Latest news with #honey
The Guardian
2 days ago
- General
- The Guardian
Country diary 1950: Grass snakes do a lot of good
HEREFORD: I came upon a beautifully marked silvery grass snake; it was three feet long. As it did not slip away, I looked at it carefully and concluded that some foolish person had attempted to kill it. It was damaged just behind its head. I picked it up and decided reluctantly to finish it off, as it would have slowly died. Grass snakes do a lot of good because they live on grubs and insects. It is a pity people are afraid of them as they are perfectly harmless. Two young cuckoos were sitting on the telegraph wires, possibly preparing to leave the country. One might easily have taken them for hawks with their speckled plumage. I believe many young cuckoos are shot in mistake for hawks. I have been taking honey. The hives are jammed up with it. I am never quite clear about the way bee scouts direct a queen to a residence chosen by them for a swarm. I suppose they close round her and all go along together. Perhaps, the method of dancing on the combs is used, which is done when a find of honey has been made and information of its whereabouts is conveyed, by the finder to the other bees.
RNZ News
4 days ago
- General
- RNZ News
Country Life: Sweet success for Coromandel couple's organic honey
The hives are scattered across farmland, orchards and other areas in parts of the northern Coromandel peninsula Photo: Supplied A honey shed on a hill is buzzing with the sound of honey flowing into jars as the bees take a hard-earned rest from honey-making. Country Life meets Shayne and Elizabeth Mackenzie whose organic honey is produced from hives scattered over remote parts of the northern Coromandel Peninsula. Shayne Mackenzie has just wrapped up queen rearing for the season - a tricky job, but one that's vital to keep his organic honey operation humming in the far reaches of the Coromandel Peninsula. "Timing's everything. Big, long, sunny days is what you want when those queens come out." To keep moving ahead and to deal with all the stresses on hives these days, healthy queens for the next season are crucial, he said. Shayne rears queen bees to replace older queens in order to keep colony numbers up and maximise honey flow. He uses a grafting technique to collect and place the correct size larvae into special queen cell cups. Photo: Supplied "Often the queen will fail at a bad time, and then you'll end up with a drone-laying hive [...] pretty much it's a death sentence for them. "There's a whole lot of male bees just stuck in the cells, really, because if they get too weak and there's not enough help to get out, that's what happens." Follow Country Life on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , iHeart or wherever you get your podcasts. Pouring and packing honey Photo: RNZ/Sally Round It was early autumn when Country Life dropped into the Mackenzies' honey shed not far from Colville, and with the honey harvest and queen-rearing over, there was still plenty to do. Shayne and his wife and business partner Elizabeth were filling jars and packing them into boxes stamped with the Woodland's Organic Honey label, to be sent off to honey-lovers in New Zealand, Europe and Asia. This year the couple won another two gold medals and one silver at the Outstanding Food Producer Awards for their multifloral and mānuka honey varieties, and they have lately launched their rewarewa and kānuka labels. Woodland's organic honey is exported to Europe and Asia as well as sold online and in New Zealand Photo: RNZ/Sally Round Woodland's honey range includes kānuka and mānuka varieties Photo: Supplied The Mackenzies are one of New Zealand's few organic honey producers who must meet a multitude of requirements to ensure certified organic status. Shayne and his small team of beekeepers travel around northern parts of the Coromandel to tend the hives scattered over farmland, orchards and land owned by communities, ensuring distance from spraying, regular testing and also ensuring hives aren't taken out of the area, all subject to audit. "You have to be a long way from any heavy agriculture or even a large town. "Leaving honey on the hives, it's part of the gig, you know, we have to leave food for the bees. That's a big deal." Shayne started in the bee business as a teenager on summer jobs, eventually taking on the company which started out with one truck, and "some pretty old equipment." "It's pretty much 30 years since I first went out with Don Sutherland harvesting, who was the original owner of the bees around here. "He had some quite vicious bees and I was quite young, and it didn't really go that well getting stung. I swelled up pretty bad. "I'd like to think we've tamed the bees a little bit by breeding some slightly kinder ones," he said, laughing. Woodland's Organic Honey beekeepers in the field Photo: Supplied The landscape has changed too. The Mackenzies are contributing to the diminishing gorse, which the bees have a taste for, planting 1500 mainly mānuka trees. Elizabeth met Shayne while working as a shepherd near Port Jackson further north. "I've, you know, sort of taken over all the marketing, exports, sales, the books, social media. "When you own your own business, you fill all of those roles." Woodland's Organic Honey beekeepers in the field Photo: Supplied So how have the pair weathered turbulent times in the honey industry, with oversupply a particular problem in recent years? "Well, fortunately, when times were good, we didn't just buy a Ferrari," Shayne said. They have made strategic investments and adapted to market conditions. "Because I do know that the business can be up and down enormous amounts, like I used to think it could be plus or minus 60 percent but after the other year (after Cyclone Gabrielle) and we got eight percent of the crop, I guess that means you can be plus or minus 92 percent. "We just found ways to raise capital and keep going." Things are looking more positive though, Elizabeth added. "It's still going to be slow like the hive numbers have about halved in the last few years, and this year's national crop is just below average. "There has not been as much honey produced so that helps even out the supply and demand, so I guess we just have to get back to a place where there's more of a level playing field."
CBC
22-07-2025
- Business
- CBC
This beekeeper started last winter with 60 hives. Only one survived
Commercial beekeeper Nathan Mutch of Halcomb Honey & Hives near Miramichi is out $50,000 after losing 99 per cent of his bees this spring.
Arab News
18-07-2025
- Arab News
Aseer's blooming bounty: How rare flowers turn southern region into a year-round honey hub
RIYADH: Each summer, as Aseer's highland peaks erupt in fragrant blossoms, local beekeepers begin harvesting some of Saudi Arabia's most coveted honey. Each variety is tied to a rare native plant and a fleeting blooming season. According to the Saudi Press Agency, this botanical diversity is what sets the region apart. Aseer accounts for 20 percent of the Kingdom's total honey production, according to the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture, and is home to more than 5,000 active beekeepers. Backed by SR54 million ($14.4 million) in government support, the sector has become a cornerstone of Aseer's ecotourism and agricultural economy. At the heart of this flourishing industry lies a simple equation: flower plus season equals flavor. In his book 'Honey Atlas,' researcher Dr. Ibrahim Al-Arifi documents the region's key varieties, from thick white Majra honey harvested off the slopes to golden Katad from valley-floor Acacia trees. Each one tells a story of soil, altitude, and survival. Majra honey, extracted from the blooms of Teucrium polium in late summer, is among the rarest in the Kingdom. It is prized for its immediate crystallization, pale color, and intense sweetness, all traits linked to the plant's short blooming cycle and climate sensitivity. It grows only in the upper elevations of Aseer. Majra honey, extracted from the blooms of Teucrium polium in late summer, is among the rarest in the Kingdom. Katad honey, gleaned from Acacia hamulosa flowers between June and August, is known for its golden shine and moderate density. The drought-resistant thorny plant thrives in the region's valleys and produces honey credited with boosting immunity and energy. By early fall, another Aseer staple makes its appearance. Salam honey is dark red and comes from bees feeding on the golden blooms of the Acacia ehrenbergiana tree, which grows in rocky, arid environments. The famed Sidr honey, widely known across the Kingdom, is extracted between August and October. Its source, the Sidr tree, blooms in the valleys and plains of Tihama, Rijal Almaa, and Sarat Abidah. Dark golden, highly nutritious, and medicinal, Sidr is among the most expensive types of honey in the Saudi market due to its limited supply and high quality. Further west, along the banks of valley streams, the bright yellow blossoms of the seyal tree produce a fall honey noted for its spicy aroma and dark amber color. Even some winter-blooming trees, like Al-Samar, begin flowering early in warm parts of Aseer. This allows early harvests of a rich, red honey with a deep, earthy flavor. This steady cycle of flowering, foraging, and flavor has made Aseer a year-round producer of artisanal honey. From mountains to valleys, each bloom supports not just bees, but families, farmers, and the region's growing reputation as a hub for nature-based industries. As demand rises for rare and organic honey, Aseer's deep-rooted knowledge and climate-resilient crops are helping to secure the future of beekeeping in the Kingdom, one blossom at a time.
Zawya
17-07-2025
- Business
- Zawya
Jordan: Local honey production increases by 28.6% in 2024 — DoS
AMMAN — Honey production in the Kingdom saw an increase of 28.6 per cent in 2024 to reach 418 tonnes, up from 325 tonnes in 2023, according to figures released on Wednesday by the Department of Statistics (DoS). DoS annual honey production survey for 2024 also reported a 'sharp' increase in pollen production, which surged by 80.6 per cent to 7,624 kilogrammes, compared with the previous year, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. The results also indicated a 5.9 per cent decrease in the production of bee packages last year compared with 2023, while the production of queen bees increased by 84 per cent in 2024 compared with the year before. The number of bee colonies increased by 110 per cent compared with 2023, reaching 84,442 colonies in 2024, compared with 40,217 colonies in 2023, according to DoS. The average honey yield per colony was 4.9 kilogrammes in 2024, compared with 8 kilogrammes in 2023, representing a decrease of 39 per cent. © Copyright The Jordan Times. All rights reserved. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
