<"it has a beautiful ruby tint to it, and a flavor slightly reminiscent
of cherries or champagne grapes." As far as I know, there are
no flowers that give red honey>
-----
Hello,
The description seems to fit -since it has not
been suggested by previous posts, I will propose
that it is from nectar collected from the Tulip Tree
which is abundant in Georgia mountains. If the honey
darkens over the following weeks, I would suspect Tulip.
Due to the tenancy for Tulip Popular honey to darken,
and its bloom time which sometimes extends past the
time Locust is typically harvested. I have seen this
floral source often miss-identified as fall honey,
summer honey etc.
If it was more recently harvested, I might suspect perhaps
Mountain Sumac, -known to produce surplus in Georgia.
I also like Petes suggestion of Japanese Knot-weed. I
would suspect it would had to have been harvested
very recently to be from this source. But being, as you
mentioned from the 'mountains of Georgia', -for it to
be from the source of knot-weed, the apiaries would
need to be positioned in the vicinity of the lowlands,
or near farmland and creek-sides which knot-weed
typically grows in quantities sufficient to produce a
surpluss.
Here in SW PA during the extreme nectar dearth several
years ago, which according a PA Inspectors, was typically miss
diagnosed as CCD in my area. I observed that nectar
from the blooming knotweed was sustaining several of my
top colonies from starvation. Knot-weed, which appeared
to be of a darker, -and reddish color was placed very close
to the broodnest, -at the leading edge, in sufficient quantities
to sustain brood rearing, and was the ONLY source which I
observed being collected till Goldenrod began to produce
in mid to late August.
Best Wishes
Joe Waggle
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/HistoricalHoneybeeArticles/
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