My honey . . .
. . . is produced from bees that are not treated with chemicals, neither miticides to control Varroa nor antibiotics to control foulbrood.
Most of my honey is produced in the Warré hive which, instead of using frames and artificial comb foundation, allows the bees to build comb more naturally. Also, foundation commonly used by beekeepers has been found to contain pesticides. Queen excluders, intended to restrict the movement of the queen about the hive, are not used.
To harvest the Warré hive honey, the comb is either pressed or sliced and drained. About half of it is spun out of the combs with a centrifugal extractor. The honey is strained before packing. As the honey is from combs where bee bread (fermented pollen) may be stored, the pollen content of my honeys tends to be higher. Therefore, it may look less clear than many clear honeys supplied by large-scale commercial packers, who put it through a fine filtration process.
Honeys from the large producers are usually heat-treated to greatly increase the shelf-life. This applies whether it is creamed (set) or clear (runny). My honey receives no heat treatment. When fresh from the comb, it is a liquid in various shades of amber, depending on what flowers have been visited by the bees.
After some time in storage it may set naturally. If my honey sets and you would prefer it to be liquid, the jar may be stood for a few hours in warm water no hotter than 40 degrees centigrade.
Quite recently, out of 250 honeys sampled from round the UK and tested for medicinal properties by Cardif University Department of Pharmacy, only two samples, namely those from the only two Warré hives sampled, showed activity comparable with Manuka honey from New Zealand. More details of this are here.
Doorstep prices
Pots
£6.00 per pound pot (from local shops the sky's the limit!)
Cut-comb honey (not available in 2018)
£9.00 per pound. Pack weights vary according to the comb thickness. Pack prices generally range from £2.50 to £4.50. View comb cutting here.
Mail order is possible but probably not economical because of the high cost of post/courier.
Email: david (at) dheaf.plus.com
