National honey monitoring scheme

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Murox

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Anyone come across an initiative to national monitor honey ? I bumped into an acquaintance who asked me about it - I've not heard about such a scheme. Anyone ??
 
Yes, take a look at their website here.
https://honey-monitoring.ac.uk/


Completed it last year, results came back early this year with a detailed report on surrounding land use and a list of pollen (by DNA analysis) found in the sample and % moisture.
I sent off a sample this year in early June, have already got back the moisture level and am expecting the pollen/land use results in January 2020.
 
I did a sample last year with very interesting results. Just got this years kit for sampling.
 
Sent a spring sample in but won't get the results until autumn. Pity it takes so long. Will send a summer sample too. Amazing how much honey it takes to fill their pot!!!!!
E
 
So I really was delighted by my national honey results last year (37 diff types of pollen) but actually reading this blog post made me think what else is missing...

https://www.apicultural.co.uk/a-review-of-my-national-honey-monitoring-scheme-result


apologies if this blog post has been discussed already

happy with the national honey monitoring scheme in any case.

It has. It throws light in what it actually means. My pollen sample at first glance showed meadowsweet and bramble. Rosebay was way down the list but if you factor in the pollen coefficient the honey was indeed from that with bramble making only a small fraction.
The year before a large swathe of conifers were harvested across the valley and guess what popped up on equal swathes. It was my best crop ever.
 
So I really was delighted by my national honey results last year (37 diff types of pollen) but actually reading this blog post made me think what else is missing...

https://www.apicultural.co.uk/a-review-of-my-national-honey-monitoring-scheme-result


apologies if this blog post has been discussed already

happy with the national honey monitoring scheme in any case.

It has. It throws light on what it actually means. My pollen sample at first glance showed meadowsweet and bramble. Rosebay was way down the list but if you factor in the pollen coefficient the honey was indeed from that with bramble making only a small fraction.
The year before a large swathe of conifers was harvested across the valley and guess what popped up in an equal swathe? It was my best crop ever.
 
So I really was delighted by my national honey results last year (37 diff types of pollen) but actually reading this blog post made me think what else is missing...

https://www.apicultural.co.uk/a-review-of-my-national-honey-monitoring-scheme-result


Thanks for the link - worth reading.
Yes, like Enrico, 70% of my July 2019 sample was reported as turnip. There was no turnip growing around here, only lots of OSR. The Scheme's chief scientist, Anna, came to speak at our bee club in March and admitted that it is difficult to differentiate between Brassicas, especially commercial varieties which are often created by hybridisation.
https://beekeepingforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=45917
 
Last edited:
So I really was delighted by my national honey results last year (37 diff types of pollen) but actually reading this blog post made me think what else is missing...

https://www.apicultural.co.uk/a-review-of-my-national-honey-monitoring-scheme-result


Thanks for the link - worth reading.
Yes, like Enrico, 70% of my July 2019 sample was reported as turnip. There was no turnip growing around here, only lots of OSR. The Scheme's chief scientist, Anna, came to speak at our bee club in March and admitted that it is difficult to differentiate between Brassicas, especially commercial varieties which are often created by hybridisation.
https://beekeepingforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=45917
Thanks, that answers alot of my questions
E
 
Anyone know if it’s ok to send soft set? I presume not as it has 10% of previous years soft set. I have only soft set left from my spring extraction.
 
Anyone know if it’s ok to send soft set? I presume not as it has 10% of previous years soft set. I have only soft set left from my spring extraction.

No.
You have to send honey straight off the frame, wax included.
If there is no comb in with the honey they discard it.
 
I've taken my first sample on the 2nd.
Straight from the frame.
My second will be from a different frame but same hive.
One sample has to be from freshly capped honey.
6b04947496fdf2f6b92df3b35969e202.jpg


Sent from my YAL-L21 using Tapatalk
 
The samples are supposed to be taken at the same time both from the most recently capped honey.
 
Weather permitting on Thursday I hope to get my two samples ready to go in the post.
 

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