combs with uncapped honey. The second hive also had honey on the brood combs and one bar with uncapped honey.

We went to the third and the four until the 30th hive and to surprise you, we never came back with a single comb of honey.

I never told him in the beginning that his bees just have uncapped honey and since they are many in one place, the honey scent becomes strong in the area.

When we got back to his office, I explained to him why he smelt honey in his apiary.

Honey hunters have a myth like when there is honey in the hive, you smell it, well they are right because they find there honey though not ripe honey (capped honey).

Enjoy a spoon of honey everyday.