Doug Jones, SBI for the Northern Region, got our Autumn indoor meeting season off to a good start, entertaining an audience of almost 50 members with his illustrated account of beekeeping safaris he has led in Europe. We saw the beautifully painted bee-houses of Slovenia (2003) where beekeepers comfortably handle their Carniolan bees without protection and from where up to 40,000 queens are exported all over the world. We went for a trip down the Mosel (2005) and visited Poland (2006) where one beekeeper runs 3000 hives and uses only deep frames for both brood or stores.

We went to the Bee Research Institute in the Czech Republic (2008) and to Hungary (2009) where all beekeepers must be registered by law and all honey extracted at the local Co-operative. Here we also saw pictures of hives built over a rotary brood chamber that constantly revolves (1 turn each minute) thus causing problems for varroa though not, apparently, for the bees, which are thriving.

Following this expert presentation, Doug ruminated on several general matters of concern to members, such as

• Plagues of wasps (answer - small circular entrances (as there would be in nature), if necessary fitted with a short length of tubing (e.g. 15mm copper water pipe), which bees will happily negotiate but not the wasps.
• Poly hives - and how they can be destroyed if, as he has experienced this year, the colonies in them have AFB (hint - not by burning)
• New varroa treatments, especially ApiLifeVar (a thymol impregnated 'wafer' that can be laid flat in the brood chamber without the need for an eke.)

4.      Sugar Syrup

A casual remark by Robert Swallow at the last apiary meeting has made me revisit the issue of the strength of the sugar solution we should feed to bees in autumn. The ideal concentration will be that which give the bees the most sugar for the least amount of work on their part, while remaining in solution when the temperature falls overnight. If the sugar starts to crystallise out of the solution as the temperature drops, then it is likely to block the channels in the feeder that allow the bees to access it, which rather defeats the object of the exercise.

The general advice for winter feeding is that we should feed a 2:1 syrup, which traditionally has meant 2lbs sugar to 1 pint of water. However, in carelessly equating this to a metric alternative of 2 kg sugar to 1 litre water, I have unintentionally created the problem just mentioned. 2 kg to 1 litre is a true 2/1 strength solution by weight, whereas 2lb (32 oz) of sugar in 1 pint (20 oz) water actually only gives a strength of 1.6/1 by weight. This difference is significant as the table below shows:

Table 1 : Solubility of sugar at various temperatures

Temp. in °C	5	10	15	20	25	30	35
Ratio of sugar to water by weight	1.85	1.91	1.97	2.04	2.11	2.19	2.28

At 20°C, 2kg of sugar in 1 litre of water will just about remain in solution, but will start to crystallise out as the temperature goes down so that, by the time it has reached current night-time temperatures, sufficient crystallisation will have occurred to block the feeder. By contrast, a solution comprising 2lbs sugar to 1 pint water will remain in solution to well below 5°C.

Table 2 (below), which shows the quantities of sugar and water required (metric & imperial) to reach various concentrations for a feeding syrup, would suggest that a figure between these two would give the best compromise. 5kg of sugar dissolved in 2.75 litres of water would produce a concentration that should remain completely solvent to below the temperature where the bees are still likely to be feeding. (I have chosen 5kg as a reference point because sugar is ready obtainable in packages of that size at supermarkets).

Table 2 Metric & Imperial Comparisons of Strength of solution by weight

Concentration by weight	Kg	Litres	Llbs	Pts
2 to 1	5	2.5	2.5	1
1.92 to 1	5	2.6	2.4	1
1.85 to 1	5	2.7	2.3	1
1.81 to 1	5	2.75	2.26	1
1.78 to 1	5	2.8	2.22	1
1.72 to 1	5	2.9	2.15	1
1.67 to 1	5	3.0	2.0	1

For those who prefer imperial measures, the same concentration would be achieved by dissolving 2¼ lbs sugar in 1 pint of water, i.e. slightly stronger than the usual recipe.

[N.B. If, like me, you tend to use whichever measuring system is most easily to hand, you will have noticed that 2¼ lbs of sugar is very close to 1 kilo in weight – so I could suggest that a syrup strength of 1 kilo sugar to 1 pint of water will be near enough. How’s that for a confusing conclusion!]

5.     Preparing Creamed or Soft-Set Honey.

Introduction
Creamed or soft set honey is the ideal way to market a honey that is otherwise likely to start granulating in the jar (e.g. oilseed rape honey). While some people may be a little suspicious of spreadable honey, they can generally be persuaded when you explain that it spreads like butter and that it won’t go solid and have to chipped out of the jar like beef dripping! In his original process, patented in 1928, Professor Dyce took great care in conditioning the honey to be creamed. In a first step he heated it to filter out wax flakes remaining from the extraction process and then again to a higher temperature to make sure that no crystals were present and that yeasts were killed. The temperatures used are slightly damaging to the aroma and flavour of the honey but we are preparing this honey mainly for the customer, not a honey judge (see Note 1).

Stage 1
Honey for creaming may be crystallising or have already set. In either case, it will need to be made completely liquid again. To do this it is heated for half an hour at 140°F / 60°C in a double boiler and stirred frequently to ensure that no crystals are present and also to minimise the time taken to reach the required temperature. The honey is next poured through a fine filter cloth. A Thorne’s filter cloth can be used but two thicknesses of fine un-patterned nylon net curtain also suffice. It is important to filter the honey finely as any foreign bodies or specks will show up very strongly against the light-coloured creamed honey. We should remember that we are preparing a premium product and intend to offer it at a premium price, so it must be premium quality. The liquid honey is then cooled as rapidly as possible to 15°C. Any melted wax and fine bubbles of trapped air form a fine white scum on the surface of the honey which can be gathered using a flat-ended spatula and removed with a shallow spoon. (Leave the honey for 24 - 48 hours before skimming).

Stage 2
A finely granulated seed honey now needs to be added to start the creaming process. Typically, softened oilseed rape honey will be used, which needs forcing through a fine metal sieve using the back of a spoon. This is hard work the first time, as you need to add between 5% and 10% of seed honey to your main batch, but this needs doing only once as sufficient honey from each subsequent creamed batch can be used to seed the next. This seed honey is then stirred into the main batch using a powerful slow-turning electric drill with some sort of agitator fitted. The honey is kept at about 15°C (the ideal is 14°C) and stirred two or three times a day, keeping the stirrer well down to try to avoid entrapping any more air. Neither should it be stirred for too long as this could raise the temperature of the honey. Stir thoroughly for a couple of minutes, especially near the bottom, as any larger crystals will sink. The point of the stirring is to break up any crystals of glucose to make them as small as possible. Although the thermostat on the warming cabinet may be calibrated, a thermometer should be used to make sure that the temperature is correct. The honey will stiffen and become paler due to the increasing number of fine glucose crystals, the speed at which it does so depending on the base honey used. Stiffening is the best indicator that setting on the way. When this happens the honey needs to be packed in jars without delay, although if it does set in the tub you can always reverse the process sufficiently with a warming cabinet by slightly increasing the temperature.

Notes

1. If you want to try for first prizes in creamed honey show classes I would suggest using a strongly flavoured honey, which you would have to filter slowly to avoid heating. A bland honey can also be improved by blending with a small quantity of a strongly flavoured honey such as heather. The outcome that you are striving for is something like butter. With that in mind you have to remember that the first batch that you make contains up to 10% of the seed honey, which you will feel on your tongue. However, subsequent batches will only contain 1% seed honey because you save enough from the initial batch to use as a 10% seed for the next mix. These will have a smoother texture, which is something judges look for.
2. As a result of the closure of the Allscot sugar beet processing plant, there has been an increased sowing of oilseed rape as a break crop in Shropshire. It is important to try to keep rape honey out of supers to be used for the main season’s honey as even the tiniest quantity of remaining rape honey will trigger granulation in a honey otherwise unlikely to do so. I realised the extent of this problem when some borage honey rapidly granulated after extraction, the frames having been used earlier in the season to harvest rape honey, the witness being that a few jars of borage honey remaining from that season have still not granulated over two years later.

6.      Silver Spoon British Sugar at Trade Prices for Beekeepers

Members of the BBKA are now welcome to shop at any of Booker's 173 trade-only Cash and Carry stores. Booker's price for granulated sugar is about 60p per kilo. Booker is a trade-only wholesaler, and members should register individually with their local store by presenting their current BBKA membership card. They will then be registered and able to shop straight away. Payment is by cash or debit card when leaving the store. This new arrangement has been approved by Booker head office, Northampton in discussion with Conwy BKA, North Wales to whom we give our thanks for their enterprise,

There are Booker's Stores in Shrewsbury (Unit A, Sundorne Retail Park, Arlington Way, SY1 4YA) and Telford (Stafford Park 13, TF3 3BB) Check the Booker's website for opening hours and the location of other stores.

7.     Round & About

The National Honey Show describes itself as the 'gold standard' honey show – the equivalent of Wimbledon for tennis players. There are almost 250 classes and beekeepers come from all over the world to enter so it is truly an international show. This year's event will be held at the St George’s College, Weybridge, Surrey KT15 2QS from the 29th - 31st October

Judging of more than 200 classes of honey, beeswax, candles, mead, artwork, essays etc begins at 09.30 on Thursday 29th. In addition to the competitive classes, there is a full programme of lectures, given by speakers of world renown, There are also many trade and educational stands in the Sales Hall, which is open to the public on all three days of the Show on:

• Thursday 29th October from14.00 - 18.00
• Friday 30th October from 09.30 - 18.00
• Saturday 31st October from 09.30 - 16.30