# Dark Cells



## bbrassell (Jul 8, 2013)

Bear with me, I am a rookie. This is my second year harvesting honey from my oldest hive. The lower super had about 30% dark cells - almost black in appearance. A few were hard with pollen. The rest had honey that seems ok, just dark - I am presuming it was full of pollen and is OK for sale/consumption. Any advice? I am using a queen excluder.


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## bolter (Jun 27, 2013)

Would guess that the color comes from the crop they are harvesting such as buckwheat//different crops give different colored honey. Try some & see how it tastes.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

The dark cells probably have cocoons in them from brood. It won't hurt anything unless you were planning on making it into comb honey.

If, indeed, your queen excluder kept the queen out of them and that comb has never had brood in it, then it is dark honey from some different source at the top of the frame than at the bottom of the frame.


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## Kirk Osborne (Oct 7, 2012)

I agree... the nectar came from a souce which produces dark honey. I wouldn't worry too much - especially if it is delicious. Make sure to extract and bottle that honey seperately from your other, lighter honey (if you have any). Good luck!


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