Is honey comb edible?

[stella]

We enjoy the chewing honey comb. Is it edible? Or would it wreak havoc on ones system?

[annette]

Honey comb can be eaten and swallowed if you wish. It just passes through the system.

Annette

[FRAMEshift]

Wax is made up of fatty acid esters and sugar alcohols.  Not digestible but not harmful.  I like to eat it..... and it does not provide any calories.  :-D

[iddee]

If it hurts you, I should have been dead long ago. I have eaten many lbs. of it.

[CapnChkn]

I have not for years, but when I was young we would cut the comb, strain the honey through a nylon stocking, fill a quart jar with the cut comb, and the space around it with honey.  we would then serve up the honey in a bowl with the comb and take chunks of the comb with the honey and eat it with our cornbread.  You'll want to avoid comb that was previously used for brood.

[stella]

Thank you all.
 My grown son thinks its great and eats it after chewing the honey out of it. I dont want my boy to suffer ill consequences.

[stella]

  You'll want to avoid comb that was previously used for brood.

Why? It seems the little we have harvested our first year has been built over some brood or pollen comb. I DO only save the comb that is clear in color. But some is built high up in color stained cells. Why would that be something to avoid?

[Michael Bush]

If it previously had brood in it there are cocoons in the comb.  It won't hurt you, but they aren't so easy to chew and the texture is generally distasteful to people.  One set of cocoons is brown.  More are darker and darker.

[FRAMEshift]

We only harvest honey in new wax.  If it's in old wax, we let the bees have it.

[sc-bee]

Also if you use standard foundation it is thicker. They make thin surplus foundation for honey comb use or just go foundation-less or harvest the comb built in spaces if you have any that aren't bee space correct :-D

Anyway as said the new comb that has not been re-used is softer and more palatable.

[T Beek]

Comb honey is the best, whether you swallow the wax or not. 

Its all we had as kids and I've been mistrustful of any honey w/out it ever since.  So glad its making a comeback.

thomas

[deknow]

Personally. I would not eatcomb honey produced with foundation....nor sell it.  The data.out of Penn state should make this rather obvious.
Deknow

[T Beek]

Oooooh yeah, got that right deknow.  Mine are fondationless so no worry there :)

thomas

[stella]

Personally. I would not eatcomb honey produced with foundation....nor sell it.  The data.out of Penn state should make this rather obvious.
Deknow

Id like to read up on that. Anyone know where I can find the info?

[FRAMEshift]

Personally. I would not eatcomb honey produced with foundation....nor sell it.  The data.out of Penn state should make this rather obvious.
Deknow

Yes.  We only do foundationless.  Sometimes I forget that other people use foundation.   :-D  Do NOT eat foundation wax!

[T Beek]

stella;  There's been volumes written on foundation contaminants (hope this doesn't open 'another' can of worms).

thomas

[stella]

OK, Im officially freakin out now.
I use foundation with a coating of beeswax. If the bees make their own comb from scratch on it then how can that be bad? Its not like im eating the foundation. Im just scraping it off of it.
Or is the foundation itself made from some nasty stuff loaded with chemicals that leeches into my virgin comb by simply coming in contact with it?
I sure hope not. Or I might have to start allllllllll over.

[sc-bee]

I use foundation with a coating of beeswax.

You are probably referring to plastic foundation. The foundation mentioned in concern is wax foundation. Bee company's buy rendered wax from beeks and press wax foundation from it. Recent test have shown the chemicals stay in the wax so therefore you may have other folks chemicals they used in their hives in the foundation rendered that you have purchased.

[stella]

Thank you sc-bee. Yes, mine is plastic foundation. From now on I will order the frames w/o the beeswax coating and possibly I will consider foundationless down the line. Whew!

I learn so much here!

[Lone]

Hello Stella,

Maybe you have to make more mud pies for your son to eat instead ;)  Actually, I wouldn't know what concentration of harmful chemicals have been found in wax, but basically you'd have to live on another planet to avoid contaminants completely.  Even breathing is dangerous...but, everything in moderation.  Your son might just have to limit his intake!
  Anyway, I've heard plastic foundation without the wax coating isn't liked so well by the bees. The beek who has a hive here spreads his own wax coat on with a roller.  That would be much the same for you as using foundationless wax.  You might not avoid chemical contaminants completely, but they would be your contaminants.  Or you could cook some meat and vegies for the poor boy   :-D

Lone