ABOUT HONEY & BEES

Providing Everything You Need To know

BEES

Honeybees are the most important producers of honey. They gather nectar from flowers and plants and carry it to the hive or nest. Other worker bees then take over, preparing it for storing by adding enzymes. (Water evaporates away and this, together with the action of the enzyme, turns the nectar to honey.)

DID YOU KNOW

Bees can fly for up to six miles, although one or two is more common.
Bees collect pollen and nectar in the spring when most plants are in bloom.
Once they have collected the pollen and nectar, they process and store honey in honey combs in the beehive.
Honey can be used to treat sore throats and coughs and even cuts and burns

HEALTH BENEFITS

Honey has long been recognized as a natural remedy and has been used as a medicine for thousands of years. It has antiseptic properties and can be used as a remedy for ailments from sore throats to burns and cuts.

For a soothing drink for sore throats, mix honey with the juice of half a lemon, add boiling water and stir.
If you're feeling low, try a spoonful of honey as a pick-me-up. The fructose and glucose in honey are quickly absorbed into the bloodstream.

PURE HONEY

In its simplest form, pure honey is gently filtered with nothing at all being added to the honey. No sweeteners, oils or flavours. This doesn’t mean that it is tasteless. Honey gets its flavour from nature, from the pollen in the local flowers and plants that the bees forage on. This means you can get many types of pure honey; blossom, heather, bush etc.
Each specific honey will be unique and will depend on the environment the flowers (and bees) have had to thrive in. A bit like wine, a blossom honey from north of Portugal will taste entirely different from the south of Portugal, and preference comes down to a matter of individual taste. Unlike what is known as raw honey, pure honey can be filtered to remove any nasties that shouldn’t be there; pollen, dead bees, dirt etc.

WHY NOT GET CHEAP HONEY

Cheap honeys are more likely to be industrial honeys matured in a factory environment if not even adulterated with the use of syrups and resins in a country where this is legal to do so. These honeys won't offer any flavour, or the goodness of a natural product with all the nutrients and pollen grains of an unpasteurised, unblended product from a beekeeper.

If you are interested sustainability and supporting our ecosystem this is a good start. Our honeys are minimally filtered and are never blended. All our products are single variety; from one beehive which offers a real signature flavour of that specific landscape at that time of year. We take pride in having control over the whole supply from field to the jar.

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

Q: What is honey?

A: Honey is a sweet, viscous substance produced by bees from the nectar of flowers.

Q: How is honey made?

A: Bees collect nectar from flowers using their long tongues and store it in their honey stomachs. Enzymes present in the bees' stomachs convert the nectar into honey. Once back at the hive, the bees transfer the nectar to other bees who chew it and mix it with enzymes before depositing it into wax cells. The bees then fan their wings over the cells to evaporate excess water, creating thickened honey.

Q: What are the different types of honey?

A: Various types of honey exist, with their flavors and colors dependent on the types of flowers the bees collect nectar from. Some popular types include clover honey, manuka honey, acacia honey, and orange blossom honey.

Q: Is honey good for you?

A: Yes, honey has several health benefits. It contains antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals that can boost the immune system, soothe a cough or sore throat, and act as a natural energy source. However, it should be consumed in moderation due to its high sugar content.

Q: Can honey spoil?

A: Honey has a long shelf life and does not spoil easily. Its low moisture content and natural acidity inhibit the growth of microorganisms. However, if exposed to moisture, it may ferment or develop mold.

Q: Can infants consume honey?

A: It is generally advised not to give honey to infants under one year old due to the risk of infant botulism, a rare but serious illness caused by bacteria spores found in some honey.

Q: Can honey be used for skincare?

A: Yes, honey is often used in skincare products due to its moisturizing and antibacterial properties. It can help hydrate the skin, reduce inflammation, and promote wound healing.

Q: Can diabetics consume honey?

A: While honey is a natural sweetener, it contains high amounts of sugar, so it should be consumed in moderation by individuals with diabetes. It can cause rapid increases in blood sugar levels if consumed in larger quantities.

Q: How should honey be stored?

A: Honey should be stored in a cool, dry place, away from direct sunlight. It should be kept tightly sealed to prevent moisture absorption and the introduction of contaminants.

Q: Can honey crystallise? Is it still safe to eat?

A: Yes, honey can crystallize over time, creating a grainy texture. This is a natural process and does not affect the safety or quality of the honey. Crystallized honey can be easily liquefied by gently heating it in a warm water bath.

PORTUGUESE TYPES OF HONEY

PURE

Our honey is made naturally by our busy bees in the sunny fields at the north of Portugal.

PREMIUM

HONEY

Get to know the different types of honey produced in mainland Portugal, and also the region and time of year from these honeys

The floral origin of honey is closely associated with organoleptic aspects such as colour and taste, being used for the typification of honey as a measure of product valorization. According to its floral origin, several types of honeys are typified, of which we can highlight:

monofloral honey – honey, in the pollen spectrum of which contains more than 45% of the pollen (except for this rule the monofloral rosemary and chestnut honeys, considered as such when the pollen percentages of the respective pollen types are higher). 10 and 70%, respectively);
multifloral honey – honey obtained from the nectar of various species, in which the predominant characteristics of a particular plant are not highlighted.
The richness and diversity of Portugal’s honeycomb flora, both wild (mostly) and cultivated plants such as chestnut and eucalyptus, make for a great diversity of monofloral honeys throughout the country. The most emblematic monofloral honeys are:
rosemary honey (Lavandulastoechas) in areas of less than 400 m;
heather honey (Erica umbellata), up to the height of 900 m;
Chestnut honey (Castanea sativa), produced in mountain areas (between 700 and 1200 m).
May also refer to the honeys of Rosemary (Rosmarinusofficinalis), Strawberry tree (Arbutusunedo), Soage (Echiumplantagineum), Pennyroyal (Menthapulegium), Orange (Citrus sinensis), Thistle (Carlina racemosa), Eucalyptus (Eucalyptussppth) and Girannu (Helannu).

CURIOSITY

Did you know that a bee produces about five grams of honey a day, and to make a kilo of honey, it needs to visit about 5 million flowers?

WHAT BEES DO IN THE WINTER MONTHS

Once it is around 55-58F (12-14C) outside, the bees will form a cluster inside the hive. This cluster is loose and allows air to flow through. As it gets colder out, the cluster will tighten and the bees will vibrate the muscles in their thorax to produce heat. Since there is no brood present in the late fall and early Winter, the cluster does not have to produce as much heat. They only have to keep the adult bees warm enough to stay alive. Bees still have to eat! The cluster usually forms at the bottom of the hive and it will move up over the course of the winter, eating the honey stored in the cells of honeycomb. If necessary, the bees will move to the very top of the hive where the beekeeper has left them dry, white sugar or a hard candy.

It's exciting to harvest honey from the beehive in the summer, but it's more important that the bees have enough food to get them through the winter. The beekeeper will not only leave the colony enough food to go through winter, but also give them an extra box of dry, white sugar or candy up above the honey as a backup.

An easy way for you, as a beginner beekeeper, to see how much honey to leave your hives is to not harvest any honey your first year and see how much is left in the spring. This will tell you how much honey the bees consumed over the winter. Make sure you, first, calculate how much honey is on the hive before you close it up for the winter!

QUOTES ABOUT HONEY