For 2020 I produced honey from hives at Hook Copse, near Semley. We have two productive hives at this time. Our honey is termed as "raw", which means that it undergoes the minimal processing to get it in to a jar in the shops. The 202 season was very poor for most producers, but I was lucky enough to have one very spitited hive who produced the bulk of my honey - about 60 jars. These bees were not friendly though, and I was ferociously attacked every time I opened the hive, which tested my protective equipment every time . There's always am occaisional sting when you keep bees, but this hive took it a whole lot further, and I would have to act quickly to get each inspection done in minimal time, before they inflicted too much pain! I'cve heard it said that the more aggrssice the bees are, the better they are at producing honey, and so whilst many of my fellow bee keepers have had next to no honey this year, I have been lucky enought to have harvested a reasonable emount. 

The honey this year is different to other years. It has crystalised, (i.e. set), in quite large crystals, so it has a course texture. Infact, the honey from my two hives has been quite different, even though they are two feet apart. Such are teh vagaries of teh natural world.

Here's what I do to get the honey:

The bees fly up to three miles from their hives, collecting nectar and pollen where ever they can. In this area, nectar comes from wild flowers, (such as clover), trees, (especially lime), and honey dew. We have no control over what they harvest.
The "super", (one layer of 10 to 12 combs, called frames), are removed from the hive once all frames are filled, and capped off by the bees with wax;

The wax seal put on by the bees is removed, and the frames are put in to an extractor. This holds 9 frames, and is about the size of an oil drum, (though shinier!);

We wind the handle and the frames are spun very fast, and the liquid honey flies out, and runs down to the bottom of the extractor;

The honey is then passed through two or three sieves, an in to a holding tank with a tap on the bottom;

The jars are then filled from this tank, capped, sealed, labelled, and delivered to the shops.

That's all! No heating, blending, diluting or messing about. So you end up with honey, just as the bees made it. This means that the honey will contain minute grains of bees wax and pollen, which contribute to the intense and distinctive flavour of this honey.

Please check back here soon for more information about the honey harvest.