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Thread ID: 87121	2008-02-09 04:00:00	Any budding apiculturists out there?	Roscoe (6288)	PC World Chat

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
638784	2008-02-09 04:00:00	Any budding apiculturists out there? Following in Sir Ed’s pragmatic footsteps, perhaps? One of the many products sold to the globetrotting tourists at the airport shops is honey and there are different types of honey sourced, it seems, from a few different types of flowers. One of the best sellers is Manuka honey. I don’t dispute the labelling. If it says Manuka honey then I believe it. My question is, how do the bees tell the difference? Perhaps they start off the day with a meeting where they are told from what flowers they are gathering pollen from today. “We are low on Manuka, so harvesting bees please collect your buckets marked “Manuka” on your way out and we’ll see you at tomorrow’s meeting.” Or is there a sign where they pick up their buckets, “Manuka today, please.” And on their return, “Manuka pollen over here, please.”? And what about the beekeeper? How does he tell? Are there combs in the hive reserved for different types of honey, all clearly labelled? That’s assuming, of course, that the beekeeper learned, at apiarist school, bee language and can read the labels? All very abstruse, really. :confused:	Roscoe (6288)
638785	2008-02-09 04:04:00	Haven't you seen the "Bee Movie" ?? All is revealed. I know it is probably not a movie someone my age would like but grandaughter made me watch it.. TRUE!! Ken :D	kenj (9738)
638786	2008-02-09 04:32:00	Haven't you seen the "Bee Movie" ?? All is revealed. I know it is probably not a movie someone my age would like but grandaughter made me watch it.. TRUE!! Ken :D You expect me to bee-lieve that? I'm surprised that you admit to that! But no. I have not seen the "Bee Movie". Please elucidate.:confused:	Roscoe (6288)
638787	2008-02-09 05:13:00	Maybe their hives are kept near Manuka trees/flowers so they can only source from those plants and ditto for any other type of honey.	beeswax34 (63)
638788	2008-02-09 05:16:00	Hi Roscoe. A quick Google adds much to the story..... such as, ""Manuka honey has UMF (this stands for Unique Manuka Factor) in addition to the usual hydrogen peroxide anti-bacterial activity making it doubly potent. UMF honey is more effective than hydrogen peroxide against some types of bacteria. The level of UMF activity is found in laboratory testing by removing the hydrogen peroxide from the honey and using the same test method for testing an 'active honey'. A rating is found describing the anti-bacterial activity remaining in the honey after the hydrogen peroxide has been removed. This is called Active UMF 10+. UMF is an additional anti-bacterial component that is unique to Manuka Honey. No-one for the scientific discoveries of New Zealand active honeys has so far discovered the substance involved, so it is called UMF." (Honey New Zealand)" Whatever that means. Had a friend once who simplified it for me by saying that pollen is seasonal and the pollen collected can be readily identified under microscopic examination as to its source plant.	Scouse (83)
638789	2008-02-09 12:43:00	Tweak'e is the forum's resident hive owner. With luck, he'll see this - and you'll get an answer straight from the beekeeper's mouth.	Laura (43)
638790	2008-02-09 20:07:00	Maybe their hives are kept near Manuka trees/flowers so they can only source from those plants and ditto for any other type of honey. You are right. The bee keepers move the hives round and set them up near the source of what kind of honey they want. When the manuka has finished they might move the hives to an area near clover fields for clover honey etc. With a name like beesswax34 you should be a person of knowledge on this subject. :)	Trev (427)
638791	2008-02-10 00:13:00	Scouse: Thanks for that. I knew that honey was good for us, but after reading that it seems that it is very good for us. I was also aware the bees only have a short range, so it seems, as beeswax and Trev have said, they are put them by the flowers you want. So they don't require a daily bee meeting - the hive is moved instead. Hopefully that is not too confusing for the harvesting bees. Kenj: Some more on that Bee Movie that you were forced to watch, please.:cool:	Roscoe (6288)
638792	2008-02-10 03:15:00	My question is, how do the bees tell the difference? bees send out scout bees to find sources of nectar . basically the first one they find they will go and work, which is why it better if the hives are closer to the target source . bees will do 10km if they need to . once a scout finds a source she tells the other workers where to find it . general rule of thumb is they will work one source until its finished, which can be a pain if your targeting one thing and they get onto something else first . And what about the beekeeper? How does he tell? mainly by taste and color . taking the honey off a the right time helps . ie take manuka off before clover starts and also take any honey off before a strong honey like pennyroyal starts which will taint the taste . you can also sort it frame by frame, but you will always get some somewhere they have gone from one source to another . very noticeable with dark and light colored honeys . hence you will always get a mixture of honeys . what a honey is labeled is down to what the overall taste, color and texture is . (unless you are in an area that only ever has one plant that flowers ie beech forests) there is a test called a pollen count . it basically counts the different pollens left in the honey . however its well know to be inaccurate as bees don't always get their pollen from the same source as the honey . the will work other sources just for the pollen . so you can have 100% honey thats downgraded to 50% because of pollen from other plants . also the latest generation of filtering machines does a very clean job . i do not know how much pollen it filters out or if it favours any particular size/weight pollen . something target failed to mention in their tv program when they pollen tested the honeys . unfortunately because manuka is a small part of the market but the highest $$, any honey that looks/taste like manuka often gets called manuka, and most joe blogs customers wouldn't know what manuka tasted like . hence some of the dodgy "white manuka" being sold . unfortunately all the adverts and hype over manuka means a lot of customers simply buy via a name and bypass all other perfectly good honeys . (i've had people who came to buy manuka and left with clover because they liked clover better . ) . That’s assuming, of course, that the beekeeper learned, at apiarist school . . . . . . . . . unfortunately there is not much training available tho telford(?) do run the countries only bee courses . 90% of beekeepers come from being a hobbyist or born into it (parents are hobbyist) . its kinda strange that such an important part of life is in the hands of people who do it because they love doing it and the government is willing to trash it because its not a big $$$$ industry . i would hate to think what would happen to all those big industries if the beekeepers packed up and went .	tweak'e (69)
638793	2008-02-10 03:56:00	Kenj: Some more on that Bee Movie that you were forced to watch, please.:cool: Kenj - I Know what you mean the Mrs and son wanted to watch it as well - it may bee a animation but still had a story and meaning behind it. At the beginning Kids - complain about school - how did it go - oh Yeah - 3 days of Grade School - 3 days of High School - 3 days of Collage - took 1 day off in the middle :eek: Laughed at the end as well when the mosquito became a lawyer - Speaking to the cow (you have to see it to know :lol: ) (Quote from mosquito) Mame - I was already a blood sucking parasite, all I needed was the brief case.	wainuitech (129)
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