![]() ![]() The Collins Beekeeper’s Bible contains a tale of mad honey poisoning from the British botanist, plant-hunter and explorer Frank Kingdon-Ward. The effects rarely prove fatal but probably would have halted or slowed down the army for a couple of days. The soldiers would eat the sweet treat and end up vomiting and dizzy from grayanotoxin, a toxin contained in the honey. It’s said that ancient Greeks and Romans used to leave rhododendron honey in the path of invading armies. ![]() Many of the plants in the Ericaceae family, such as Rhododendron, Pieris, Agarista and Kalmia, produce poisonous nectars which contain grayanotoxins.Ĭases of poisoning from this “mad honey” have been reported in Turkey and America. Ivy flowers Honeys which are poisonous to humans: There are beekeepers with customers who specially request ivy honey. As I’ve got older my tastebuds have changed a bit and I’ve come to appreciate more sour and bitter foods such as olives, grapefruit juice and even gherkins, which used to make me wince. Yet others, myself included, prefer a honey that isn’t super-sweet and has more character. ![]() To read more about Elizabeth’s bitter experiences with ivy honey, see her post Ivy honey from the Lizard Peninsula. I tried to place the flavour and then I got it – if a pointy-chinned woman got out her wand and turned a Stilton into a honey, this is what it would taste like.Īnd is that a good thing? I’m not convinced.” It’s not a very sweet honey, and there is a bitter kick in it which hits you as the crystallised paste melts in your mouth. The aroma is surprisingly flowery and light, but the taste is certainly not. Here’s a description of ivy honey from Cornwall by Elizabeth Gowing in her wee masterpiece, “ The Little Book of Honey“: However, some people find ivy honey far too bitter. A recent MAFF survey to assess levels of PAs in UK honey produced by bees with access to ragwort stated that there was no cause for alarm.” MAFF being the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, now known as DEFRA.įrom the point of view of bees ivy must be a wonderful plant, flowering in September to October when little other forage is about. I personally find that it adds a bit of interest.” He goes on to say “Concern has been raised over the possibility of the honey containing pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs). Once granulated however, the smell is lost and the honey quite good.”Ĭlive de Bruyn is also positive about ragwort honey, commenting in his classic book Practical beekeeping (1997) “The honey is a deep yellow with a strong flavour thought by some to be obnoxious. Ted Hooper concurs, saying of ragwort honey “it is bright yellow and has so offensive an odour that when first extracted it is completely unpalatable. The plant contains several pyrrolizidine alkaloids which are responsible for the deaths of quite a few horses each year.” Ragwort honey is not thought to be dangerous to humans, as it seems likely that someone would have to eat a huge amount of honey to do themselves any harm. If it is allowed to stand and granulate, the flavour improves and some beekeepers use it to blend with other, less flavoursome honeys. It’s tough and can grow in waste land, road sides, rough areas of parks etc.Ĭelia Davis describes ragwort as being “very attractive to bees… likely to produce quantities of extractable honey which smells horrible when it is fresh. The Collins Beekeeper’s Bible comments that privet honey is “very strong flavoured, making it objectionable and unpalatable unless it is blended with lighter honeys.” It flowers during May to June.Ī bright, long-flowering plant which is very popular with bees. Even so, a fairly small amount can damage the flavour of other nectars mixed with it.” Commonest unpalatable honeys in the UKĬelia Davis says of privet “it is very unlikely to be a problem as only very rarely are bees likely to collect large quantities of its nectar. The nectar of a few flowers produces honey which is unpleasant to taste, while a even smaller number of nectars are poisonous to bees or to humans when condensed into honey. To kick me off, I’m going to learn a nice simple part of the syllabus: 2.24, a list of floral sources of unpalatable honey. Woo hoo!īut to pass I need to revise, something which often isn’t that appealing after a day at work. If I manage to pass, I’ll have passed Modules 1,2,3 & 6, which means I’ll be awarded the BBKA Intermediate Theory Certificate. I have decided to take the BBKA’s Module 2 exam, ‘ Honeybee products and forage‘ in November.
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