Neonicotinoids Roundup : 17


BANE OF YOUR LIFE OR A GREAT HONEY CROP? Oilseed Rape Honey Willie Robson, Chain Bridge Honey Farm


t must be more than 40 years ago that farmers in the UK started to grow oilseed rape. I remember that the nectar smelled strongly of cabbages. However, to those of us who were dependent on our bees for a living, this was a useful development, especially as the indigenous white clover that previously sustained our colonies was fast disappearing from the pastures. However, very many local beekeepers packed up for good at that time and skills were lost. Section honey was unsaleable because the sections went rock hard. Extracted honey crystallised in the jars and bent the teaspoons that were forced into it. Rape honey got a bad name with the beekeepers and the customers and beekeeping generally took a nose dive.


I Extraction Methods


The purpose of my article is to look again at the methods available to beekeepers to deal with this very useful crop. Most beekeepers will try to extract rape honey before it granulates and rape honey today is slower to do so than in the past,


April 2015 Vol 97 No 4


particularly in new comb. So this is a good time to get new foundation drawn. Points to watch are as follows. If nectar is raining out of the combs then they must not be extracted or the honey will ferment. If just a few drops of nectar are seen dropping out of the corner of the comb then it is worth taking a chance as the moisture content will be distributed equally once the honey is stirred in a pail. If in doubt, borrow or buy a refractometer. The moisture content should be below 18%.


Air Bubbles


When honey is extracted it will contain many tiny bubbles of air. These bubbles will act as nuclei for tiny crystals to form that are the basis of soft-set honey. This honey will look like milk when it sets because the crystals are so minute that they act as prisms and reflect white light back into the eyes of those that look at it. I think this is called ‘total internal reflection’. Ivy honey has the same property.


This, then, is the honey that the beekeeper needs to retain to use as a starter for future batches of soft-set (creamed) honey. If the honey is warmed to strain it and then left to set,


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the subsequent crystals will be much bigger and the honey less palatable. Skimming the wax from the surface of the pail will be adequate.


All rape honey should be sold as soft-set honey, prepared using the Dyce process (see overleaf). The beekeeper will need a small insulated warm cupboard to do this with a thermostat (up to 50 °C). I would never heat honey above 45 °C.


Set in the Combs


If the honey has set in the combs then they must either be cut out from the frame or scraped down to the midrib. The supers will need to be kept in a warm room for 48 hours and the honeycomb put into pails, making sure the cell walls are thoroughly broken down.


It is worth noting here that if a colony has swarmed, all the rape honey will set immediately in the hive because there are no longer enough bees to keep it warm and keep it liquid.


The pails of honey and wax are then put in a cupboard at 45 °C. Honey crystals will find their way to the bottom of the pail and can be used for cooking. Don’t try to heat these big crystals as the temperature needed to do this will spoil the honey. Clear honey can be poured from the middle of the bucket and strained, creamed (using the Dyce process) and sold. The wax could usefully be left draining for another day to get the remaining honey out and then it should be soaked in soft water overnight before rendering, otherwise it will be sticky.


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