Ivy Honey – How to Harvest & Process

In the world of beekeeping, ivy honey often remains unharvested. Characterized by its robust, medicinal flavour and rapid granulation tendencies, Ivy honey frequently languishes in the shadow of more popular honey varieties. But due to renewed interest in Ivy honey for its health properties, this may be about to change…

It is not just its distinctive taste and consistency that makes ivy honey unique. It’s also the art and science behind its harvesting and processing. In this blog, I will offer step by step guidance for how to harvest and process the botanical wonder that is Ivy honey. Read more about the potential health properties of ivy honey here: Ivy honey Benefits – Naturally Healing and Soothing

Ivy Honey – Much Maligned by Beekeepers

Before we embark on this journey into the realm of ivy honey, let’s address the elephant in the room. Why do so many beekeepers loathe Ivy honey? The reasons are multifaceted. The strong, medicinal, and herby flavour can be an acquired taste. Ivy honey also has a propensity to granulate rapidly. This complicates harvesting and processing as it cannot be extracted the usual way. But perhaps, the root of the issue lies not in the honey itself but in our perception of it. Many beekeepers see ivy as a nuisance in the spring, an intruder in their carefully curated hives.

Managing Ivy Honey in the Brood Nest in Spring

Before we move on to harvesting and processing Ivy Honey, it’s essential to address a common issue faced by beekeepers in the spring. Frames of Ivy honey clogging up the brood chamber. The bees will often not use it until the temperatures rise. Higher temperatures makes the honey softer so that the bees can use it. Until then, unused Ivy honey is using up valuable space in the brood chamber which should be filling up with eggs and brood instead.  

Many beekeepers have adopted the practice of removing frames filled with ivy honey from the brood box during spring. These frames are carefully saved to be fed back to the bees later in the season. They are particularly useful when establishing nucleus colonies. This practice serves a dual purpose: it helps manage excess ivy honey and supports strong hives as they transition into warmer months. If you do not want to harvest and process ivy honey, this is what you can do:

Solution 1: Frame Removal and Late Spring Feeding

Many beekeepers adopt the practice of removing frames filled with ivy honey from the brood box in the spring, saving them for late spring and summer when establishing nucleus colonies. This approach not only alleviates the burden of ivy honey but also strategically reserves it for later use, benefiting the overall hive dynamics.

Solution 2: Temporary Removal and Water Soaking

Alternatively, you can opt to temporarily remove the ivy honey-laden frames from the hive. Uncap the frames and soak them in water, then insert back into the brood nest. It is crucial to exercise caution and perform this procedure only when the weather begins to warm up in the spring. Do one frame at a time and insert frames adjacent to the expanding brood nest. The bees will clean out the honey and the queen will have empty cells to lay eggs in. Limit this practice to robust colonies to avoid disrupting the brood nest or splitting it in the critical spring period.

Producing Ivy Honey – Colony Requirements

Not all colonies are suitable to produce ivy honey. This is what is required for a colony to be set up for Ivy honey:

Full Brood Box

After the primary harvest, you may want to provide your colonies with supplementary feeding to replenish their brood boxes. A well-fed colony is better equipped to take advantage of the incoming ivy nectar. Regardless of whether or not you feed your bees, in order to get a crop of ivy honey, when the ivy nectar starts coming in, the brood box needs to be already nearly full. The bees are then forced to store the honey on top, which makes it easier for you to harvest.

Varroa Management

If treating for varroa, do so immediately after the summer harvest. Keep a vigilant eye on varroa mites, as they can jeopardise your hive’s health. Timely treatment, if necessary, is essential. Make sure never to treat when the bees are gathering nectar or supers are on.  

Single Brood Box Configuration

Transition your colonies into single brood box configurations, as double boxes or Brood and a half will impede the filling of your Ivy super or eke. A single brood box allows the bees to focus their efforts on storing ivy honey above it.

Health and Vigour

Ensure that your colonies are healthy, robust and teeming with bees, willing and able to take full advantage of the Ivy flow when it arrives. Struggling or weak colonies will not produce a crop of Ivy honey. Consider joining two colonies if the numbers are not adequate but colonies otherwise healthy.

Young Laying Queen

The colony should be led by a young queen produced that year in spring, who will be stimulated to lay eggs as ivy pollen becomes available. This ensures that the brood box remains primarily for brood, while the bees channel their energy into storing ivy honey above it. A summer queen may well be good enough to lay lots of eggs, but if there has been a recent brood break, there is a chance there are not enough bees to build wax or gather nectar. If the number of bees is inadequate, consider combining two colonies to increase the numbers.

Ivy Honey Production and Colony set up

As autumn arrives and you start noticing ample yellow pollen and the blooming of ivy, it’s time to take decisive action. Providing you have identified the colonies suitable for Ivy honey production, it is now time to set up the hive. Here’s how you can prepare for ivy honey collection:

The Box

First is the box itself. You can use either a super or an eke.

If using a super, don’t waste your pristine drawn comb but consider using starter strips instead. This is because there is a lot of wasted time, effort and wax if the colony does not fill the whole super with honey (and they seldom will). All comb has to be cut out and melted down when extracting, even if the bees only gather a little bit of honey. More efficient is to provide just starter strips that can be cut out and replaced easily.  

The best way, and the most economic in terms of time, wax and processing, is to use an eke. An eke is a shallow frame, about half the height of a super, that is used to give bees space, for instance when treating for varroa with apiguard, or as an extender. Using an eke is brilliant as it allows minimum preparations, and you lose no wax foundation, drawn comb or time. The bees will build comb and fill as needed, and you can then just cut it out for processing. Simple!

Insulation and ventilation

Ivy honey production demands a warm environment, or rather wax building does. Top insulation is advisable to maintain the necessary high temperatures for wax production. Ensure the varroa mesh floor at the bottom is closed or at least partly sealed, as fluctuating autumn temperatures can hinder wax formation, prompting bees to store honey within the brood box where the wax is already built. Read more about insulation and ventilation here: Beehive insulation, condensation and ventilation

Other considerations

• Resist the temptation to stack two supers, as it could create a chilling void above the brood nest during cold nights and cold spells.
• Make sure not to feed your bees or treat them during this time, as it will taint the honey.
• If there is a strong flow, make sure to leave the entrance large enough for bees to enter and exit. Once the flow tapers off, reduce entrance size and insert mouse guard.
• Use a queen excluder if using a super, but make sure to remove it if leaving the super on over winter. Otherwise, you could have a situation where bees go up for food leaving the queen isolated below the queen excluder. Queen excluders should never be left on in the winter.

Harvesting ivy honey

You can harvest either in winter or harvest early in the spring before the queen has gone up to lay. I would advise to leave harvesting until spring time, but this is relying on the bees having adequate stores going into the winter and that no supplementary feed is given in the winter or spring. Bees do not easily consume ivy honey in winter as they need heat and water to soften and dilute it. Any Ivy honey not immediately above or adjacent to the brood nest (and can be utilized as a result of the heat from the brood) is often left in the hive until mid-spring when temperatures rise.

To harvest, simply remove the super. If using an eke, gently cut out the comb with your hive tool, making sure not to squish any bees. Place in a bucket.

Processing Ivy Honey

Processing ivy honey, given its solid nature, involves melting it out of the comb. Though the comb is sacrificed in the process, the beeswax harvested from ivy honey has a delightful fragrance and can be used for various purposes, including candle making and creams.

Here’s a step-by-step guide to processing ivy honey:

Melting the Honey

Cut the comb into smaller pieces and place them in a bucket. Heat the bucket in a heating cabinet, maintaining a temperature of 40 degrees Celsius. Regular stirring is necessary to break up wax and facilitate straining. When moving on to the next steps, I find a bucket with a tap at the bottom works perfectly as the wax will float to the top and any liquid honey can be poured off as soon as it becomes liquid enough. This reduces the time it needs to remain in the heating cabinet.

Some beekeepers prefer to heat the wax rapidly instead of slowly. They argue that rapid heating will liquify the honey quicker and that the prolonged heating to melt at 40 degrees has a more detrimental effect on the honey than rapid heating. While there may be merit in this approach, until science has proved it, I would recommend sticking with the 40 degree rule. Cutting the comb into smaller pieces and stirring to break up the pieces will speed up the process.  

Heating the honey like this should take about 24 hours, or a little longer.

Straining

Once melted, the honey should be strained through a coarse sieve. I using a bucket with a tap at the bottom, this will allow you to pour off the honey with minimal mess. Strain the honey through a coarse sieve to remove large wax fragments and debris, then strain it through a fine cloth if required.

Be careful not to over-heat the honey! Avoid subjecting the honey to excessive heat, as higher temperatures will compromise the integrity of the honey, affecting beneficial enzymes and aromatic compounds.

Pressing Ivy Honey

Ivy honey can also be extracted using a heather press, but it can be rather messy. If doing this, heat honey as above. Leave to cool to make sure the wax does not clog up the press, and then press out the honey.

Refining and Jarring

Once strained, the Ivy honey will start to granulate within a very short time, so it is best to jar it straight away or you will have to spoon it out of the bucket or melt it again. If considering reselling your Ivy honey, it can be a good ideal to turn it into soft set honey to make it more palatable for your customers. Follow this step by step guide to making soft set honey.

Ivy honey cut comb

The easiest way to process ivy honey is to turn it into cut comb. Although the texture may not be that of the sumptuous, velvety smoothness of wildflower or blossom honeycomb, many people who take ivy honey for its health properties won’t mind that.  

Left over Wax & Honey

The left-over wax will contain a lot of honey still. You can soak the wax and honey in water to make a base for mead. The wax can then be rendered and used for candles and creams. To read more about rendering beeswax, read this blog: How to Render Beeswax

Final Thoughts: The Future of Ivy Honey

In conclusion, ivy honey is an underestimated gem that deserves more attention from beekeepers. Ongoing research into its properties and benefits, much like the studies on Irish heather honey, promises to shed new light on this enigmatic substance. As we delve deeper into the secrets of ivy honey, it is my belief that beekeepers will reconsider their opinions and appreciate the remarkable qualities it brings to the world of beekeeping.

So, embrace the challenge of harvesting and processing ivy honey, and let your hives thrive with the richness of this unique nectar. As we continue to explore the wonders of the natural world, ivy honey stands as a testament to the endless mysteries waiting to be discovered in the hive.

Hanna Bäckmo

• Facebook
• Instagram
• LinkedIn