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Just White - or the anticipation for the spring honey of the Petterweiler bee meadow
Martin Döbler • 26. Mai 2020
Just White - or the anticipation for the spring honey of the Petterweiler bee meadow
Many were happy, but now the ‚Hessentag‘ (the festival of Hesse state) does not take place and neither does the 'Just White' party (which, incidentally, is not the annual meeting of beekeepers or doctors :-) in their white work clothes). And May was largely a bliss month this year. It's a shame for the newlyweds who had to cancel their big wedding party - and of course for the many instrumentalists and singers who were supposed to garnish these weddings with musical contributions. And not just with 'All in White' by Roy Black from 1965.
May ends completely in white (maybe a little consolation): This is how our Petterweiler bee meadow is currently. At least that's a real treat for the eyes (and the soul). Right on the bike path of the Nidda route. And in between you will also discover the small splashes of color.
For us it is also the visual sign that we will soon be spinning the spring honey. Every year we are a little bit later than our colleagues on the 'plateaus' in Karben and the surrounding area. You can also notice that in the Heitzhöfer valley the elderflower is only now really in full blossom, where from other parts of the area elderflower syrup production has already been completed.
But the honey must be dry enough (max. 20% water content according to the honey regulation, 18% according to beekeepers association).
How is honey made?
"Honey is much wetter when it is stored in the honeycomb for the first time, well it is the nectar that is first passed on 'from tongues to tongues' (proboscis) by the collectors to the workers. They convert it a little each time until it turns into honey. The nectar initially has little sugar. When ‚handing over‘ from bee to bee, they add gland secretions with protein compounds and germicidal ingredients. They let the semi-ripe honey dry in uncovered cells so that it is storable. After part of the water has evaporated, the almost finished honey is brought to storage cells. Fanning bees ensure that more water evaporates. Only when the thickened honey contains less than a fifth of water, the cells are sealed with a thin, waterproof wax lid. "(Text: German Beekeepers Association). So the work is far from over when the nectar is 'delivered' to the beehive.
The Riedmühle honey is only now nearly sealed. The measurements at the beginning of last week showed 16-19% in the hidden cells, depending on the colony. You use a 'refractometer' to measure. Perhaps this longer time is one of the secrets
- coupled with the diverse vegetation here in the valley and on the bee meadow - what this special taste of our honey ' Petterweiler Bienenwiese ' is all about, which our loyal customers praise again and again and why they deliberately wait for honey from the Riedmühle to be available again. Thank you for the positive words and your patience. ,Good things take time'
Until then (around mid-June) you can simply enjoy
the pictures of the meadow or go for a (Corona-compliant) walk or bike ride along the Nidda route past the bee meadow. And if you like, you can also take part in our small photo competition. We give away a jar of honey every quarter. You can also find the photos on the website at https://www.riedmuehle-petterweil.de/en-gb/photo-contest
With this in mind, we wish you a white end of May
Here are a few more photos:
About the connection of weeds, bees and the corona mask and the competition #maskenliebe (love your mask)
Unkraut kann Kreativität fördern , Bienen lassen mich Gelassenheit üben. Imkerarbeit und Unkrautjäten im Kontext von Kreativität, Schwarmbildung und Corona-Maske und dem Wettbewerb #maskenliebe
The Petterweiler bee meadow shows its white side - the anticipation of the spring honey
Die Petterweiler Bienenwiese zeigt sich von ihrer weißen Seite - die Vorfreude auf den Frühjahrshonig
