Bee Forage & Products Pippa Barker Petersfield Beekeepers Association March 2015
Forage Nectar Pollen Water Resin/sap Products Honey Wax Pollen Propolis Royal Jelly Bee venom Pollination Honey Composition Seasonal variations Harvesting Treatment Storage Selling/distribution
Nectar Only produced by flowers to attract pollinators Collected by honeybees bees high-energy fuel Nectars are of different energy values and flow at different temperatures and humidities
Nectar Composition 70-80% water 20-30% sucrose, fructose, glucose Traces of vitamins, minerals & proteins, aromatics & pigments, natural yeasts & bacteria
Nectar Used by working bees fed to older larvae and drones Surplus stored as honey by bees in good times for use in bad stolen as honey by us to add sunshine to our diet
Pollen Flowers produce pollen to reproduce Bees collect pollen to feed their young and themselves Bees strength food
Pollen is the reason flowers produce nectar. Transported on back legs in stiff hairs, corbicula, and placed in cells. House bees compact and cover with honey for storage Enzymes in bee saliva produce amino acids which convert pollen to brood food - bee protein Different pollens have different amino acids - variety is the strength & spice of life
Pollen The bees source of protein vitamins minerals fatty lipids Essential to develop strong healthy colonies
Pollen Fed to larvae for growth and development Eaten by young bees up to 10 days old to finish glandular development Eaten by overwintering bees to build up fat reserves
Water Used to regulate hive temperature & humidity (ideal humidity 45-50%) in preparation of brood food to dilute/dissolve honey stores for use
water Important to provide sources simplest, cat-pan of gravel in a sunny spot near hives, not in flight path to avoid cleansing flight soiling Bees use supply closest to hive Important to know where these are neighbours pond/pool. Your bees could be a nuisance
Resin Sticky exudations of some trees and buds Collected and transported in the corbicula Removed by house bees Mixed with wax and enzymes to form Propolis
Propolis Valuable to the bees: as an antiseptic surface sealant on hive parts brood cells large intruders in construction to strengthen comb to fill gaps Used fresh, never stored
propolis Bees don t like wasted space. if it s bigger than bee-space build comb, smaller than bee-space propolise! (bee space is the minimum space required for one bee to pass and two bees to work back-to-back. Range 4.8mm-9.5mm)
Bee Products Royal Jelly Wax New-bee products Venom middle aged bee Honey Pollen Propolis foraging bee products
New bee products Two of the most important products of the hive produced at the beginning of a worker bee s life. Royal jelly from 8 days Wax from 14 days First ten days after hatching young bees eat pollen to ripen relevant glands.
Royal Jelly Protein rich high-energy super food, high in amino acids essential for bee development Produced from pollen by young bees using enzymes produced by mandibular head glands Fed to all larvae to 4 days and Queens exclusively
Wax The honeybee s bricks and mortar Minute flakes produced by hypopharyngeal glands in abdomen. Need good nectar flow to enable young bees to have energy to create required temp of 35C. Flakes manipulated to form hexagonal cells arranged in strong double sheets to hold brood and food. Multiple sheets parallel with maximum bee-space between.
1mm Wax flake
Wax DON T WASTE IT! 750g wax required to make comb to hold 15kg honey a full National super 5kg honey required to make 750g wax 20kg nectar required to make 750g wax
Venom Venom glands ready at 20 days, just before house bees become foraging bees Bees use sting for colony & individual defence We use venom medicinally as an: Anti-inflammatory Analgesic Desensitiser The beauty industry promotes it as: Anti-aging
Pollen Used by us as a health supplement to treat skin conditions in anti-aging preparations
Propolis Antiseptic Antimicrobial Antiviral Antibacterial dental caries, mouth sores Emollient - burns Specialist varnishes Painting hive interiors Can cause allergies
Honey Seasonal variations Composition Harvesting Treatment Storage/selling/distribution
Good honey production Depends on: good forage good weather good bees
Forage variations Forage depends on Soil Season Source..and weather!
Wealden Dome Simple anticline eroded exposing the various sediments Leatherhead Worthing Cretaceous sediments 40 miles
Petersfield BKA covering the Western end of the Weald where the N & S Downs meet, has all the Wealden sediments within reach of bees. Erosion has created alkali chalk Downs, steep sandstone scarps, clay & sand valleys and acid sandy heaths. The variety of soils and topography results in great variety of natural forage perfect for healthy bees Human activity augments this natural forage, extending forage availability
Beware the June Gap! Think when removing an early crop First super for the bees! Main trees/shrubs over by early June. Summer trees/shrubs (chestnut/blackberry) flower late June/early July. Temperature rises, weather dries. Nectar flows less freely.
Summer flowers Many garden shrubs and plants flower early and late, extending the natural flowering season
Non-Floral Nectar Extra-floral nectaries early excess sap or plant protection Prunus, broad-bean, laurel, bracken Honeydew early summer with high aphid populations milked by ants Oak, spruce, larch Produces strong dark honey
Honey Conversion of nectar comprising: complex sugars high in moisture to honey High in simple sugars low in moisture & containing antibacterial hydrogen peroxide Perfect for long-term storage The conversion liberates large quantities water
Nectar collected Sucrose, fructose, glucose Complex sugar Regurgitate with saliva enzymes invertase Converts all sucrose into Fructose Simple sugar Glucose oxidase Converts some Glucose Simple sugar Gluconic acid Hydrogen peroxide antibacterial Honey produced
honey Spring honey light and bright Summer honey darker and mellower
Honey Harvest Bees collect honey for themselves The beekeeper only takes the surplus First super for the bees Not always honey for beekeepers
Harvest time Depends on nectar source Rape in your supers? Early harvest essential But Beware the June gap after spring tree flows July traditionally Harvest time, Early August treatment time (bees start winter preparations in August) Near or going to Heather? Later harvest, later treatments Ivy - a late-season nectar source for bees
Harvesting & Treatment Scraped comb simplest, least equipment wax & honey scraped from foundation, bottled or scrapings strained through sieve, honey bottled Cut comb honey using thin unwired foundation comb cut from frames, placed in cut-comb pots
Harvesting & Treatment Spun honey frames uncapped & spun using stainless steel or plastic honey spinner Uncap Spin Stand Strain Contain All equipment used must be food grade
Harvesting & Treatment Pressed honey Heather honey is the only liquid honey which doesn t flow (thixotropic) so can t be spun. Scrape from foundation and either: or Place in muslin/ linen scrim bag, hang from hook over basin and squeeze. Bottle Use Heather Press (or fruit press), place in linen scrim, press, bottle.
How to store airtight cool below 13c dark dry
Granulation Honey is a super saturated solution and will granulate eventually. Speed of granulation depends on sugars Fructose more soluble than glucose High glucose - faster granulation Granulation optimum 13c-15c Granulation initiated by pollen, wax, air bubbles, dust
Fermentation Honey moisture content critical -17-19% Presence of osmophilic yeasts from wild yeasts in flowers will cause fermentation in moist conditions Granulation raises moisture level Store cool and dark, below 13c
Temperature effect on honey Heating and high-temperature storage: Increases natural hmf levels (hydroxymethylfurfuraldehyde Maximum statutory level 44ppm Affects taste and levels of trace elements Re-liquifying crystallised honey : Heat small quantities above 37C to max 40C for minimum time.
Selling / distribution Pot Seal Label Remember, honey is a Food product If selling, you must comply with health & hygiene regulations trading standards labelling regulations