Bees wartime rations

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I was just sifting through a few books I'd purchased some time ago and opened up a first edition Cowan's 'British Beekeeping Guidebook' and found a few slips of paper inside - one was just a recipe for syrup (with added salt and vinegar) but the other was far more interesting: Ministry of food wartime buying permit for winter feeding sugar for 'Bee rearing' (they had another smaller sugar ration in the spring for 'stimulative feeding', basically a ration coupon for bees - and no mention of this apocryphal green dyed sugar.

 

[rolande]

According to Oliver Field the green sugar was 60s or v. early 70s, I can't remember which nor what he said the supply was for but it's mentioned in 'Honey by the Ton'.

Regards the wartime ration, there definitely wasn't any dye added to the sugar; at least, not the stuff fed to bees in the Forest of Dean - I have a very lively aunt who'll argue (from 1st hand experience) with anyone that says different!!

 

[rolande]

A nice find, all the more so for being unexpected.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Regards the wartime ration, there definitely wasn't any dye added to the sugar; at least, not the stuff fed to bees in the Forest of Dean - I have a very lively aunt who'll argue (from 1st hand experience) with anyone that says different!!

same here -it came from the lips of my grandfather. He would leave the heather honey on for the bees 'pig of a thing to bloody extract and sell' (his words' he would then use the sugar to bottle pears that a contact of his would send down from Herefordshire, some for home use, but some for sale locally.

According to Oliver Field the green sugar was 60s or v. early 70s, I can't remember which nor what he said the supply was for but it's mentioned in 'Honey by the Ton'.

it may have been early but more towards the mid 70's, for some reason (I'll have to ask my mother if she remembers) sugar was in short supply and retailers would ration it, I remember, as we had the shop at the time, and not only was sugar scarce, but instead of coming in two pound bags it was delivered in half hundredweight paper sacks and we used to have to weigh it all out in blue paper bags (luckily we still had a supply left over from the war!!)

 

[rolande]

Just looked up the green dye reference in Oliver Field's book:

 

[Erichalfbee]

I was just sifting through a few books I'd purchased some time ago and opened up a first edition Cowan's 'British Beekeeping Guidebook' and found a few slips of paper inside - one was just a recipe for syrup (with added salt and vinegar) but the other was far more interesting: Ministry of food wartime buying permit for winter feeding sugar for 'Bee rearing' (they had another smaller sugar ration in the spring for 'stimulative feeding'View attachment 35240View attachment 35241, basically a ration coupon for bees - and no mention of this apocryphal green dyed sugar.

What a lovely snapshot of days gone by.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

What a lovely snapshot of days gone by.

It's amazing how many times I've found little slips of paper with notes on, invoices or newspaper cuttings in old beekeeping books I've bought.

 

[Malmcd]

Many people started keeping bees during the war, my father included. However it was my mother who had the sugar ration intended for the bees!
I remember getting denatured sugar for my bees about 40 years ago. That was not dyed but had a very bitter substance added to it. I cannot recall the reason for the sugar shortage then. Perhaps someone else will?

 

[Amari]

I was just sifting through a few books I'd purchased some time ago and opened up a first edition Cowan's 'British Beekeeping Guidebook' and found a few slips of paper inside - one was just a recipe for syrup (with added salt and vinegar) but the other was far more interesting: Ministry of food wartime buying permit for winter feeding sugar for 'Bee rearing' (they had another smaller sugar ration in the spring for 'stimulative feeding'View attachment 35240View attachment 35241, basically a ration coupon for bees - and no mention of this apocryphal green dyed sugar.

Many people started keeping bees during the war, my father included. However it was my mother who had the sugar ration intended for the bees!
I remember getting denatured sugar for my bees about 40 years ago. That was not dyed but had a very bitter substance added to it. I cannot recall the reason for the sugar shortage then. Perhaps someone else will?

"Bees post-war rations" would be a more accurate title of this thread - 1950

 

[Amari]

(Oops, above got frozen)
.......according to the date above.
Sweets came off ration in Feb 1953 - after the accession of QEII - and I remember the joy of spending my pocket money freely in the local sweet shop instead of asking my Mum if there were any sweet coupons left in her ration book.
Yes, Malmcd, I remember a sugar shortage 30-40 years ago and a degree of smugness when I went to Sainsbury's and they allowed me several pounds on the strength of me being a beekeeper. I can't remember the reason for the shortage.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

"Bees post-war rations" would be a more accurate title of this thread - 1950

I did see the date, but as the rationing order was passed in parliament during the war, and because of the war (not some post war occurrence) I thought the title was more apt

 

[pargyle]

What a lovely snapshot of days gone by.

It's dated 1950 I think ... we tend to forget that rationing continued long after the war ended. Sugar finally came off ration in 1953 and it was not until 1954 that rationing finally ended in entirety. The country was basically bankrupt after the war and rationing was there to discourage expensive imports - like sugar and meat .. Meat was the last thing to be removed from rationing. I'm old enough to remember how an orange was a rare treat - I remember my first banana and the wonder of seeing it unpeeled. We take so much for granted these days.

 

[Murox]

It's dated 1950 I think ... we tend to forget that rationing continued long after the war ended. Sugar finally came off ration in 1953 and it was not until 1954 that rationing finally ended in entirety. The country was basically bankrupt after the war and rationing was there to discourage expensive imports - like sugar and meat .. Meat was the last thing to be removed from rationing. I'm old enough to remember how an orange was a rare treat - I remember my first banana and the wonder of seeing it unpeeled. We take so much for granted these days.

Ah yes an orange, walnut and brazil nut (in the singular) were always put into the toe of the christmas stocking. We usually had wait til easter before we saw another sweet orange.

 

[JamezF]

an orange, walnut and brazil nut

I actually thought this was going to be the start of a joke

James

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

It was the duty of my great grandfather - passed down to my grandfather, father, and eventually to myself to hand out an apple and an orange to every person who attended the Christmas afternoon service at our Sunday schoolhouse (like 'satellite' buildings dotted around the valley for bible classes, Sunday schools and midweek prayer meetings so people only had to make the trek to the mother chapel on Sundays) on the side of the black mountain. it ended when the 100 year lease on the building expired in 2001.

 

[Amari]

I actually thought this was going to be the start of a joke

James

Maybe a prize for the best completion of the above sentence?

 

[blackcloud]

I actually thought this was going to be the start of a joke

James

An Englishman Irishman and a Scotsman...
For some the start of a tired joke genre.
For others an opportunity for a hostage situation.

 

[Murox]

I actually thought this was going to be the start of a joke

James

Maybe a prize for the best completion of the above sentence?

Make Edward Lear happy and create a new last sentence
There was an Old Man in a tree,
Who was horribly bored by a Bee;
When they said, "Does it buzz?"
He replied, "Yes, it does!
.........................................................

 

[Amari]

It's dated 1950 I think ... we tend to forget that rationing continued long after the war ended. Sugar finally came off ration in 1953 and it was not until 1954 that rationing finally ended in entirety. The country was basically bankrupt after the war and rationing was there to discourage expensive imports - like sugar and meat .. Meat was the last thing to be removed from rationing. I'm old enough to remember how an orange was a rare treat - I remember my first banana and the wonder of seeing it unpeeled. We take so much for granted these days.

1953-4

 

[enrico]

An orange, a walnut and a Brazil nut.... The orange said to the two brown nuts, I see your spray tan worked, mine has turned me the colour of Trumps hair!
Best I could do at short notice