Forest honey
Also known as: Waldhonig
Forest honey (Waldhonig) is honey made mainly from honeydew collected in woodland, often mixed with nectar; darker and spicier than blossom honey.
Forest honey (German Waldhonig) is honey that bees make mostly from honeydew in woodland: the sugary excretions of plant lice on leaves, needles and twigs, together with secretions of the plants themselves. In German-speaking countries the name in practice means honeydew honey from forest trees.
The Austrian food code allows "Waldhonig" as a synonym for honeydew honey that comes mainly from forest plants, especially conifers, and "Mischwaldhonig" for honey from mixed forests; this also has a conductivity above 800 µS/cm but may be lighter. The Bavarian food safety authority accepts the name forest honey only when the honey comes wholly or mainly from forest plants, such as spruce or fir, and shows the matching sensory, chemical and microscopic traits: little pollen, but algae, fungal spores and yeasts. In its 2006 check, 8 of 113 samples failed these requirements.
Forest honey tastes tangy and spicy, with a malty aroma, and its colour runs from light brown to reddish-brown. With glucose usually under 30 %, it stays liquid longer than blossom honey.
The French Miel d'Alsace has a separate forest type made from nectar and honeydew, light to dark amber, with malty, woody and baked-fruit notes; the Slovenian Kočevski gozdni med also has a forest type.
Why this matters to you: "forest honey" on a label means mostly honeydew, not woodland flowers; expect a darker, tangy honey that is slow to crystallise.
Facts
| Botanical origin | Mainly honeydew from forest trees (spruce, fir, broadleaved), often with nectar |
|---|---|
| Colour | Light brown to reddish-brown |
| Taste | Tangy, spicy, malty; woody and baked-fruit notes |
| Crystallization | Stays liquid long: glucose usually under 30 % |
| Region | Germany, Austria, central Europe; Alsace; Kočevje (Slovenia) |
How it connects to Honey & beekeeping
Forest honey → kind of → Blossom and honeydew honey → kind of → 🍯 Honey
Links
- Part of
- Blossom and honeydew honey
- Similar and different
- Honeydew honey, Fir honeydew honey, Kočevski gozdni med, Miel d'Alsace, Darbo Honig 500 g, Darbo Honigspender 300 g, Honigmayr Honig-Klassiker, Honigmayr Reinster Bio-Honig, Muria Bio, Attiki Fino
- Which plants it comes from
- Silver fir, Turkish pine (Pinus brutia)
Frequently asked questions
What is forest honey made from?
Mostly from honeydew – the sugary excretions of plant lice on the leaves, needles and twigs of forest trees – often with some nectar.
What does it look and taste like?
Tangy and spicy, with a malty aroma; light brown to reddish-brown.
Is it true that forest honey comes from woodland flowers?
No. The name Waldhonig means mainly honeydew honey from forest trees, not blossom honey from the woods.
Why does forest honey stay liquid so long?
Its glucose is usually under 30 %, so it stays liquid longer than blossom honey.
What is Mischwaldhonig?
Under the Austrian food code, honeydew honey from mixed forests, with conductivity above 800 µS/cm and sometimes lighter colour.
What to read next
- Silver fir — Silver fir (Abies alba) is a tall European mountain conifer whose honeydew, not nectar, gives bees the raw material of fir honey.
- Darbo Naturrein Waldhonig im Spender — Forest honey from Spain and Greece in a 300 g Darbo dispenser.
- Fir honeydew honey — Fir honeydew honey is a dark honey made from the honeydew that insects excrete on fir trees, with a woody, warm aroma and a very thick consistency.
- Darbo Honig 500 g — Darbo's core honey range in 500 g jars: seven varieties, liquid and creamed.
- Turkish pine (Pinus brutia) — Turkish or Calabrian pine (Pinus brutia) is an eastern Mediterranean conifer whose honeydew, made by the scale insect Marchalina hellenica, gives pine honey.
Similar
Pine honey (pine honeydew honey) · Fir honeydew honey · Oak honeydew honey · Honeydew honey
ℹ️ Honey is mostly sugars: about 82 g per 100 g. Do not give honey to babies under 1 year old because of the risk of infant botulism.
Sources
- Bayerisches Landesamt für Gesundheit und Lebensmittelsicherheit (LGL): Schwerpunktuntersuchung Waldhonige 2006
- Österreichisches Lebensmittelbuch, IV. Auflage, Kapitel B 3 Honig und andere Imkereierzeugnisse (2022, geändert 2024)
- Single document Miel d'Alsace PGI (amendment), OJ C/2024/6978 (EUR-Lex)
- Persano Oddo L. et al. (2004) Botanical species giving unifloral honey in Europe. Apidologie 35 (Suppl. 1) S82-S93
- Single document Miel de Galicia / Mel de Galicia PGI (amendment), OJ C 89, 16.3.2021 (EUR-Lex)