Some Good News

On Thursday night when I eventually sat down to eat a TV dinner, switched on SkyNews to see very picturesque aerial footage of a scene I know only too well. Downside Abbey and School.

What followed was anything but pretty. To cut a very long story short, here is the link to my Blip on the subject. However, Friday was "lost" to finding out more. Today I had to get out.

And being good weather, I decided to do the bees, hoping the wonderful weather of the last week or so had helped them to finally make some honey for me and not just for their own selfish purposes.

The entire episode went like a dream excluding the 1 minute of panic when I realised the bee on my veil staring at me was on the inside. No stings and despite my daylight robbery of their property, they remained very peaceful throughout. I found the Queens in the two original big hives but they are marked, so easy. In the other large hive with a self-made Queen, I couldn't find her but she's clearly doing a great job with lots of cells with eggs and even more capped brood cells and she's clearly passing on peaceful DNA.

In my "Problem/ Worry Child" hive which I gave less than a 50/50 chance, the situation has really improved and the best bit, I spotted the Queen. Not as difficult as the previous hive as there are less than half as many bees. I was overjoyed and didn't take any of their honey frames in the hope they will grow even quicker.

I think I got about 20 frames out of the three hives. Not all full and not a spectacular haul but worth the effort. I am in a way pleased they have concentrated on building numbers rather than honey following the two original hives swarming.

In the evening after a very late afternoon lunch and snooze following the heat of the sun and protective gear, I shot off to Ottobeuren to buy a supermarket Ready made Lasagne to throw at the oven while I started on the process of de-capping the sealed cells before whizzing the frames around in the centrifuge.

From the centrifuge, the honey flows onto a sieve which catches all the larger wax bits and pieces before falling on to a very fine sieve that removes all visible particles of pollen, propolis and wax. I don't do any other form of tampering with the honey, no very fine cloth sieving and no heat treatment. "Coarse Cold Pressed" so to speak.

My view is that the honey's main value is in the minerals and ingredients it contains and that includes the propolis and pollen. These are the things that can help people with allergies to various plants and trees. But of course, the honey should come from the area in which you live. Mexican honey made from Monkey Puzzle trees isn't likely to help any of us in Europe except perhaps employees of Kew Botanical gardens.

The honey will now rest for 24 hours for the bubbles to float up and "out" and in case any unwanted bits have got through the sieving process. Tomorrow the next stage for what looks like about 20kg of liquid gold.

Tonight one happy Teddy who enjoyed his Lasagne even if it was bought. I was too pooped to go out with a torch and collect a salad from the garden.