Question 1

Why does honey crystallise?

Accepted Answer

Honey crystallises naturally. How quickly this happens depends, among other things, on the ratio of glucose to fructose, water content, temperature and existing crystallisation nuclei. Honeys with a higher glucose content generally crystallise faster. Crystallisation is not a quality defect. Honey that has set can be softened or liquefied again patiently in a lukewarm water bath; unnecessarily strong or prolonged heating should be avoided.

Question 2

How long does honey keep?

Accepted Answer

Honey keeps for a long time when stored appropriately. Prepacked honey must carry a best-before date, but the law does not impose a blanket period of two years from bottling. The food business operator sets the specific period based on the expected shelf life. Stored cool, dry, dark and well sealed, flavour, colour and other quality characteristics are retained for longer.

Question 3

How should honey be stored?

Accepted Answer

Honey should be stored well sealed, dry, protected from light and preferably cool. Heat accelerates quality changes: prolonged or stronger heating can, among other effects, reduce enzyme activity and increase HMF levels. There is no single temperature threshold above which the enzymes are suddenly destroyed. Direct sunlight and unnecessarily warm storage should therefore be avoided.

Question 4

Why buy local honey?

Accepted Answer

Local honey can offer short transport routes and clearly traceable origins while supporting a local apiary. At Herr Honig, the honey comes from my own stationary apiary in Ingelheim. I do not buy in honey from other sources and I do not blend my honey with outside honey.

Question 5

Why does honey taste different every year?

Accepted Answer

Bees collect nectar from whatever is flowering around the apiary at the time. Which plants provide nectar depends on the weather, the progression of flowering and the particular year. That means even honey from the same location can vary in colour, aroma and texture. For me, these variations are part of what regional honey is about: it should not taste exactly the same every year, but reflect what the landscape offered in that season.

Question 6

What does “no purchased honey” mean at Herr Honig?

Accepted Answer

The honey in the jar comes from my own bee colonies. I do not buy honey from other sources and I do not blend my harvests with honey from other apiaries or origins. This keeps the origin traceable and makes it clear who carried out the key steps from harvest to the finished jar.

Question 7

Why are the same honey varieties not always available?

Accepted Answer

A stationary apiary can only harvest what the plants around its location actually provide in a given year. Weather, flowering duration and nectar flows change. As a result, varieties, quantities and flavour can vary from year to year. If a harvest fails or a variety sells out, it is not replaced with purchased honey.

Question 8

What affects the colour and texture of honey?

Accepted Answer

The plants the nectar comes from have the greatest influence on the honey’s colour, aroma and sugar composition. Water content, temperature and storage time also affect how liquid or firm it is. Light honey is therefore not automatically milder, and dark honey is not automatically stronger. The individual harvest determines the result.

Question 9

How can you recognise good honey?

Accepted Answer

Good honey cannot be identified by a single feature such as colour, liquidity or crystallisation. Traceable origin, correct labelling and proper storage are more meaningful. Crystallisation is a natural process for many honeys and is not a quality defect. At Herr Honig, the honey comes from my own bee colonies in Ingelheim; no outside honey is purchased or blended in.

Question 10

What does “honey direct from the beekeeper” mean?

Accepted Answer

“Direct from the beekeeper” is not a separate quality grade, but it describes a short and traceable route to the customer. At Herr Honig it means specifically that the honey comes from my own colonies, is harvested and bottled by me and is not blended with purchased honey. It is available, among other places, around the clock from the honey vending machine in Ingelheim.

Question 11

What is a stationary apiary?

Accepted Answer

In a stationary apiary, the colonies remain at a fixed location all year and are not transported to different nectar flows. This avoids the transport associated with migratory beekeeping. It does not automatically mean, however, that the colonies are healthier or the honey is inherently better. Each harvest is shaped mainly by the plants available to the bees within flying range of the site during the flow.

Question 12

What are Buckfast bees?

Accepted Answer

The Buckfast bee goes back to the breeding work of Brother Adam at Buckfast Abbey in England. Gentleness, calm behaviour on the comb, vitality and other desired traits play an important role in Buckfast breeding, but they are not guaranteed in every individual colony. In my breeding, I pay attention among other things to gentleness, low swarming tendency and hygienic removal behaviour. Around 80 percent removal behaviour is documented for the parent lines currently used. This figure is a breeding and selection trait, but by itself it is not proof of Varroa resistance.

Question 13

Do you take all of the honey away from the bees?

Accepted Answer

No. I usually harvest twice a year: the first harvest is around the end of the oilseed rape bloom, the second more often after the linden blossom. The exact timing depends on vegetation, nectar flow and the ripeness of the honey. After that, no further honey is extracted for sale. Anything the colonies bring in later remains in the hive as part of their winter stores. Before winter, I therefore do not rely on a rigid number but check whether each colony is actually sufficiently supplied.

Question 14

Why are bee colonies fed sugar?

Accepted Answer

Nach einer Honigernte muss jedes Volk mit ausreichend Futter in den Winter gehen. Wenn die vorhandenen Vorräte dafür nicht reichen, kann kontrolliertes Winterfutter auf Zuckerbasis als Energiequelle eingesetzt werden. Bei Herr Honig wird nach der letzten Honigernte nicht mehr für den Verkauf geschleudert; was die Völker danach eintragen, bleibt als Teil der Winterversorgung im Volk. Ob zusätzlich gefüttert werden muss, richtet sich nach den tatsächlich vorhandenen Vorräten. Winterfutter ist für die Versorgung der Bienen bestimmt und wird nicht als Honig verkauft.

Question 15

Why does Herr Honig not move the bee colonies to different forage areas?

Accepted Answer

Herr Honig is deliberately run as a stationary apiary in Ingelheim. The colonies stay at their locations and are not transported specifically to changing mass-flowering crops. This makes the harvest more dependent on what the surrounding area actually provides in a particular year. For me, that local character is part of the honey’s identity.

Question 16

What does “working with the bees” mean in practice?

Accepted Answer

I do not mean beekeeping without intervention. I observe the condition of the colonies and intervene when there is a clear reason to do so. If the bees are handling a situation well themselves, I do not need to create extra disturbance simply out of habit. The approach therefore follows the needs of the individual colony more closely than a rigid weekly schedule.

Question 17

How do I buy a nuc?

Accepted Answer

Ableger und Jungvölker werden auf Dadant US angeboten und sind nur auf Vorbestellung erhältlich. Die Wabenzahl richtet sich nach Jahreszeit, Entwicklungsstand und Vereinbarung; es gibt keine starre ganzjährige Mindestgröße. Die Königin ist begattet und in Eilage. Ein 1-Waben-Ableger inklusive legender Königin kostet 25 €, ab 2 Waben gilt ein Preis von 15 € je Wabe. Bei kleinen oder späten Ablegern weise ich auf den entsprechend höheren Entwicklungs- und Versorgungsbedarf hin. Ableger werden ausschließlich abgeholt. Der Käufer bringt eine geeignete Transportkiste mit; Seuchenfreiheitsbescheinigung und Zuchtnachweis werden mitgegeben. Verbindliche Bestellungen erfolgen per E-Mail an info@herrhonig.org.

Question 18

How do I buy queens?

Accepted Answer

F1-Königinnen und nach Verfügbarkeit schlupfreife Weiselzellen sind ab Juni erhältlich, Belegstellenköniginnen ab August. Alle Angebote erfolgen auf Vorbestellung. Verbindliche Bestellungen werden ausschließlich per E-Mail an info@herrhonig.org angenommen. Königinnen können abgeholt werden; F1-Königinnen können zusätzlich innerhalb Deutschlands versendet werden, der Versand erfolgt dienstags. Belegstellenköniginnen gebe ich bevorzugt zur Abholung ab. Schlupfreife Weiselzellen werden nicht versendet. Der Expressversand innerhalb Deutschlands kostet 15 € pro Sendung.

Question 19

What is the difference between F1 queens and mating-station queens?

Accepted Answer

For my F1 queens, the breeding mother comes from a documented line mated at a mating station, while the F1 queen herself is open-mated at the apiary. This means the maternal side is known, while the drone side comes from the surroundings of the apiary. A mating-station queen is also mated at a dedicated mating station with selected drone colonies. This makes the mating more closely documented and predictable. Both types come from my own Buckfast breeding programme.

Question 20

Why are nucs and queens available by pre-order only?

Accepted Answer

Breeding depends on colony development, weather and the actual success of mating. For that reason, nucs and queens are not produced in unlimited quantities for stock. Pre-ordering allows realistic planning and keeps production to quantities that can responsibly be raised in the respective year. Availability and collection or dispatch periods therefore remain seasonal.

Knowledge & frequently asked questions

Honey & quality

Bees & beekeeping

Nucs & queens