# Do olives really produce nectar?



## Honey-4-All (Dec 19, 2008)

There is an ad on here from someone selling "olive" honey. When I first saw it I thought it was a joke. Then I realized it might be imported. For the life of me I have never ever seen anyone selling such before. ( nor produced it as far as I know here in the US)

To all my dear friends in Fresno, Tulare, Madera, or Kern Counties does anyone ever actually produce this stuff? In the US? For the 20 years I went to the citrus we were often parked in the olives or next door to them. As the bees wrapped up the citrus the olives usually came on and the bees would work them for pollen but I can't ever recall a "flow" off of the olives? 


I'm lost on this one. Help!!!!!!!!


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## Laurence Hope (Aug 24, 2005)

My experience echoes yours.
I would like to hear of where the Olive honey you saw is supposed to come from.
I would also like to hear of anyone making olive honey.


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## Honey-4-All (Dec 19, 2008)

http://www.beesource.com/forums/showthread.php?290911-Honey-Hive-Farms-bulk-honey-for-sale


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## Laurence Hope (Aug 24, 2005)

Thank you. I think I'll inquire regarding it.


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## Ishi (Sep 27, 2005)

Just a guess but could it be Russian Olive?


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## RayMarler (Jun 18, 2008)

Yes I've heard of it but not seen it myself. Here is a link I found by searching...
http://forum.beemaster.com/index.php?topic=22492.0
It is Russian/Autumn olive, and invasive bush.

I first heard of this from a member in our chat room that was in S. Carolina and she said the bees were all over it in the fall. It was her main flow in the fall for winter stores.


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## westernbeekeeper (May 2, 2012)

I made over 100 lbs of honey from the Russian Olive tree flow this spring. Very early, and very light.


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## bigbill (Sep 27, 2009)

same experience as your just get pollen at end of orange flow


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## Honey Hive Farms (Nov 1, 2012)

I traded westernbeekeeper a hive tool for some of his honey up in Colorado, it is pretty good and nice color. 
Thanks westernbeekeeper, may have to get some more.


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## Honey-4-All (Dec 19, 2008)

Honey Hive Farms said:


> I traded westernbeekeeper a hive tool for some of his honey up in Colorado, it is pretty good and nice color.
> Thanks westernbeekeeper, may have to get some more.


So.... Is the olive honey you listed for sale olive honey made from the nectar off of the tree of which some of us eat the fruit or is it from a different tree? US produced? Still shaking my head in confusion over this one?


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## Honey Hive Farms (Nov 1, 2012)

"We have a lot of Russian Olive trees and the whole neighborhood smells great when it is in bloom. It blooms here about the same time as Black Locust but I wish it didn't. The Russian Olive honey has a nice flavor but there is an after taste that I cannot describe and I do not like (luckily it is subtle). Black Locust, on the other hand, is a premium honey that is water white and is one of the best in the world. If Russian Olive honey was on my toast I would eat it and enjoy it, but I would fight over the toast with locust honey."


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## Honey Hive Farms (Nov 1, 2012)

Russian Olives as a nectar/pollen source ,an old post on bee source


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## Rader Sidetrack (Nov 30, 2011)

I was just researching that issue. See this thread, particularly post #6:

http://www.beesource.com/forums/showthread.php?249784-Russian-Olives-as-a-nectar-pollen-source


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## Honey-4-All (Dec 19, 2008)

Honey Hive Farms said:


> Russian Olives as a nectar/pollen source ,an old post on bee source



So its not the fruit version of an "olive." Appreciate the clarification


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## jjgbee (Oct 12, 2006)

That might be like Coffee honey from the mountains and valleys of California and Arizona. Along with many other wild claims of honey from now defunct, Western Commerce Honey Co in Industry CA. OH yea Black sage was 2 parts tank #1 and 1 part of tank #2


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## loggermike (Jul 23, 2000)

Olives grown for fruit-Olea europaea

Russian olive -Elaeagnus angustifolia(Its common name comes from its similarity in appearance to the olive (Olea europaea), in a different botanical family, Oleaceae.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elaeagnus_angustifolia

Apples and oranges.

As for coffeeberry honey, I produce tons of it most years and its a big seller. Coffeeberry has nothing to do with the Coffee plant,(which also produces honey where it is grown). Coffeeberry (http://www.laspilitas.com/nature-of-california/plants/rhamnus-californica) is a native shrub that produces lots of dark honey.

So if they called it coffee honey that was bogus alright....


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## Vance G (Jan 6, 2011)

The Russian olives here don't seem to get worked because other things the bees like better are also blooming. Leafy spurge which is a truly nasty honey or dandelions are both much more attractive to the bees apparently when it blooms here. Wish it were otherwise we have a lot of it.


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## Jacobee (Dec 27, 2011)

jigbee , i don't think wcc is defunct , they were still there last time i stopped in to see if they were buying honey, that is when i figured out there operation


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## DRAKOS (Oct 17, 2011)

There are billions of olive-trees in Greece. There is not even a single kgr of olive-honey in the market. The bees ignore their flowers, even in full blossom. They have no nectar, and their pollen is very poor in nutricients.


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## Honey-4-All (Dec 19, 2008)

DRAKOS said:


> There are billions of olive-trees in Greece. There is not even a single kgr of olive-honey in the market. The bees ignore their flowers, even in full blossom. They have no nectar, and their pollen is very poor in nutricients.


Thanks Drakos............... IMO that answers that........... If the beeks of Greece don't get any its not there......... Next thread please.


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