Honeydew honey – forest elixir

In our country, honeydew honey is most popular in the Strandzha Mountain and the coastal area around it, where the climatic and natural conditions are optimal for the creation of this natural elixir. In southeastern Bulgaria, specific tree species are often found, such as oak, maple, willow, pine, spruce, fir, elm, pear and sour cherry, which are the main prerequisite for the formation of forest honey.

Why honeydew honey?

The bees prepare the honey from a sweet liquid (honeydew) that is secreted from the leaves of the trees in Strandzha. The honeydew is produced through the excretory system of certain insect species, mainly aphids, which parasitize on the leaves and young shoots of plants. These insects feed on the sweet sap which they suck from the plants. The digestive system of aphids is specially structured, and therefore not all the sap they ingest passes through the stomach. Their esophagus extends into an anal tube which forms the so-called filter chamber. It enables the excess sugars to pass directly through the anal opening to the outside, while the proteins and other nutrients necessary for the feeding of the parasite are retained by the filter chamber and enter the stomach, where they are assimilated.

How is honeydew honey different from blossom (nectar) honey?

There are differences in the chemical, physical and biological properties of honeydew honey and blossom (nectar) honey.

The colour of honeydew honey is its trademark. It is dark, oily green, sometimes almost black. Freshly excreted honeydew is a clear and transparent liquid, which darkens after some time. With longer storage its colour becomes almost black. The change in colour depends on the type of plants and honeydew-producing insects, on the microflora developing in it, on the time of collection, etc. Its taste is bitter, it has a specific aroma and its sweetness is not felt as cloying as in ordinary honey. Another interesting feature is the crystallization of the liquid elixir. Honeydew honey is rich in dextrins, about 4–6 times more than blossom honey, and they act in the opposite way to melezitose – they prevent the crystallization process.

Strandzha honey contains a large number of free amino acids, the more important of which are aspartic acid, alanine, arginine, cystine, glycine, glutamic acid, histidine, lysine and methionine. The mineral substances in the honeydew infusion are 5 to 9 times more than in its blossom variant. One hundred grams of honeydew honey contain 323 kcal, 77.3 g carbohydrates, iron, calcium, sodium, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus. The trace elements in it are almost in the same ratio as in human blood. It contains the monosaccharides glucose and levulose, which are absolutely necessary for the normal functions of the liver, as well as vitamins B1, B2, PP, B12 (about 16 times more than in apples and apricots), B6, folic acid, biotin and others. The rich mineral composition of honeydew honey also determines its alkalizing effect.

Composition: carbohydrates, antioxidants, trace elements, organic acids, enzymes, amino acids, vitamins and lipids.

It is important to know that honeydew honey is not suitable as food for bees during their wintering, as it usually causes diarrhea or death of the bees (honeydew toxicosis). This is due to the large quantities of mineral substances. Such honey may be used for early spring feeding of starving bee colonies or for human consumption, for whom it is not harmful. Its use is recommended for people suffering from anemia, for maintaining and strengthening the body’s defenses, as well as for preventing muscle soreness and fatigue in those who are actively engaged in sports or activities involving physical exertion.