# my honey tastes like mint!!



## Got Honey? (Oct 14, 2001)

like it says in the title, I have some honey that has a farly strong taste of mint in it. I wonder how this will effect any mites in my hives.


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## BULLSEYE BILL (Oct 2, 2002)

Now how did you get to be a field bee?

Field Bee

Oh, lookie there, I am too!

[This message has been edited by BULLSEYE BILL (edited August 23, 2003).]


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## Mitch (Jul 7, 2003)

i have wondered about the mint in the honey too.I do not think it can hurt. i had one super with i hint of mint tast.I read here that it may have come from the bees working black locust trees.One never knows it just could be a way for the bee to fight mites.I have thought about planting mint just to see if it may help.


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## Daisy (Jul 24, 2003)

Just add green food coloring and you'll have a uniqe new product to sell. I bet it's wonderful in teas........


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## honeyman46408 (Feb 14, 2003)

Look around tere is probably MINT growing in your aera we have a lot of mint farmers south east of me ( to far for my girls ) and the honey has a strong tast of mint great for tea drinkers that sweeten tea with honey.


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## Got Honey? (Oct 14, 2001)

I have seen different types of mint plants growing around my area. I just didn't think I had enough of it to get the flavor to come through. Never thought of mint famers!! I could locate one and put a few of my hives on there land maybe, if there are any in California...
I was just wonder since wintergreen oil is suposed to help against mites if the honey has anything special agains them.
And the honey is almost clear and tastes really really good.:^)
Joseph


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## hoosierhiver (Feb 27, 2003)

i've used a little peppermint and other mint oils in my sugar syrups for feeding and will occasionally notice a minty taste in some of the honey.


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## hrogers (Dec 16, 2000)

Howdy All -

In the summers of 1938 and 1939 I worked
for a beekeeper in Cameron Texas in an area
with a lot of Horse Mint. It gave a definite
minty flavor to the honey from some of his
bee yards. Very good. There is a very small
amount of that mint here in east Texas
but not enough to flavor the honey.

Doc


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## loggermike (Jul 23, 2000)

I put hives on commercial peppermint fields.The honey is definitely bakery grade and I can only describe it as "rank".No mint flavor whatsoever.And it has no effect on varroa.Ive lost hives to mites while working peppermint.


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## hrogers (Dec 16, 2000)

Howdy Coyote --

Beekeeping in those "ancient times" still
worked on the same basics as today. You 
can manipulate bees now --- as long as you
don't get too far from what nature provided
for the bees (inherited knowledg).

Commercial beekeeping was by hand. No
pallets, forklifts, renting large numbers for
pollination. Remember that this was in the
great depression, so sale of honey was very
limited. 

All real beekeepers are just as enthusiastic now as they when they started -
maybe even after 69 years.

Doc


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## wjw777 (Mar 24, 2002)

Hi 
The mint taste to my honey is from the locust trees that bloom around here in the spring . Honey is very very light yellow to clear and has the taste of mint you described. Walt


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## WineMan (May 16, 2003)

Hi wjw

Any chance that honey is basswood? I always think of locust as rather bland but basswood has deep mint overtones. However, up here locust is done blossoming three weeks before basswood even starts.


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## Got Honey? (Oct 14, 2001)

I think the plant that my bees got the honey from is called Sweet fennel there is a lot of it around here and the honey Is a light yellow colour and has a distingtive flavor that kind of tastes like the smell.
heres a link to the some pictures of the plant: http://elib.cs.berkeley.edu/cgi/img_query?where-genre=Plant&rel-cname=like&where-cname=Sweet+Fennel 

Joseph


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## salty-skin (Aug 18, 2003)

I pulled my first crop off my hive yesterday! It was very minty and also a very light color. The honey was much more viscous than I expected. I am not in Berkeley, but San Jose, CA. I hope my family will enjoy the mint honey. 

The neighbor girl tried it and thought it tasted like toothpaste!


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## Got Honey? (Oct 14, 2001)

I'm right next to San Jose in the santa cruz montains. I don't want to say the name of my city but you probably know what it is. the same plants that are growing here might be growing over where you are, I see a lot of it growing on the side of highways and roads.
do you go to the Santa Clara Valley Bee Guild?

Joseph


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## wjw777 (Mar 24, 2002)

Hi Wineman,
My area is like yours. Locust first and month later basswood. right after lucust blooms which we have a grove of them about 500feet from the hive. you could watch the bees on it unbelieviable.and than take honey off and very light yellow and slight mint. another beekeeper told me if i don't like it to mix it with fall honey and will make the fall honey light and the spring honey lose the mint taste. Im going to try it 
Walt


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## wjw777 (Mar 24, 2002)

Hi Wineman,
My area is like yours. Locust first and month later basswood. right after lucust blooms which we have a grove of them about 500feet from the hive. you could watch the bees on it unbelieviable.and than take honey off and very light yellow and slight mint. another beekeeper told me if i don't like it to mix it with fall honey and will make the fall honey light and the spring honey lose the mint taste. Im going to try it 
Walt


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## WineMan (May 16, 2003)

Im a big fan of mixing honey. I dont really like a single floral source....you taste all the great aspects and all the horrible ones at the same time.....sorta like a wine. 

Locust mixes real nice with any combination of clover, thistle, basswood, alfalfa if you are trying to stay in the ligher range or with tulip, blueberry, goldenrod if you are looking for more body.


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## salty-skin (Aug 18, 2003)

Joseph, It's good to meet other local beekeepers. I haven't been to the Guild, but I didn't know there was an apiarist association here. Where can I find information about them?


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## Got Honey? (Oct 14, 2001)

Just e-mail me you e-mail address at [email protected] and I can send you the news letter.

Joseph


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