A friend of mine who lives in Brazil sent me a gallon of wild killer bee honey. He said its a somewhat of a game to collect it around there. Its very dark (black almost) and has a VERY strong flavor. I'd say its more pronounced then buckwheat. It almost has a smoky flavor. Has anyone tried this? I'm sure it would differ greatly but its a interesting find.
Killer Bee Honey
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Lunarpancake
Well-Known Member
crazy.....for some reason I didint think killer bees made honey......wasting their time hopping on flowers when they can be killing other bees and pissing us humans off.
Perhaps the honey is made from the fallen bee enemies?
Perhaps the honey is made from the fallen bee enemies?
summersolstice
Well-Known Member
Honey is the result of the flowering plants the bees visit and not so much the variety of bee. I'd submit that "killer bee honey" will taste very different, depending upon the region and the types of flowering plants available in the area.
I don't think they do too well in colder climates. The European bees seem to do better. Although they are a hybrid between the original African bees and European so they could always adapt. I hope not though.
Actually, the whole reason Africanized bees are here is because of positive honey production and longevity factors. They were to be bred into domestic lines but some specimens escaped.
The honey, while a novelty, should taste no different than honey collected from a different kind of bee pollinating the same variety of flowers.
The honey, while a novelty, should taste no different than honey collected from a different kind of bee pollinating the same variety of flowers.
JVD_X
Well-Known Member
As I understand it, they produce less honey than European lines. I recently read a study that indicated that they were "dumber" than European bees and will forget where they find nectar.
Yan
Well-Known Member
I've been told by experienced beekeepers that the type of bee used does make a noticable difference in the honey. Some bees will collect much less resin and make less propolis than others and some will have a type of wax that's a lot different than others no matter where they feed, so I think certainly there might be different chemical traits natural to each type of bee's honey, even if they may be subtle in comparison to floral traits.
maskednegator
Well-Known Member
The honey probably tastes smoky because they smoke the hive before collecting it.
dontman
Well-Known Member
Could two africanized killer bees transport a coconut if it was on a tether between them? What about a very large one if he gripped it by its husk?
Was there any blood in the honey? 
gratus fermentatio
Well-Known Member
Sounds very interesting. I've never used killer bee honey, but I think I'd try making a 1 gallon batch of medium show mead with it & save the rest till the results are in, then proceed from there. Regards, GF.
Reishishi
Member
A fairly local company called the Bee Folks has had Killer Bee honey in stock. Both my significant other and I have tried it and think that it would make a very interesting mead. It is rather smoky and spicy, but I am hesitant to use a whole gallon to make a batch.
Even though we've only made 2 batches so far, my advice is this: If I were to make a mead based off of Killer Bee honey, I would consider mixing it with other honeys, or making a 1 or 2.5 gallon batch so that if you find you don't like the results, you haven't used a whole gallon of the stuff outright.
Shana
Even though we've only made 2 batches so far, my advice is this: If I were to make a mead based off of Killer Bee honey, I would consider mixing it with other honeys, or making a 1 or 2.5 gallon batch so that if you find you don't like the results, you haven't used a whole gallon of the stuff outright.
Shana
MrWednesday
Active Member
I did a batch of mead with six pounds of Killer Bee honey from the Bee Folks and six pounds of clover honey from the local grocery store. I did it back in June, bottled it in september and have been letting it sit ever since. It was my first entry into the hobby and I made a lot of mistakes. I went from a one week primary to a three month secondary with no top up and poor racking technique (what do you mean you don't pump an autosiphon?). So far everything smells wonderful, but tastes really harsh, almost bitter. I'm going to sit on it all for a bit and see if it improves.
Ill bee watching this thread...Ive been curious if anyone has made any mead from that honey and have been thinking on doing some myself with the same stuff from the Bee Folks...Whoevers makes some please keep us appraised of your results!!
chip82
Well-Known Member
Any update on the killer bee mead?
irishbrewer
Member
Ha ''Homicyser'' thats hilarious. I realise that this is not the most valuable input to the thread but it had to be said.
MrWednesday
Active Member
Hey folks, just thought I'd update. I brought the killer bee mead over to a friend's house to finally give it an impartial test. It's completely oxydized. Well, shazzbot. Looks like I'll have to try again. Now that I know a little bit more I can do it right this time.
Air Pirate
Well-Known Member
the possibilities for this are endless...... i have a new project now
Meader is just the start. HomiCyser and HomicidAle are the next step.
KILLER BEEr!
I wonder if this would go well in a recipe like the Rogue Chipotle. I'm sorry if im way off topic on this
Mr Wednessday, are you saying that you need to use less of the KB honey?
Meader is just the start. HomiCyser and HomicidAle are the next step.
KILLER BEEr!
I wonder if this would go well in a recipe like the Rogue Chipotle. I'm sorry if im way off topic on this
Mr Wednessday, are you saying that you need to use less of the KB honey?
