Bee Hive Smell

I was wondering if anyone on these boards keep bees or has experience with hives. There is tons of information out there about what bad smells might come from a hive. What I need to know is what a healthy hive smells like? I posted the question elsewhere and got one response. Can anyone elaborate?

 

Well my I don't personally keep bees, but my mother, brother and a mate do. apparently the hives are supposed to smell of bananas because of all the potassium in the bee stings.

 

I don't really think they smell like anything. Maybe if you bent down and smelled them they would, but if you're just standing near them, there isn't really a particular smell. Got a friend whose father has a bunch of beehives.

 

There is a strong honey fragrance that varies according to the kinds of flowers the bees are harvesting from. It's not exactly like honey, there are other subtle overtones that are harder to describe.

I guess if the hive is unhealthy, the other smells would dominate. Honey makes quite a growth medium for mold and bacteria.

 

I'm sure if you just described it as "sweet" that would be enough for most readers.Unless you're writing specifically for bee-keepers the percentage of your audience which will get annoyed at the vagueness is pretty small.

 

Maybe you could word it like, "The kind of strange, sweet, honey smell that only beehives produce."

 

I just reached the section of my MS that needed this description. Thanks for the help.