November 2018
BEE NEWS
Straight from the Hive!
Beware of Food Fraud!!! Honey is one of nature’s purest foods, referred to by nutritionists as “functional food” because of its many health benefits. It is relatively expensive, and consumers are entitled to get what they pay for. The latest honey food fraud scandal in Australia exposes what committed beekeepers have known for some time now, that cheap, fake honey is increasingly being sold to an unsuspecting public. “How is honey adulterated?” you might ask. And “why has it not been detected before?” Honey is adulterated in two main ways: by adding cheap Chinese honey or various syrups. After a devastating bout of foulbrood disease which wiped out huge numbers of China’s bees in 2001, honey appeared on the market which was artificially “ripened” (eliminating much of its health benefits) and some which it is suggested was synthetic and never troubled a bee to be produced. The US placed heavy tariffs on Chinese honey as a result. This did not stop it reaching the US by transhipping and relabelling, it appeared to come from other countries to which the tariffs did not apply. Further, to avoid detection, Chinese honey is also now heated and ultra-filtered to remove all pollen which makes it impossible to determine its source. The detection of added syrups is the other issue. Typically, syrups made from starchy plants like sugarcane and corn were added and are easily detected using a C4 test. The fraudsters have become sophisticated and have started adding cheap rice, wheat and beet syrups which cannot be detected using the standard C4 test. However, a new test, Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) pioneered in Germany, has already detected these syrups and put the cat among the pigeons. Earlier this year, T&T Beekeepers used a German lab to test samples of honey being sold locally. They all proved to be adulterated and contained no pollen. Threatened with exposure the merchant removed the offending product from the shelves. Also, despite the ban on the importation of honey into T&T, the USDA National Honey Report disclosed that 13,900 kg of honey were exported to T&T during the first half of 2018.
Beware of where you purchase your honey, the fraudsters are among us. … Gordon Deane
What our beekeeper has been up to
Bee Fact! Hard working bees A single honey bee visits between 50 and 100 flowers during one collection trip. A typical hive visits approximately 225,000 flowers per day and makes an average of 1,600 round trips in order to produce one ounce of honey. To make one pound of honey, bees fly over 88,500 km to gather enough nectar. … Dr. Jo-Anne Sewlal
November is a busy month for our beekeeper and his colleagues. They will be attending the 9th Caribbean Beekeeping Congress in Guyana. They will also be presenting two posters at the 21st Biennial Conference of the Caribbean Academy of Sciences.
News from the Apiary! — Gordon Deane There is always value in a second pair of eyes. Another person looking at the same situation may see something quite different from what you are seeing. This is exactly what happened in the apiary recently. I have usually judged the strength of a colony by examining the relative number of bees assembled on the landing board at the entrance to the colony, big mistake. My good friend and ace beekeeper, Ricardo D’Andrade, visited one of the sites at my Matura apiary and was unhappy with their condition, especially since I had told him that they were progressing well. He and his team conducted a thorough examination and concluded that there was insufficient brood in development to see the colonies successfully through a potentially rainy November. Urgent intervention was required. Feed had to be doubled and pollen provided. I am pleased to report that three days after this was done the bees were already making the necessary preparations for the queens to recommence laying. This is the first step in brood development. Great News! Ricardo and his team then returned bringing gifts of brood and two new queens from their own apiary to strengthen mine. With careful management and a better approach to On their way to the check on the colonies, Santa measuring strength going forward, Mundo Nuevo apiary will be and his elves surprise an unsuspecting hiker in the forest. ready for the 2019 honey season, ensuring continued supplies to our customers. Big thanks to a generous fellow beekeeper.
From the apiary, a Very Happy and Holy Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Testimonials “This has to be the honey with the finest, consistent quality and distinct taste. If you know Gordon, the beekeeper, you will know that his dedication to his hives and attention to detail and quality are unparalleled. This is reflected in each bottle of Elsie’s Finest Honey which always lives up to its name.” … Dr. Ishvan Ramcharitar MBBS(UWI), MFOM (Ireland), MSc. Occupational Medicine (Aberdeen), FRSPH (London), Cert OH Law (UK)
Elsie’s Finest Honey, $180 for a 750 ml bottle & $65 for a 200 ml bottle.
To place an order email us at:
elsiesfinest@gmail.com
In This Issue
Health Tips! Honey helps you catch those ZZZs… The Sleep Health Foundation estimates that 1 in 3 people has at least mild insomnia. But honey can help you catch those ZZZs. Honey’s natural sugar encourages tryptophan, an important sleep hormone, to enter your brain more easily. You can also mix honey with Himalayan Salt which will increase serotonin, helping you destress before bed. … 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: Dr Jo-Anne N. Sewlal (this issue) Layout Design: Dr. Jo-Anne N. Sewlal
Contributors: Gordon Deane, Ishvan Ramcharitar, Breanne Mc Ivor and Dr. Jo-Anne N. Sewlal