Shropshire Beekeepers' Association

 

 

Newsletter : May 2004

 

1.      Editorial

In Brian Goodwin's article last month he warned of the possibility of swarms even in April. Well he has been proved right. The hot weekend of 24th/25th April brought them out in droves and several members of the committee received reports about swarms with requests to collect them. All of which brings me to remind you that our Association's 'Swarm Removal Co-ordinator' is Steve Watkins (tel: 01952 411036; email sw.arm@virgin.net). If you are willing to collect swarms in your area please let Steve know so that he can add you to his list. Similarly, if you would like to have a swarm should one be looking for a good home, let Steve know so that he can put you in touch with anyone who has one spare. (N.B Priority will be given to new members who are trying to make a start in beekeeping).

In response to some feedback about last month's article about removing drone comb as a means of controlling varroa, can I emphasis that the most important sentence there was " ...... when the cells are sealed, it is a relatively easy job to pull [the frames] out and cut off the drone comb." Although it was not explicitly stated, you should then destroy the comb you have cut out. In other words, this is a way of trapping and removing varroa. If you let the drones hatch then, of course, you are effectively breeding varroa!

I could not go to the BBKA Convention at Stoneleigh this year, but I gather that one stand that attracted our members' attention was that of Agri-Nova Technology who are UK distributors of a new thymol delivery system for the autumn treatment of bees against varroa. It is hoped to arrange a talk/demonstration of this product at our AGM meeting in October. More news when available. (If you have internet access you can find out more through the company website: http://www.agri-nova.biz)

2.      Next Meeting

The first of our apiary meetings was last weekend. An ex-beekeeper brought a large amount of equipment for sale, including hive parts, (floors, brood chambers, supers, roofs, stands, queen excluders, crownboards), frames and foundations, travelling boxes, queen rearing equipment, feeders, escapes, smokers, hive tools, queen cages, protective clothing, various honey containers (including jars), etc. The weather was poor and so attendance was small so further items will be advertised in our next Newsletter.

Since there will not be another Newsletter before our second apiary meeting could you please note that Robin Hall will be giving some practical demonstrations of Integrated Pest Management techniques at Radbrook on Saturday 22nd May at 2.30 p.m.

3.      April Meeting Report

Last month's meeting had been scheduled as a talk by Brian Goodwin on colony management for honey production and swarm control. In the event Brian was not able to be with us but he arranged for Geoff Critchley from Mold to talk to us about Marketing Honey and Honey Products. Geoff started by drawing our attention to the advantages of selling honey in a variety of sizes and appearances of container (anything from 50gm to 2 Kilos) in order to appeal to the demands of different customers and then went on to identify such distinctive varieties of honey such as "star-flower" (borage), unfiltered ('nowt tekken owt'), cut comb and 'special label' honey produced for a particular outlet.

Having dealt with honey on its own Geoff then went on to demonstrate how it could be used in a wide range of other products as a unique selling point, such as fudge, tea-loaf, marmalade, biscuits, mustard, salad dressing, pickled onions, beetroot and even red cabbage! The uses of beeswax were not neglected. Candles were high on the list (nicely displayed in suitable holders rather than lying flat on the table) as were beeswax polish, cream and lip balm. Other products included a tincture and cream using propolis. His talk concluded with comments on the regulations that govern selling to the public (especially through third parties) and a summary of the new labelling requirements that have been covered in previous editions of this Newsletter.

By the time he got to the end of his talk Geoff had a splendid looking table full of inviting products, all with his own distinctive label, which proved irresistible to many members who took the opportunity to buy items that took their fancy.

Footnote: Because Geoff produces and sells quite large quantities of honey and honey-related products, he has made sure that he has a Food Handlers Hygiene Certificate. If you are interested in this you might like to read the following article, adapted from a recent edition of Surrey Beekeepers Newsletter.

4.      An Inspector Calls

Reprinted from Surrey Beekeepers' Association Newsletter : March 2004) (Courtesy BEES)

In a recent issue of this newsletter a mention of the farmers market organisers saying that all suppliers of food must possess a Food Handlers Hygiene Certificate. So, on your behalf, I went down to the local Help Shop to find out how to obtain one. The lady behind the counter couldn't have been more helpful. A quick 'phone call and there I was chatting to someone in the Environmental Health Department. After I had explained what I wanted, and why, I suddenly came to the realisation that I had just shot myself in the foot! To be honest, I didn't put up much of a fight and so it was no surprise that I came away having made an appointment for my local EHO to come and see me bottling honey.

The day before the visit I prepared for the worst. A careful appraisal of my kitchen and bee shed produced a few minor worries. Trying to see your own environment through the eyes of a stranger is never easy; so I just settled for a general tidy-up and a neat working system. I also put a l5lb tub of honey in the water bath to warm through. The dog and her water bowl were banished to the conservatory, as was any unnecessary clutter from the kitchen.

The lady arrived spot on time and told me that this was the first time that she had visited a beekeeper. However, she had done her homework and produced some very interesting articles that she had found on the Internet and asked all the right questions. The whole visit took about 45 minutes during which I filtered and bottled 15 lb. of honey into 1 lb. and 8oz. jars. While I was clearing up she wrote her report and gave me a copy. There were no points on which she wasn't satisfied and we parted on very friendly terms. Before she left she said that the scale of my operation didn't warrant registration. Honey is classed as a "low risk" food and, therefore, doesn't really require a food handling hygiene certificate. She'll be back to see me in 5 years!

5.      Heating Honey

This is a subject that always arouses controversy whenever beekeepers meet. In an ideal world we would all wish to extract our honey in a clear liquid form and use it or sell it without further treatment, thus preserving all the volatile substances that would otherwise quickly be driven off. The reality is, however, that most of us do heat our honey at some point or other. Most commonly this will be to separate crystallised honey from wax (e.g. when oil-seed rape honey has set in the comb) or to liquify stored honey in order to cream it and so produce a product with better appearance, texture and shelf-life.

Recent changes to the food regulations have renewed interest in this topic because of the requirement that there should be no more than 40mg/kilo of HMF in honey offered for sale in future - and the HMF content is increased when honey is heated. The two research reports summarised below may help to shed further light on this topic.

HMF (HydroxyMethylFurfuraldehyde) is used as an indicator of heat and storage changes in honey. It is formed by the breakdown of fructose in the presence of an acid and heat increases the speed of the reaction. HMF occurs naturally in most honeys and usually increases with the age and heat treatment of honey. The occurrence and accumulation of HMF in honey is variable depending on honey type.

It should be noted that HMF is not a harmful substance in levels found in food. Many sugar type products (e.g. Golden Syrup, Molasses etc.) have levels of HMF that are 10-100 times that of honey. Many food items sweetened with high fructose corn syrups, e.g. carbonated soft drinks, can have levels of HMF between 100 and 1,000 mg/kg.

Fresh natural honey can have varying levels of HMF. Normally this is below 1 mg/kg but levels soon start to rise with ambient temperatures above 20°C. It should be noted that temperatures in the beehive can rise to over 40°C during summer months (when the main honey crop is in progress). It is usual for HMF to be below 10 mg/kg in fresh extracted honey. Levels higher than this may indicate excessive heating during the extraction process.

Honey that is traded in a bulk form is usually required to be below 10 or 15mg/kg to enable further processing and then give some shelf life before a level of 40 mg/kg is reached. It is not uncommon for honey sold in hot climates to be well over 100 mg/kg. This is mostly due to the ambient temperatures (over 35°C) that honey is exposed to in the distribution channel.

The time taken to accumulate HMF at varying temperatures has had considerable research. The most important thing to remember is that this is variable. However work by White, Kushnir & Subers in 1964 indicated the following approximate ranges for accumulation of HMF.