Honeydew honey
What is honeydew honey?
Honeydew honey is not made from flower nectar. In South Island beech forests, a native scale insect feeds on sap beneath the bark and exudes a sugary droplet at the tip of a fine thread; bees collect that. The result is dark, malty and treacle-like, far less sweet than floral honey, and it stays liquid for a long time.
| From | Beech forest honeydew (Nothofagus spp.) |
|---|---|
| Colour | Dark amber to near-black, sometimes with a greenish tint held to the light. |
| Flavour | Malty and treacly, markedly less sweet than floral honey, with a savoury, almost umami depth and a long finish. |
| Where | South Island beech forests — Nelson, Marlborough, the West Coast and inland Canterbury. |
| Harvest | Summer and into autumn, and unusually it can run later than floral flows because it does not depend on flowering. |
| Crystallises | Very slowly. Honeydew is low in glucose, so it typically stays liquid far longer than clover. |
Worth knowing
- The sugary threads on beech trunks are visible in the forest, and the forest smells sweet when the flow is on.
- Honeydew is an important food source for native birds and insects, which is why access to beech forest for beekeeping is managed.
- If you dislike how sweet honey usually is, this is the New Zealand honey to try.
If it has set solid in the jar
That is honey behaving normally rather than a fault — why honey crystallises explains what is happening and how to bring it back to liquid without wrecking the flavour.
Other New Zealand honeys
- Clover honey — Mild and clean, straightforwardly sweet, with a soft floral finish.
- Rewarewa honey — Malty and caramel-like, with a burnt-sugar edge and a long finish.
- Kāmahi honey — Buttery and rich, often described as butterscotch, finishing with a slight, clean bitterness.
- Pōhutukawa honey — Mild and smooth, with a delicate, slightly mineral finish.
- All 11 types