Honeydew honey
Also known as: Forest honey, Fir honeydew honey
Honey that bees make mainly from honeydew — the sweet excretions of aphids and other insects on tree leaves and needles; dark, less sweet and rich in minerals.
Honeydew honey is made by bees mainly from honeydew: the sweet excretions of plant-sucking insects on living parts of plants, or secretions of living parts of plants. Nectar is not the main source. This is how EU law defines it; in everyday speech it is often called forest honey. It is usually darker than most blossom honeys.
Under Directive 2001/110/EC, honeydew honey needs at least 45 g of fructose and glucose together per 100 g (blossom honey: 60 g) and an electrical conductivity of at least 0.8 mS/cm (blossom honey: no more than 0.8). The page Blossom and honeydew honey explains the difference.
Honeydew honeys can be greenish or dark. The forest honey of Kraški med from the Slovenian Karst is described as medium to dark brown, opaque, able to crystallise quickly, smelling of resin, milk sweets and leaf litter, medium to very sweet with mild acidity and sometimes slightly bitter.
The EU also protects names such as Miel de sapin des Vosges (France) and Podkarpacki miód spadziowy (Poland).
Why this matters to you: honeydew honey is easy to mistake for a dark blossom honey, so read the name on the label. Local names such as Waldhonig or Tannenhonig (German), miel de forêt (French), miele di melata (Italian) and miód spadziowy (Polish) point to honeydew, and conductivity from 0.8 mS/cm sets it apart from blossom honey.
Facts
| Raw material | Honeydew: excretions of plant-sucking insects on living plants, or plant secretions |
|---|---|
| Sweetness | Fructose + glucose ≥45 g/100 g; conductivity ≥0.8 mS/cm |
| Taste | Kraški med forest honey: medium to dark brown; resin, caramel; medium to very sweet |
| Legal basis | EU Directive 2001/110/EC |
| Botanical origin | Abies alba, A. cephalonica, Picea, Pinus halepensis, P. brutia, Quercus |
| Colour | Dark to very dark, mean 86 mm Pfund; fir honeydew with green fluorescence |
| Crystallization | Fir honeydew: slow; Kraški med forest honey: may be quick |
How it connects to Honey & beekeeping
Honeydew honey → kind of → Blossom and honeydew honey → kind of → 🍯 Honey
Links
- Part of
- Blossom and honeydew honey
- Similar and different
- Fir honeydew honey, Forest honey, Oak honeydew honey, Acacia honey, Chestnut honey, Pine honey (pine honeydew honey), Miel de sapin des Vosges, Strandzhanski manov med, Meli Elatis Menalou Vanilia, Miód spadziowy z Beskidu Wyspowego
and 40 more
Podkarpacki miód spadziowy, Bardejovský med, Kočevski gozdni med, Muğla Çam Balı, Marmaris Çam Balı, Breitsamer Alpenhonige, Apicoltura Casentinese Selezione Bio, Apicoltura Casentinese Selezione Italiana, Apicoltura Casentinese Selezione Regionale Italiana, Apidava Roua Florilor, Apidava Miere Românească, Sądecki Bartnik Miody premium, Sądecki Bartnik Miody ekologiczne, Brezzo Il Miele Italiano, Brezzo Il Miele Biologico, Breyer Nobreflora, Yamada Bee Farm Rare Honey, Breyer Ultimate Bee, Breitsamer Echtes Bayerisches Schmankerl, Breitsamer Faires Frühstück, Pastili Bulgarian Balkans Honey, Breitsamer Alpenhonig Wald, Arroyo de Miel Miel de Bosque, Mieli Thun Abete, Mieli Thun Bosco, Attiki Fir Tree Honey, Attiki Fino Forest Honey, Apidava Roua Florilor Premium Miere de Mană, Sądecki Bartnik Miód ekologiczny spadziowy, Apicoltura Casentinese Miele Melata Toscana, Breitsamer Weißtannenhonig, Bihophar Pinienhonig aus der Ägäis, Apidava Mierea Stuparului Mană, Anavarza Süzme Çam Balı, Brolių medus Lipčiaus medus, Breyer Nobreflora Mel de Melato da Bracatinga, Yamada Bee Farm Bulgarian Honeydew Honey, Breitsamer Echtes Bayerisches Schmankerl Wald, Breitsamer Faires Frühstück Wald würzig, Pastili Bulgarian Balkans Forest Honey - In other topics
- Honey plants, Lime tree (linden)
Frequently asked questions
What is honeydew honey?
Honey that bees make mainly from excretions of plant-sucking insects on living plant parts, or from plant secretions (EU definition). Often called forest honey.
How does honeydew honey differ from blossom honey?
Blossom honey comes from nectar. Honeydew honey needs at least 45 g/100 g fructose plus glucose (blossom: 60 g) and conductivity of at least 0.8 mS/cm.
What colour and taste does honeydew honey have?
Often dark, sometimes greenish. Kraški med forest honey: medium to dark brown, resin and caramel notes, medium to very sweet, mild acidity.
Is it true that honeydew honey is not real honey?
No. EU Directive 2001/110/EC lists honeydew honey as a type of honey.
What is honeydew honey called on labels?
Waldhonig or Tannenhonig (German), miel de forêt or miel de sapin (French), miele di melata or di bosco (Italian), miód spadziowy (Polish).
What to read next
- 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.
- Lime tree (linden) — Lime, or linden (Tilia), is a tree that gives bees very good nectar.
- Honey plants — Plants from which bees collect nectar and pollen: black locust, lime, buckwheat, sunflower, rapeseed, chestnut, heather, lavender.
- Muğla Çam Balı — Muğla Çam Balı is an application, not yet registered: a pine honeydew honey from Muğla province in Türkiye, filed as a PDO; its single document was published on 29 January 2026.
- Breitsamer Alpenhonig Wald — Dark liquid forest honey by Breitsamer from the Alps, current harvest from Austria.
Similar
Fir honeydew honey · Forest honey · Pine honey (pine honeydew honey) · Oak honeydew honey · Lime (linden) honey · Acacia 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
- Council Directive 2001/110/EC relating to honey (consolidated text, EUR-Lex)
- Single document Kraški med, OJ C 290, 26.09.2012 (EUR-Lex)
- FAO, Krell R. (1996) Value-added products from beekeeping, Chapter 2 Honey
- NHS: Foods to avoid giving babies and young children
- WHO Guideline: Sugars intake for adults and children (2015)