Heather honey 2022?

[Robinredcar]

Had a lovely day out at the Egton show near Whitby this week. With my beekeeping friend, drove across the moors, stunning colour. Went to pick up any more tips on heather extraction, see the exhibits from the heather experts and enjoy a small agricultural show. The beekeepers there were reporting record heather crops and reminiscing on years gone by and how the crop changes in flavour depending on where the stance was
Picked up a few tips but still reinforced it’s a pain to extract and whatever you do, it’s not easy.
A good day out followed by large Whitby haddock n chips in paper eaten on a bench overlooking the abbey. Cracking day

It was a great show, did you go to the WBKA stand?

 

[elainemary]

It was a great show, did you go to the WBKA stand?

Yes spent quite a while there chatting with beekeepers. Would have been nice to have met you

 

[StephenT]

I was cycling through the North Yorkshire moors the other week and the heather looked amazing. And my cycling buddy had a matching jersey. Saw plenty in the Scottish Borders as well along with a massive amount of Rosebay Willow Herb.

 

[Robinredcar]

Yes spent quite a while there chatting with beekeepers. Would have been nice to have met you

We may have met, me and my son spent abit of time there and chatting to the lovely bloke making a skep outside.
I loved the observation hive it was the first time I'd seen one!
We enjoyed the vegetable tents to loads on offer.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Maybe we should go to beekeeping events with our forum monikers proudly displayed on a specially made badge?
Perhaps @pargyle could turn us a few?

 

[deemann1]

I decided not to go to the heather this year with work and family holidays ect . I got one apiary 3 miles from heather all nine colonies filled a box of heather and 2 colonies filled 2
Happy

 

[elainemary]

We may have met, me and my son spent abit of time there and chatting to the lovely bloke making a skep outside.
I loved the observation hive it was the first time I'd seen one!
We enjoyed the vegetable tents to loads on offer.

The lovely bloke making the skeps is a good friend, he’s been a brilliant mentor to me. Glad you enjoyed the show.

 

[Robinredcar]

The lovely bloke making the skeps is a good friend, he’s been a brilliant mentor to me. Glad you enjoyed the show.

He was a really nice bloke, Id started making a skep the other week I was telling the man and he gave me some great advice and a length of binding.
We chatted to him afew times through the day he seemed very knowledgeable and great company your very lucky

 

[elainemary]

Visited my 2 colonies directly on the moor, only a mile and a bit by the crow flies from where I live, but it does make a difference to the heather content - much purer and no balsam & very few other sources of nectar on the moors. Chuffed to find a fully capped heather super and another in the process of being capped. Can't see much more coming in, heather is turning colour and weather is heading for cooler & showery periods from Saturday. Plan to bring them back to their apiary in the valley to top up on balsam for winter, next week.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Visited my 2 colonies directly on the moor, only a mile and a bit by the crow flies from where I live, but it does make a difference to the heather content - much purer and no balsam & very few other sources of nectar on the moors. Chuffed to find a fully capped heather super and another in the process of being capped. Can't see much more coming in, heather is turning colour and weather is heading for cooler & showery periods from Saturday. Plan to bring them back to their apiary in the valley to top up on balsam for winter, next week.

Murray posted an end to his heather flow in one moor. Heather covered in cobwebs

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

It's more or less ground to a halt here as well

 

[elainemary]

Started planning my 2 colonies move, back from the moor. Moving at the weekend, taking heather honey off when sun stops shining on Friday. I've 'saved' some good brood frames of stores from Nucs down in the valley that are honey bound & also some uncapped surplus honey from other healthy colonies in a super each. I like to give the bees as much good quality winter stores as I can, they've earnt it and produced some fabulous heather honey for me

 

[Curly green finger's]

Just removed the first supers from the heather stance colony’s to be processed clearer boards left on for your he next ones im removing single supers from 32 colony’s.

 

[Garry R]

If you are going to crush and press the heather honey the best way I found is to pop the comb after crushing and mashing into a draw string filtering bag and pop into a vertical spin drier as some have said. Line the drum with stainless steel mesh and spin - the vibration loosens it and it will flow nicely into a bucket with a tap. Let it settle and jar up. The cappings are bone dry. Next year use thin super foundation - lovely comb and the remains after cutting out - into the spin drier again. A lot easier than extracting.

 

[Curly green finger's]

If you are going to crush and press the heather honey the best way I found is to pop the comb after crushing and mashing into a draw string filtering bag and pop into a vertical spin drier as some have said. Line the drum with stainless steel mesh and spin - the vibration loosens it and it will flow nicely into a bucket with a tap. Let it settle and jar up. The cappings are bone dry. Next year use thin super foundation - lovely comb and the remains after cutting out - into the spin drier again. A lot easier than extracting.

I use nylon bags you will be surprised how much heather honey comes out with just letting the bags hang and drain thanks for sharing @Garry R
I use drawn comb as much as possible but the thin foundation would be a good idea cheer’s

 

[markb2603]

I have 3 supers of heather honey from the home apiary and I was hoping to extract using a manual heather loosener. All frames are foundationless. Tried the first one there and eventually had to pack it in and mash the comb to get the honey out. Is it possible to use a loosener with foundationless frames or am I wasting my time? Are there any useful videos on how to use the loosener properly that anyone could point me too? I’m not sure how forceful to be!

 

[Garry R]

Heather honey is tough stuff!! If you accept that the foundation is going to be lost it saves a great deal of angst!!

 

[Erichalfbee]

I use nylon bags you will be surprised how much heather honey comes out with just letting the bags hang and drain

You don’t press or spin it?

 

[pargyle]

You don’t press or spin it?

It must be runny heather honey ? Another unique selling point ... No wonder he gets £15 a pound.

A couple of years ago I helped a fellow beekeeper extracting his heather honey from the New Forest ... he's hoped to loosen it and then spin it out.... No chance. Ended up crushing the lot and putting it through a fruit press .... even then it did not give up easily. Like jelly.

 

[ericbeaumont]

must be runny heather honey

Could be bell heather, which is not thixotropic and can be extracted easily.