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Author Topic: Pink... honey...?  (Read 1536 times)

Offline spafmagic

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Pink... honey...?
« on: July 23, 2020, 04:08:17 pm »
Did an inspection of my super here in Kernersville, NC. I'm stumpped... Pink honey? In some of the empty cells you can see a hot redish pink "bee bread." Anybody know of a natural source that can produce this? Pics below:




Offline Ben Framed

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Re: Pink... honey...?
« Reply #1 on: July 23, 2020, 07:12:19 pm »
Can't tell by the picture, but your description could it possibly be Humming Bird feed (colored sugar water)? Something else?

From the picture is looks like normal golden honey to me.
« Last Edit: July 23, 2020, 07:23:38 pm by Ben Framed »
2 Chronicles 7:14
14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

Offline van from Arkansas

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Re: Pink... honey...?
« Reply #2 on: July 23, 2020, 10:33:02 pm »
Mr. Ben, you hit the nail on the head on this one: hummingbird sugar syrup with red dye.
I have been around bees a long time, since birth.  I am a hobbyist so my answers often reflect this fact.  I concentrate on genetics, raise my own queens by wet graft, nicot, with natural or II breeding.  I do not sell queens, I will give queens  for free but no shipping.

Offline Ben Framed

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Re: Pink... honey...?
« Reply #3 on: July 23, 2020, 11:13:13 pm »
Mr Van I was viewing from my phone earlier and could not see the difference in the colors but on the laptop it is obvious that certain cells are holding this red.
2 Chronicles 7:14
14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

Offline Absinthe

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Re: Pink... honey...?
« Reply #4 on: July 23, 2020, 11:17:06 pm »
Ever heard of "red stingers" :)

Offline Ben Framed

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Re: Pink... honey...?
« Reply #5 on: July 23, 2020, 11:22:58 pm »
Ever heard of "red stingers" :)

I have not.
2 Chronicles 7:14
14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

Offline Dabbler

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Re: Pink... honey...?
« Reply #6 on: July 24, 2020, 08:25:14 am »
For "fun" one year, I added different colors each week to the feed syrup.
This let me see where the bees were storing the syrup. Holding a filled feed frame up to the sunlight had a very stained glass appearance.
Experience is a hard teacher because she gives the tests first, the lessons afterwards .
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Offline Nock

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Re: Pink... honey...?
« Reply #7 on: July 24, 2020, 09:56:44 am »
For "fun" one year, I added different colors each week to the feed syrup.
This let me see where the bees were storing the syrup. Holding a filled feed frame up to the sunlight had a very stained glass appearance.
That?s a great idea. I will have to try that just out of curiosity.

Offline Robo

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Re: Pink... honey...?
« Reply #8 on: July 24, 2020, 04:27:50 pm »
For "fun" one year, I added different colors each week to the feed syrup.
This let me see where the bees were storing the syrup. Holding a filled feed frame up to the sunlight had a very stained glass appearance.

Using food coloring in feed is also a good trick when you have honey supers on to make sure it doesn't end up in your honey.   Don't ask me why one feeds with honey supers on,  but people do.
"Opportunity is missed by most people because it comes dressed in overalls and looks like work." - Thomas Edison



Offline Robo

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Re: Pink... honey...?
« Reply #9 on: July 24, 2020, 04:33:48 pm »
Anybody know of a natural source that can produce this?

Careful, you might be uncovering a crime scene  :wink:

https://moneyversed.com/red-honey-clue/?nogdprc=1
"Opportunity is missed by most people because it comes dressed in overalls and looks like work." - Thomas Edison



Offline spafmagic

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Re: Pink... honey...?
« Reply #10 on: July 24, 2020, 08:33:17 pm »
interesting responses... I would be inclined to lean toward the humming bird feeder theory. the close up pic has an open cell that has a clear view of the stuffs in question. it almost looks like bee bread submerged in nectar.

as for a "crime scene..." I did hear about the maraschino cherry incident. lol!

Offline rgennaro

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Re: Pink... honey...?
« Reply #11 on: July 26, 2020, 02:42:39 pm »
One of my kids had a book that told the story of a beekeeper in France who got blue bees and honey... it was from the dye of a nearby M&Ms factory

 

anything