BEE IN YOUR BARNET
THE BUZZ
News and Updates from BIYB
HONEY NOW WITH HONEYCOMB
Bees normally make honey on frames with wires to give strength. But this year I gave them a few without wires so the comb could be cut and sold. I have just a few 1lb (450g) jars with a large chunk of honeycomb and filled honey. ONLY A FEW AVAILABLE! Contact me for pricing and to order.
ANOTHER RECORD YEAR!
My biggest honey harvest ever! Having five hives running has led to a bumper crop. Contact me or perhaps one of the shops below for spring or summer Barnet honey now in stock.
SWARMS OF HARD WORKERS!
Three swarms collected from Barnet gardens in 2023 are still going strong and made a stellar contribution to my best ever crop. The bees have been very busy!
You can find a swarm collector near you at bbka.org.uk
A BUSY DAY IN THE APIARY
Bees busy fetching nectar and pollen for the young developing bees in the hives. Easiest to see near the hive entrance.
TWO HONEYS
Our spring and summer honeys glow yellow and gold in the autumn sun.
THE LABEL
Designed by Kez de Jong, the label references our magnificent oak trees and meadow flowers, the bees themselves, the legal necessities and a verse from the Bible...
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Where can I buy?
Local shops sometimes sell my honey. Try 4evercakes in Chaseville Parade, Oakwood, or the Old Bank Coffee House in East Barnet. THey both know where to find me if they have sold out!
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THE STORY
The bees of Oak Hill College
Oak Hill College was founded in 1932 to train people to be vicars in the Church of England, and still today the College sends people to serve in churches across the world. The main house and grounds were bequeathed by Charles Baring Young for the foundation of the College, and included a magnificent collection of trees. The largest of these, and among the oldest, is a majestic oak inside the main gate which for many years has contained a feral bee colony.
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When they swarmed into a neighbouring tree on a hot day in May 2019, one of the faculty, a beginner with the Barnet and District Beekeepers' Association, was (nearly) ready for them, and with help from other local beekeepers soon had them established in a hive elsewhere in the grounds. By summer 2020 they had expanded into a second hive and produced their first great harvest.
HONEY
100% Pure Raw Filtered
PURE RAW HONEY
Made in Barnet by bees
The bees make it, flying over 150km per gram. They take nectar from local flowers, digest and concentrate it, dry it, and then cap it with a thin layer of beeswax in a scaffolding of supporting wax cells. We remove what they don't need, slicing off the waxy cap, spinning the honey out. After filtering it goes straight into jars.Â
ALLERGIES Please note that all our honey is processed in a kitchen shared with multiple allergens
"BEE JUICE"
Fuel for bees
Honey is a wholly natural substance. Despite the "Best Before" date we have to put on the label, good honey has a very long shelf life and has been found in Egyptian tombs.
Bees make it to use as a high energy food store. During winter they feed on it and buzz to make heat, keeping the colony at a steady 34-35C whenever there are larvae being reared and at least 20C dunring the deepest winter.
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It is normal for the sugar in honey to crystallise over time, especially in cooler conditions. Many people prefer their honey 'set', but if you like it runny, you can warm the honey gently to make the crystals disappear again.
CONTACT US
Honey back in stock! It's a great year for honey.
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Please do get in touch. To pay Andrew for honey already received, click here.
