Going to the National Honey Show?

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Surely you can't win the clear honey = runny honey classes with sieved/coarse filtered honey? All my honey is sieved-only so that it's never totally clear when held up to the light - because of pollen etc. Thus I can't enter these classes. My customers do not want highly filtered honey - it might not help their seasonal hay fever!

I've never fine filtered my honey, just used the standard double strainer on my Carl Fritz settling tank so yes, you can win it that way. I accept it may not be possible if it's only coarse filtered (although I've won in the past with just coarse filtered heather honey) Got a handful of firsts in the closed, open and commercial classes at the Royal Welsh and Gower shows this year doing just that. And with the NHS being so late in the year there's no excuses about the honey being 'too fresh'

 

[BeeKeyPlayer]

Archie you must, just must post these here. Please.

Oh all right then.

The 'Short article describing an aspect of honey bee life that would be of interest to the general public' is below.

My entries for the newsletter class are on the Medway BKA website if anyone's interested.
[Sorry, just checked; they're in the members' area. The latest can be seen here.]

 

[BeeKeyPlayer]

Amari said:
Surely you can't win the clear honey = runny honey classes with sieved/coarse filtered honey? All my honey is sieved-only so that it's never totally clear when held up to the light - because of pollen etc. Thus I can't enter these classes. My customers do not want highly filtered honey - it might not help their seasonal hay fever!

I've never fine filtered my honey, just used the standard double strainer on my Carl Fritz settling tank so yes, you can win it that way.

I use the standard two sieves and my honey is clear. But it might take a little warming to make it completely see-through.

I don't think the lack of clarity is caused by pollen but rather by sugar particles. A little warming melts these. Your customers should be told that just because honey is clear, does not mean that it has been highly filtered or had the pollen removed.

By a 'little warming', I mean as much as needed. So I might set a warming cabinet (or oven which is stable at a low temperature) to 40°C and check it after 30 or 45 mins. There's a BBKA module 2 thing somewhere which says that to defer crystallisation for several months, you should warm honey at 49°C (that's 120°F!) for four hours, and then 60°C for 45 mins. I find that excessive, but perhaps for some honeys it is needed.

In our association, we are taught that producing honey for show is a reminder of the standard that we should be achieving in our honey for sale.

EDIT I've just looked up Carl Fritz settling tank and I see that it has a heater. And a tap. I think it's pointless to to spend time settling honey unless it's in the container that you're going to jar it from.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I've just looked up Carl Fritz settling tank and I see that it has a heater. And a tap. I think it's pointless to to spend time settling honey unless it's in the container that you're going to jar it from.

that's not the one I have - they do plenty of bog standard S/S tanks (with no heater) of various volumes with gate valves, and supply strainer sets to fit them all
Anyhoo - it doesn't stay in there long, it's just a handy tank to sit under the extractor, the honey then goes into larger settling tanks then buckets until it's ready to be bottled.
I find it pointless just bottling straight from the settling tanks then havving it hanging around until I get orders in as by the time I have got a third of the way through the season's harvest it's near springtime and the honey will have crystalised

 

[pargyle]

Excellent Michael but my first visit, so can’t compare to other years.
I went to an excellent lecture on bee vision by an eye surgeon. Grace McCormack gave updates on her Irish free living bee work which was interesting, but lots more science to do over the next few years.
Saw a couple of lectures on ecology & rewilding, linked to providing more flowers for bees.
Personally, really enjoyed the 2 workshops I attended - making bee anatomy slides (legs, wings and antenna) which brought all the anatomical features I knew about to life. Then a superb workshop with a couple of FIBKA honey judges on preparing honey for show. Learnt masses and will be putting it into action next year
Highly recommend going and taking part - think it’s the 100th show next year so should be special

Correct me if I'm wrong ... but I thought you could only enter the NHS in the honey classes if you had already won a first at a local honey show judged by a qualifying Honey judge ?

 

[BeeKeyPlayer]

I've not heard that and I don't see it in the rules. (V quick glance)

 

[Erichalfbee]

Oh all right then.

The 'Short article describing an aspect of honey bee life that would be of interest to the general public' is below.

My entries for the newsletter class are on the Medway BKA website if anyone's interested.
[Sorry, just checked; they're in the members' area. The latest can be seen here.]

Excellent.
Well done you

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I thought you could only enter the NHS in the honey classes if you had already won a first at a local honey show judged by a qualifying Honey judge ?

I think it's just a card an NHS judge can award if they are judging a qualifying 'Blue ribbon' show (over 100 entries), the card is similar to a 'highly commended' where the judge basically states that the entry was good enough to be awarded a place in the NHS.
They are also allowed to award an NHS blue ribbon at each show

 

[pargyle]

I think it's just a card an NHS judge can award if they are judging a qualifying 'Blue ribbon' show (over 100 entries), the card is similar to a 'highly commended' where the judge basically states that the entry was good enough to be awarded a place in the NHS.
They are also allowed to award an NHS blue ribbon at each show

That's probably where I picked it up ... I think our association used to have an NHS judge and normally there's more than 100 entries so would qualify ... I thought the blue riband gave an entry to the NHS ... I stand corrected ...

 

[elainemary]

I think it's just a card an NHS judge can award if they are judging a qualifying 'Blue ribbon' show (over 100 entries), the card is similar to a 'highly commended' where the judge basically states that the entry was good enough to be awarded a place in the NHS.
They are also allowed to award an NHS blue ribbon at each show

My judge that i stewarded for collected his blue ribbon certificates for local shows he explained. Just like you have.

 

[elainemary]

Lovely post - thank you! I agree, absolutely nothing wrong with by beekeepers, for beekeepers, as a show case and celebration of the best and what can be achieved. Even if a bit dated/quaint, it's still an excellent public facing opportunity as you suggest.

I would love to give it a go next year, was a little slow off the mark this year and a bit confounded by entry requirements, but can plan ahead for next year now I know a little bit more. The Royal Cornwall Show is the big one down here, along with plenty of other local honey fairs.

Good luck, go for it!

 

[elainemary]

really?
I've never done much more to prepare my honey for show as I do for sale (just a bit more care in ensuring no scumline around the meniscus and so forth) same goes for a few others I know, we still haven't failed to bring back a decent crop of cards every year - from some of the top NHS judges, including a few NHS blue ribbons.
It's this insistence of trying to make it out to be some kind of dark art is what discourages people just getting into the craft from entering these shows.

The judges at the workshop at the National explained they are looking for all sorts of attributes. Clarity (ie from filtering -via double sieves and cloths up to 200 micron - most pollen gets through); aroma; taste; preparation (no foreign bodies); no scum / bubbles; no insipid crystallisation; high viscosity; clean matching jars and lids from the same batch etc etc. the message was high attention to detail to win. They’re no longer interested in travel stains on lids that’s old school but they want excellent preparation and a fantastic tasting product. It’s a commitment and why I entered only one class initially. Their advice is start small and build up…

Can’t speak for other shows but at the Yorkshire the bar is also set high (I haven’t entered myself yet). My local show - it’s all about encouraging entry.

IMHO beginners can win well at their local show - clean equipment, freshly drawn supers, fresh honey, all factors that some serious competitors replicate; beginners are there doing that in their first year. I’d like to encourage others to enter and gradually start to enter some bigger shows.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

clean matching jars and lids from the same batch etc etc.

ah, so you had those idiots taking it then - there are no 'batch numbers' on boxes of jars, that myth was rubbished years ago, most jars in a 'batch' have different numbers on the base as they are mould marks not batch marks.
I've been judged often enough by NHS judges, Bernard Diaper (the man who worked on and whose initials are appended on the new 'BD' honey grading glasses) has judged the Royal Welsh honey show a few times, and is a regular at the Gower show, I think the stack of first cards (and some pink 'specials') cluttering up the study as well as my name engraved twice on the EJ Tanner silver rosebowl can attest to the fact that a lot of it is just flannel (something I've never filtered my honey through .

 

[BeeKeyPlayer]

The judges at the workshop at the National explained they are looking for all sorts of attributes. Clarity (ie from filtering -via double sieves and cloths up to 200 micron - most pollen gets through); aroma; taste; preparation (no foreign bodies); no scum / bubbles; no insipid crystallisation; high viscosity; clean matching jars and lids from the same batch etc etc. the message was high attention to detail to win. They’re no longer interested in travel stains on lids that’s old school but they want excellent preparation and a fantastic tasting product. It’s a commitment and why I entered only one class initially. Their advice is start small and build up…

That's a good summary! Saves me attending a workshop.
The thing I haven't completely cracked yet is bubbles introduced when filling the jarring bucket (one with a tap). No matter how carefully I pour the honey down the side, there seem to be bubbles. If you don't wait for these bubbles to rise, you get bubbles in the jar which will form a white rim in the jar. I prefer not to have that in honey for sale.

 

[BeeKeyPlayer]

there are no 'batch numbers' on boxes of jars, that myth was rubbished years ago, most jars in a 'batch' have different numbers on the base as they are mould marks not batch marks.

Good to have that clarified (so to speak).
I notice that different batches of jars look quite different. I guess the thing to do to keep all judges happy is to use jars that look the same.

 

[BeeKeyPlayer]

just flannel (something I've never filtered my honey through .

Also good to know. Just coarse and fine sieves then.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I notice that different batches of jars look quite different. I guess the thing to do to keep all judges happy is to use jars that look the same

jars can vary from box to box so it's always a good idea to do a visual check, especially in commercial classes, although in general I have found that the ministry jars seem to be fairly uniform.
It is a good idea to keep an sharp eye on the lids though, as there can often be distinct differences in colour which only gets picked up on close inspection - albeit that it's a pretty poor judge with very little in the toolbox that makes a big deal on anything apart from rust or deep scratches

 

[Wilco]

The NHS ended with a pleasant hour listening to Willie Robson chat about his bees and honey. Since it seems acceptable here to talk about one's successes and failures, I entered no honey, wax or mead. Just words. I got first in the Short article (an essay for non-beekeepers) and vhc for our association's newsletter (Medway BKA). Both the same as last year. I hope to have a go at the 2000 words essay next year.

Glad to hear they found the results! Very well done.

 

[elainemary]

ah, so you had those idiots taking it then - there are no 'batch numbers' on boxes of jars, that myth was rubbished years ago, most jars in a 'batch' have different numbers on the base as they are mould marks not batch marks.
I've been judged often enough by NHS judges, Bernard Diaper (the man who worked on and whose initials are appended on the new 'BD' honey grading glasses) has judged the Royal Welsh honey show a few times, and is a regular at the Gower show, I think the stack of first cards (and some pink 'specials') cluttering up the study as well as my name engraved twice on the EJ Tanner silver rosebowl can attest to the fact that a lot of it is just flannel (something I've never filtered my honey through .

Hi, I said the word batch in error - my poor use of English. They actually said matching jars and lids from the same manufacturer from the same box. They explained that different boxes can have different amounts of recycled glass and that can affect the perceived colour of the honey eg adding a green tint. They announced at the judges and stewards briefing that there were some jars this year that have laser printing in error and to ignore these. Hope that clarifies.

I did ask the question in the workshop whether judges look at the bottom of jars looking for glass numbers that match eg no.15. I’d previously heard people talk about this but again they said that isn’t considered unless there are 2 very close competitors that they struggle to decide between & I got the impression that doesn’t happen! Also from my limited experience of stewarding at shows for the first time this year no judges looked for this

All the judges use Bernard’s glasses and praised these.

 

[elainemary]

That's a good summary! Saves me attending a workshop.
The thing I haven't completely cracked yet is bubbles introduced when filling the jarring bucket (one with a tap). No matter how carefully I pour the honey down the side, there seem to be bubbles. If you don't wait for these bubbles to rise, you get bubbles in the jar which will form a white rim in the jar. I prefer not to have that in honey for sale.

Best to remove with cling film if showing