November 2017
BEE NEWS
Straight from the Hive!
Elsie’s Finest Honey — the Brand! Elsie’s Finest, the brand name chosen for the first pure honey produced from my apiary in Mundo Nuevo in Matura is the only name that could be used – named after my mother Elsie Deane. Shortly after she passed in 2006, at the age of 93, her niece Angela Pidduck, wrote an article about her which was published on Sunday 19th November in the Newsday. It read in part – “Elsie Deane (nee Day) died just five months after her husband Alva. A very calm woman with a good sense of humor, she raised her five children in a moderate-sized home in Woodbrook. She was a practicing Roman Catholic and had a great sense of family”. She worked tirelessly alongside my father on the estate in Cumana, participating in every part of the process except entering the apiary herself. As my father and I brought the honey-filled frames in, she was always there to receive them and help with extracting the honey, and bottling of the finished product. Even after my father stopped keeping bees, she continued her weekly trips to the estate, ensuring that we were well fed and that the house was in good order. Her happiest times however, were when all her children, Judy, Colin, Neil, Christine and myself were able to come along. These outings brought us together as a family more than anything else. The picture in this article is the same one which hung on our living-room wall for as long as I can remember. This cherished memory of my mother is recalled each time I affix a label to a bottle of Elsie’s Finest Honey. … Gordon Deane
Bee Fact! Queens do not run the show She may hold the title of “Queen” but she does not dictate what happens in the colony, except when it comes time to form a new colony. Similar to worker bees, queen bees are produced to provide a service to the colony, in this case it is to produce eggs, which can be up to 2,000 a day, every day for her two to three year life span. … Dr. Jo-Anne Sewlal
To place an order email us at elsiesfinest@gmail.com
News from the Apiary! — Gordon Deane This year, the Mora forest did not flower as prolifically as it did last year, nor did it last as long. We were therefore, quickly into post-harvest management. This means that we are faced with two challenges: preventing swarming and keeping the bees fed. Contrary to popular belief, bees do not produce honey for us, but for themselves. Their stores of honey are used to sustain them during periods when no nectar is available in the environment. When a beekeeper removes these stores, they need to be replaced which is done by feeding the bees with a simple syrup, and if necessary a pollen substitute. Without this, the bees may starve and the colonies dwindle. Africanized bees have a strong tendency to swarm which can significantly weaken the colonies as approximately 60% of the population will depart with the queen to make a new colony, while the remaining workers rebuild the old one. After the harvest, we also split many of the stronger colonies, which helps to prevent swarming. We obviously did not do this aggressively enough since there was significant swarming this year. Thankfully, with the help and guidance of my two beekeeping mentors, Hayden Sinanan and Ricardo D’Andrade, we have recovered and should be able to rebuild and re-queen where necessary. We now look forward to expanding the apiary in time for 2018.
From the apiary, a Very Happy and Holy Christmas and a Happy New Year. Testimonials "My favourite honey from Elsie’s Finest is extracted during the dry season when the bees feed mainly on citrus making this honey’s flavour have an extra “tang”! I take a teaspoon daily with apple cider vinegar and it’s always my first choice as a topping to my pancakes. I can tell you it works great and is the perfect remedy to eliminating a cold or sore throat when mixed with lemon or lime. Trust me this pure honey lives up to all of its expectations and more." … Nehanda Nkrumah
Elsie’s Finest Honey, $180 for a 750 ml bottle & $65 for a 200 ml bottle.
"I bought a case of Elsie's Finest Honey and we've used it on several of our recipes at breakfast and also for desserts. We have relished every drop! Gave some out as gifts to our friends and family.......they keep coming back!" … Raymond Aaron
In This Issue
Health Tips! Honey does more than satisfy your sweet tooth… Mary Poppins sang that a “spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down.” But maybe you should try a spoonful of honey instead. Honey contains antioxidants like flavonoids, which are linked to a reduced risk of strokes, heart attacks and some types of cancer. … Breanne Mc Ivor
Managing Editor Dr Jo-Anne N. Sewlal BSc., MPhil., Ph.D., FLS., CBiol., CSci., MRSB., FRES., FRGS., FBNA., R. Anim. Sci., MIEnvSc. Content Editor: Breanne Mc Ivor MA (Cantab), MSc (Edin) Layout Design: Dr. Jo-Anne Sewlal Contributors: Gordon Deane, Nehanda Nkrumah, Raymond Aaron Breanne Mc Ivor and Dr. Jo-Anne Sewlal