Heather honey

[mat]

Have you tasted it? I just got a jar yesterday, dirrectly from Scotland. It is great, flavor, smell. It says on the label handmade. Does anybody has experience with this kind of honey? I red that it has to be pressed from the combs, probably that's why it is handmade.

[ian michael davison]

Hi all

Mat: As I read your post i'm sitting here stuffing my face with some of this year's Heather comb honey :D and it doesn't get much better!!!

Renowned areas for Heather are the Highlands of Scotland, The peak district in central England, Dartmoor in Devon and The New Forest in southern England.

I live in Surrey in England and around us we have the remnants of old Heathland areas. In normal years Heather provides little more than a top up to Winter feed but this year has been exceptional :D

There are 2 types of wild Heather, Ling and Bell. Ling flowers first from about the middle of July followed by the Bell from the middle of August.
Heather is considered a premium honey and beekeepers travel to many of these areas. Those that really go for this crop prep young queens in well stocked hives specifically for this flow. The honey itself is viscotropic :? in the cells it's a gel but if stirred it will turn runny. There are special uncapping/stirring machines but most smaller producers will press the combs or sell as comb honey.

A guy I know in Scotland who has bees on the crown estates and provides the Duchy Originals brand with all of it's Heather Honey (the Royal estates brand)

In the UK at the moment the season is very nearly over, most of us have all of our honey off and are feeding for the Winter with our Varroa treatments on. The only flow or plant that really contributes anything else is the Ivy and this provides huge amounts of pollen, and the last few years a decent flow to supplement Winter stores.


Regards Ian

[mat]

Hi Ian,
I found out on the internet that 1/3 of US heather moors is located in Massachusetts in Nantucket Island. I am going to do some research about that, I suppose I would need a permit to move my hives there, and will educate myself during the winter and may be next year I'll be able to bring a hive or two and have my own heather honey.